Only a few nails remained, marking where something had once hung.
Every trace of me had been erased. Completely.
The hollowness in my chest was unbearable.
The words left my mouth before I realized I was speaking. "This house... a lot of things are missing."
Neil wrapped his arms around me from behind and said softly,
"You're right."
"This house is missing a woman to call it home."
"Lucy Simmons, will you marry me?"
A diamond ring appeared before my eyes.
Even though I'd known this day would come, I couldn't stop the trembling deep inside.
Should I say yes?
If the real Lucy were here, she would say yes without hesitation. Wouldn't she?
My thoughts were still tangled in knots.
Neil held up the ring, walked to me, and lowered himself to one knee.
"Lucy, I'm serious."
The next second, a crowd of people burst out from the other rooms. Confetti cannons went off with a bang, filling the air with streamers as everyone cheered at the top of their lungs.
"Say yes! Say yes!"
For one fleeting moment, I thought I'd been transported back in time, to when Neil had proposed to me.
There had been just as many people then, showering Neil and me with blessings, wishing us forever.
Neil had done the same thing back then, too, declaring his love in front of everyone.
He thanked Lucy for lighting up his world. He thanked Lucy for pulling him out of the abyss.
And he thanked Lucy for saving his child. Our child.
"Rachel was the love of my first half of life. But Lucy, you are the redemption of my entire existence."
"Marry me."
The light refracting off the diamond cut straight into my eyes.
I knew Lucy would say yes.
I knew I should accept.
But in that moment, I couldn't force out a single word.
What woman on earth could hand her husband over to someone else with her own two hands?
I couldn't.
Neil's parents noticed I still hadn't moved. They approached me with reddened eyes, their voices careful and coaxing:
"Lucy, we understand. Any woman would have reservations about a man who's been married before."
"But ever since that woman passed, Neil has been a shell of himself. It wasn't until he met you that he started to seem alive again."
"All any parent wants is for their child to be happy. We just want Neil to move on from the past and truly live."
"Lucy, will you grant us this one wish?"
I stared at my former in-laws, and the air wouldn't come.
Even they had accepted Lucy without a second thought.