From the Embers - Aly Martinez

In the aftermath of tragedy, it’s strange the things you remember.\n The deafening boom as the house exploded.\n The paralyzing fear as I searched for my wife.\n The blinding smoke burning my eyes as I carried her out.\n But carved into my soul for the rest of my days would be the earth-shattering realization that the woman in my arms wasn’t my wife.\n Bree and I were the only survivors—not that either of us were truly living after that night. As a single dad with nowhere else to go, I moved into her guest house. And somehow, through the guilt and grief, we forged an unlikely team.\n It took years, but I watched the gradual return of her smile—slow and life-altering.\n The two of us could sit outside for hours, talking about nothing, and it filled the massive hole in my chest with new