Charles died in a car crash when Susie was just two weeks old. Allie was 23, cradling a newborn, heartbroken and lost. Charles’s mother, Diane, helped her survive. But Allie never saw his body. She buried the doubt. Dead was dead—wasn’t it?

Susie grew up gentle, always asking about the father she never knew. Then one evening, Allie heard her whispering into the landline, “I miss you too, Dad.” Terrified, Allie checked the call log and dialed the unfamiliar number.

A voice answered. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t call again tonight.” Then—silence. Click.

The next morning, Susie handed Allie a letter. From Charles.

He’d disappeared—panicked, overwhelmed, aided by his mother. Now, he wanted to reconnect.

“I found him online,” Susie admitted. “I needed to see if I had his eyes.”

“Do you want to keep talking to him?” Allie asked.

“I do.”

Two days later, Allie called Charles.

“We need to meet.”

He was already sitting in the coffee shop when she walked in.