I reached down and touched the silver soda-can pull tab, which I had converted into a permanent pendant hanging from a delicate gold chain around my neck.
I had married a stranger in a hospital waiting room so he wouldn’t pass away alone. In return, he had handed me a legacy that mended my own grief, preserved an irreplaceable memory, and offered countless forgotten souls a true home.
I glanced over at the glass case where Lily’s red dress radiated softly beneath the warm workshop lights, whispering quietly into the air:
We protected it, Julian. Your masterpiece lives on.
