Later That Night
The twins had finally fallen asleep, their little bodies tangled in blankets with Elena's letters clutched against their chests. Zayden sat beside them for a while longer, brushing back strands of Liora's curls and tucking Elio's stuffed giraffe under his arm.
He stared at them as though they might disappear.
In the hush of the room, the moonlight spilled through the windows, pooling around the foot of the bed. It felt like Elena's presence—soft, silvery, peaceful.
Eventually, he rose, kissed their foreheads, and whispered, "Goodnight, my loves."
He didn't go to bed.
Instead, he went into his study, opened the bottom drawer, and pulled out an old leather-bound journal—its edges frayed, its pages tired. It was Elena's favorite—she had gifted it to him on their first wedding anniversary with a note: "Write only when your heart can't hold it in."
Tonight, his heart was overflowing.
He flipped past dozens of entries—some joyful, some aching. Then he turned to a fresh page and began to write.
---
Zayden's Journal Entry
August 18
They're asleep now. Elio and Liora. They read your letter and smiled through tears. Liora asked me if heaven has a bedtime. Elio said he dreamed about you last night. And I told them the truth: you never really left.
But God, Elena... I wish you were here. Tonight, I felt you in every breath. In the way Liora curled into me, in the way Elio reached for my hand without saying a word.
Sometimes I think I'm doing okay. I go to work, I come home, I laugh at their knock-knock jokes. But then it hits me—you're not just gone. You're missing everything. And I'm missing everything because I can't share it with you.
I'm stuck, Elena. I can't fall in love again.
Not because I'm broken. But because loving you was the full story. No chapter left unfinished. I still write you letters I'll never send. I still talk to your photo when I'm scared or proud or just... lonely. And I still sleep on only one side of the bed.
How do people do this? Move on? Fall again? I can't even picture someone else's voice in the morning, someone else's hand reaching for mine. You ruined me for anyone else. And I think I'm okay with that.
---
He paused, wiped his face, and pulled out another page—the one he reserved for unsent letters to Elena. Then, with shaky hands, he began to write again.
---
A Love Letter to Elena
My Lena,
Tonight, Elio asked me if I still talk to you. I said "every day." He smiled and said he does too—he tells you about the stars and how fast he can run now. Liora asked if she looks like you. I told her, "You have your mama's fire. The world better watch out."
But after they slept, I broke again. Like always. Quietly. In the dark. Where only your absence hears me.
I miss the sound of your laugh echoing in the kitchen.
I miss how you'd hum when you washed your face.
I miss our late-night cereal fights and the way you always stole my hoodie.
I miss the way you looked at me like I was worth loving.
I still love you. With everything I am. I don't think that'll ever change.
Maybe in another life, we'll get more time. Maybe in another version of us, you stay. Maybe in another forever, we grow old together.
But in this one... all I have is what you left behind—memories, our kids, and this aching, endless love.
Goodnight, Lena. I'll find you in my dreams.
Forever yours,
Zayden
---
Zayden closed the journal and rested his head against the wood of the desk.
For a long time, he just sat there in silence, letting his tears fall.
Because sometimes love doesn't fade.
Sometimes, it becomes the very air you breathe.
---