The final item in the box was a worn-out diary. As I leafed through its pages, I discovered Tomas’s innermost thoughts. He had documented his life, his struggles, and his dreams. There were entries about meeting Maria, falling in love, and the heartbreak of their separation. But what moved me most were the entries about finding me. He described seeing me at the market, feeling a strange sense of recognition, and the quiet resolve he had to be there for me, despite his own insecurities and past.

Tomas had written about the evening he proposed, how he feared my rejection, but hoped his sincerity would shine through. In one of the last entries, dated just days before our wedding, he wrote: “She doesn’t know yet, but she brings light into my world. I hope one day she sees past my silence and knows that she is my new beginning.”