Ashley appeared throughout, fully present.
Rachel had kept it lean. Just enough truth to make the lie look small.
Michael at eight beside me at the school fair.
Michael in cap and gown with my hand on his shoulder.
Michael and Ashley dancing at their wedding.
Michael holding baby Lily while I stood beside him with a cup of coffee because he looked too tired to remember he needed it.
Ashley appeared throughout, fully present.
Rachel left it on the screen for several extra seconds.
Then came Lily’s instant photographs.
The room went quiet.
One showed me kneeling in the sand while Noah buried my feet.
Another showed me fixing Lily’s hair while the wind tried to undo it again.
The last one showed me and both children near the surf, all three of us laughing, half blurry, exactly like a real family moment should look.
