"Emma would want you to be happy," he says. Simple words that land with the weight of absolution. "She'd want you to live. Not just survive, but actually live. You've honored her memory. Now honor her wishes. Find someone who makes you smile again. Build the life she wanted for you even if she can't be part of it."
Rhys's shoulders shake. Just once. A tremor that speaks to years of grief finally finding release. He nods. Cannot seem to speak. Just stands there holding the ring while Emma's father pulls him into a hug that looks like it might break them both.
The wind picks up. Carries away words I cannot hear but can feel in the way they stand together. Two men bound by love for the same woman. One grieving a daughter. The other grieving a wife. Both giving each other permission to let go.
I turn away. This moment is theirs. Not mine.
But as I start to leave, I hear footsteps behind me.
"Harlow."
I turn. Rhys stands a few feet away, still holding the ring. His eyes are red but clear. Present in a way I have not seen before.
"Stay," he says. "Please."
My heart kicks hard against my ribs. "Rhys, this is for your family. I shouldn't?—"
"You're part of this." He glances back toward Emma's family, who are watching us with expressions I can't read. "They want to meet you. Emma's mother asked specifically."
That stops me cold. "Why would she want to meet me?"
"Because I told her what you did. How you helped me finish what Emma started." He steps closer. "And because she knows."
"Knows what?"
"That I'm not the same man I was. That something changed." His voice drops. "That someone changed me."
The words hang between us. Heavy with meaning neither of us is ready to name out loud. Not here. Not now. Not withEmma's grave right there and her family watching and three years of grief still fresh in the space between us.
"I can't," I say. "Not yet. This is your closure. Your family. I'm just?—"
"You're not just anything." His hand reaches out, almost touches my arm, then drops. "But I understand. We'll talk. Later. When this is done."
I nod. Turn away before the emotion building in my chest finds its way to my face. Before I say something neither of us is ready to hear.
Behind me, Rhys returns to Emma's family. I hear murmured voices. Soft goodbyes. The sound of footsteps on frozen ground as they prepare to leave.
I walk back toward town. The afternoon sun slants low through the trees. My phone buzzes in my pocket. Another message from the Bureau. Another offer to return.
I delete it without reading.
The command center is quieter when I return. Most agents have dispersed. Zeke stands near the coffee station with Nate. They both look up.
"You okay?" Zeke asks.
"Getting there."
Nate hands me coffee. "Reeves is looking for you. Needs your signature on statements."
I take the coffee. "Where is he?"
"Interrogation room two. But Harlow?" Zeke's expression goes serious. "You don't owe them anything. If they want more, they can ask nicely."
"They won't."
"No. They won't." He crosses his arms. "Which is why I'm reminding you that you're a civilian now. You get to say no."
I thank him and head toward the interrogation rooms. But before I reach them, I see Rhys through the window of thesheriff's station across the street. Standing at his desk. Even from here, I can see the tension in his shoulders.
