Epilogue - Jiya
Two weeks had passed, and I felt like I was moving through a world that no longer made sense.
Everything was blurred.
Muted.
Distant.
I remembered fragments—
Liam standing beside me.
Being told Cole was laid to rest beside Eva and Chloe.
Nodding when people spoke to me.
The funeral itself felt like something I had watched happen to someone else.
Faces came and went, unfamiliar and indistinct. Conversations were nothing more than noise. Every hug felt stifling, like something was pressing down on my chest.
I didn’t want to be held.
I didn’t want to be comforted.
I wanted Cole back.
Jack didn’t leave my side. Not once. He checked on me every single day, sometimes more than once, making sure I was eating, making sure the children were okay. Geeta did the same, quietly stepping in wherever she was needed, filling in the spaces I couldn’t seem to manage anymore.
Lucas took it the hardest. He cried almost every day.
Oreo would often climb onto the bed beside him, staying there without moving as the sobs tore through him.
“Why, Mama?” he asked one evening, his voice breaking as he clung to me. “Why did God have to take my dad away?”
I held him tightly, pressing his head against my chest as I stroked his hair, even though my own heart was splintering with every word. “God didn’t want him to suffer anymore, baby,” I whispered, wiping his tears with trembling fingers. “Dad’s not in pain anymore.”
He pulled back slightly, his eyes searching mine. “Do you think he’s happy there? Does he not miss us?”
My throat tightened. “Of course, he misses us,” I said softly. “But he’s with his family now… with Eva and Chloe. They’re all watching us… protecting us from above. And he’s with you all the time… right here.” I placed my hand over his heart.
“Really, Mama?” he asked, his voice small, hopeful.
“Truly, sweetheart.” He nodded slowly, trying to understand, trying to accept something that didn’t make sense to either of us.
Emma was too young to understand.
Every time she looked around and asked, “Where Dada?” it felt like something inside me shattered all over again, splintering into pieces I could not put back together.
The days stretched endlessly before me.
The first few, I could barely get out of bed.
Most mornings, I would wake to find Milo already lying beside me, curled into the space Cole used to occupy. Oreo often lingered near the bedroom door as though he were standing watch over the family Cole had asked them to protect.
The space beside me still held the memory of his warmth, the faint imprint of where he used to lie. The room still smelled like him—his aftershave lingering in the air, clinging to everything. His clothes still hung in the closet.
I found myself wearing his shirts sometimes, wrapping myself in them, pretending for just a moment that he was still there.
But he wasn’t.
Every time I walked into the living room and saw his picture, it hit me all over again, hard and unforgiving.
I had known loss before.
I had survived it.
But this…
This was different.
This felt like losing a part of myself I would never get back.
I stood by the window now, staring out without really seeing anything, my thoughts drifting somewhere between memory and emptiness.
And then something pulled me back.
A car.
Black.
Parked on the street… watching.
It hadn’t been there before.
I frowned slightly, narrowing my eyes as I tried to focus through the haze in my mind.
Something about it felt… off.
And for the first time in days, something other than grief stirred inside me.
Liam called me the following week. “Hi,” he said softly, his voice carrying a heaviness that mirrored my own. “How are you doing?”
I swallowed, forcing the words out as I blinked back the tears already gathering in my eyes. “I’m alright.”
It was a lie.
A fragile one.
The kind that barely held together.
I hadn’t seen him since the funeral reception. We had exchanged a few messages, brief and careful, but even that had felt overwhelming. Facing him… facing someone who shared this loss so closely… felt like reopening something that hadn’t even begun to heal.
Three weeks had passed.
And yet, it still felt like it had just happened.
“I was wondering if you would be free on Monday,” Liam continued, his voice faltering slightly as he sniffled. “Cole’s lawyer would like to speak to us regarding his will.”
My chest tightened at the mention of it.
His will.
Another reminder that he had known.
That he had prepared.
That he was gone.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment before answering. “Yes… I’ll be there.”
We agreed on noon.
After the call ended, I stared at my phone for a long moment, my reflection faintly visible on the dark screen.
There was a finality to it.
Something about this meeting felt like another step forward… whether I was ready for it or not.
And I wasn’t sure I would ever be ready.
I sat in the lawyer’s office in Downtown Victoria with Liam beside me, my hand tightly wrapped in his.
When the lawyer walked in, I recognized him immediately.
Eric Lambert.
I had seen him before at the restaurant, when I had signed those papers.
A faint unease stirred inside me as I tried to piece it together.
How did Cole know him?
Eric shook our hands gently, offering his condolences with sincerity before taking his seat. Then he began reading the will.
“I, Cole Harris, being of sound mind and body, do hereby declare that this document is my last will.”
My chest tightened.
“I am married to Jiya Flores, and I have no children.”
My brows furrowed slightly. Had he changed his will recently?
“I give all my personal property and money held in my name to Jiya Flores and her children, which includes the restaurant that we both own.”
The words hit me like a sudden jolt.
The restaurant? What did he mean?
And then it clicked.
Cole had been the owner all along.
All those documents I had signed… the signatures I had seen countless times… how had I never noticed?
I sat there, stunned, as Eric continued.
“In terms of my position in my parents’ company, which my brother runs, I want Jiya to be a part of it. If she chooses not to do so, she will get 85% of the profits it generates from my share. The remaining 15% is to be donated to charity.”
I shook my head slightly, still trying to process it.
I didn’t want his money. I didn’t want his company. That business had nothing to do with me. I knew nothing about construction or development. The thought of stepping into that world felt foreign.
I shifted in my seat, already thinking about how I could refuse it.
When Eric finished reading, he reached into his folder and handed me an envelope.
“Cole had written this letter a couple of months ago.”
My fingers trembled as I took it from him.
He gave us a small nod before leaving the room, allowing Liam and me a moment alone.
“Liam…” I paused, turning to him. “I don’t want your company. I don’t know the first thing about construction. I am more than happy to transfer everything to you. I have my restaurant and the cafés… and I’m more than happy with that.”
“Jiya,” he said softly, squeezing my hand. “If you think that I thought you were ever after the money or the business, you’re wrong.”
His eyes held mine.
“I know you’re not that kind of person. Cole told me about your struggles… about how you built everything on your own. I could never see you any other way except the woman who saved my brother and brought him back to me.”
My throat tightened.
“What Cole left for you… is your right,” he continued gently. “I could never take that away from you. You are my family… my sister. I won’t break the promise I made to Cole.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks.
Somehow, in the middle of losing everything… I had gained something too.
A brother.
A family.
I looked at Liam, still trying to absorb the truth of it.
“Thank you,” I said softly, the words carrying far more than gratitude.
He gave me a small, reassuring smile. “You’re not alone anymore, Jiya.”
After we left the office, I promised Liam we would be in touch and hugged him before he got in the car and drove off.
I watched him disappear into traffic before walking back to my own car, the world moving outside as if nothing had changed.
But everything had.
I sat in the car, reached into my bag, and pulled out the envelope.
My fingers traced the words written on it.
To My Love, Jiya.
My vision blurred as I opened it, unfolding the letter inside.
And then I read.
Sweetheart,
I know you will be surprised to receive this letter.
Yes, it is real! I still remember the first time I laid eyes on you.
I was peeking through my window when you had just moved into your house.
I was your neighbour, but you didn’t know until later.
Then I saw you at the restaurant with Lucas.
The sadness in your eyes, but the brave front you put up for your son, is the memory of you that I will never forget.
You are a beautiful woman and an amazing person. Your kind heart is what made me fall truly and deeply in love with you. You were definitely an angel sent from above. You saved me and showered me with love. You were always there for me. Thank you for everything you have done for me.
Jiya, because of you, I no longer felt alone; because of you, I looked forward to waking up each day, just to look at your face; because of you, my family was complete again. Thank you for bringing me so much joy and happiness in my life with your smile, with your love, and with your children.
I love you. I know that it will be hard for you, and I’m sorry for that, but I want you to be happy. I want you to keep yourself open and positive. I want you to fall in love again. You are stronger than you realize, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.
Know that I am always with you, not physically, but I am watching over you, Lucas, and Emma.
Love, Cole
By the time I reached the end, I could no longer see the words clearly.
My tears had soaked the paper.
But even through the blur… I could still feel him.
In every word.
In every line.
In every piece of love he had left behind for me.