Grief often blurs the lines between what’s real and what’s remembered, but what Kelly experienced was something far beyond that. She knew her husband’s voice intimately, every inflection, every soft whisper. But Jeremy had been gone for two years. So when she heard his voice again—coming from inside her daughter’s room—it sent a shock through her. Every hair on her body stood up. A cold wave washed over her, and she froze, her heart hammering in her chest.
With great effort, she moved forward, her trembling hands reaching for the door. Inside, she found Sophia, peacefully asleep in her crib, cuddled up with her teddy bear. Yet as Kelly stepped inside, the voice returned—clear, unmistakable. “I love you forever.”
Panic flooded through her. She scanned the room, desperate for an explanation—no open windows, no hidden speakers. Was her mind unraveling? Had grief finally taken its toll? She reached for the teddy bear with trembling fingers, pressing it softly. The words repeated once more: “I love you forever.”
Then, a memory surfaced—a birthday gift. The bear from her mother-in-law, given to Sophia just days ago. Kelly had barely registered it at the time, her heart heavy with the sorrow of facing another birthday without Jeremy. Now, she needed to understand.
When she spoke to Gloria, the truth came pouring out, painful yet relieving. “I took his voice from the wedding video,” Gloria confessed. “His vows. I wanted Sophia to hear her daddy’s voice. I just wanted her to have something of him.”
Tears filled Kelly’s eyes as the full weight of it all settled on her. The shock. The sorrow. The love. She didn’t know whether to feel anger or gratitude, but as she watched her daughter sleep that night, one thing was clear—Jeremy wasn’t truly gone. He lived on in their daughter’s eyes, in her laughter, and now, in the soft voice of a teddy bear.
As Kelly pressed the bear gently once more, her husband’s words echoed through the room. “I love you forever.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks, but for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel so alone.