Samar looked up. His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for a face he knew wasn't there. "I would say… an ultimatum is a wall. But a promise is a horizon. I was a coward in love. I thought leaving was brave. But staying, forgiving, waiting… that is the real war."

The cathedral was silent. Then, Zara took the hook – that cold, terrible piece of metal – and placed it gently over her own heart.

Samar stepped down, standing inches from her. For the first time, he looked at her father’s ashes. "Then the broken pieces still beat," he whispered. "Ask any man who has lost a limb. The ghost of the hand still feels. The ghost of the heart still loves."