At twenty-seven, Lena had already learned that a life could disappear in a matter of seconds.
Not slowly.
Not gracefully.
One second, everything could be exactly where it belonged.
And the next—
nothing.
Six months ago, Lena had a husband.
A home.
A career.
A future.
She had a three-bedroom house with photographs hanging on the walls and toys scattered across the living room because her three-year-old son, Noah, believed every room in the house was his personal playground.
She had a husband who kissed her forehead before leaving for work.
A husband who texted her stupid things during lunch just to make her laugh.
A husband who was supposed to grow old with her.
His name was Daniel.
And Lena loved him in the uncomplicated way people love someone when they genuinely believe they have forever.
They had met young.
Married young.
Built their life young.
And somehow, it had worked.
Until one Tuesday morning.
Daniel had gone to work like he always did.
Lena remembered standing in the kitchen with Noah on her hip while Daniel kissed her goodbye.
"Love you."
"Love you too."
"See you tonight."
She smiled.
"Don't be late."
He laughed.
That was the last normal conversation they ever had.
Later that afternoon, her phone rang.
She almost didn't answer.
Then she saw the number.
Work.
Her stomach tightened.
The voice on the other end was calm in the way people sound when they're trying not to panic.
There had been an accident.
A serious one.
Daniel had been working around heavy equipment when something went horribly wrong.
By the time emergency responders arrived, he was trapped.
Lena didn't remember driving to the hospital.
She remembered fluorescent lights.
Doctors moving quickly.
A nurse asking questions she couldn't process.
She remembered someone saying they were doing everything they could.
And then she remembered seeing Daniel.
Not the way she remembered him.
Not smiling.
Not laughing.
Not standing in the doorway asking what was for dinner.
Just—
still.
Lena screamed.
She begged.
She prayed.
She promised anything.
Everything.
She would trade places.
She would give anything.
Just give him back.
But there are some things money can't buy.
Some prayers don't get answered.
Daniel died.
And something inside Lena died with him.
The funeral was a blur.
People hugged her.
People told her how sorry they were.
People said things like He's in a better place.
Lena wanted to scream every time she heard it.
Because the better place was supposed to be beside her.
Not somewhere she couldn't follow.
When she came home afterward, Noah ran toward the door.
"Mommy!"
She dropped to her knees.
He wrapped his little arms around her.
"Where's Daddy?"
Lena couldn't answer.
"Mommy?"
She squeezed him tighter.
"Daddy isn't coming home, baby."
Noah stared at her.
"But he lives here."
Lena closed her eyes.
"I know."
She held him until he stopped asking questions.
That night, she climbed into the bed she had shared with Daniel.
His pillow was still there.
His side of the bed was untouched.
His smell was still trapped in the sheets.
Lena curled up where he used to sleep and cried until there was nothing left in her.
She was twenty-seven years old.
A widow.
A mother.
And suddenly completely alone.
She promised Noah she would be okay.
She promised herself she would survive.
What she didn't know was that surviving and living were two completely different things.
And before Lena found her way back to herself...
she was going to become someone she barely recognized.
ESTÁS LEYENDO
THE MAN WHO LOOKED LIKE A SAVING GRACE
AcciónSome angels wear masks. Lena lost the love of her life-and almost lost herself with him. At twenty-seven, she's a grieving widow, a struggling single mother, and desperate to give her three-year-old son the life he deserves. Then she meets Cole. He'...
