Grief can play tricks on the mind, but this? This was something else. Kelly knew her husband’s voice—she had known it all her life, from the way he whispered her name to the sound of him laughing at their inside jokes. But what she had just heard? That was impossible. It came from her daughter’s room, clear as day.
Her heart raced, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. Jeremy had been gone for two years. He was dead. So, who was speaking in his voice?
Kelly’s legs felt weak as she stood at the doorway, her mind racing. There was no way it could be him. But then… she stepped inside, and everything froze.
She was Kelly, 30 years old, and her life had been one of love, loss, and survival. Her husband, Jeremy, had been killed in a car accident two years ago. She had been eight months pregnant with their daughter, Sophia, when everything changed.
One moment, she was painting flowers on the walls of the nursery, dreaming about the future she and Jeremy would share with their baby girl. The next, the phone rang and shattered everything.
That moment was forever burned into her memory. She still remembered the way the paintbrush had slipped from her fingers, leaving a trail of pink across the wall.
“Miss Kelly?” The voice on the phone was soft, practiced. “This is Officer Reynolds…”
She placed her hand on her belly, as though trying to hold on to the life inside her. Sophia kicked, almost as if she could sense Kelly’s fear.
“Yes?” Kelly asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“There’s been an accident. Your husband…”
“No.” The word escaped her in a strangled breath. She didn’t want to hear the rest.
The details were fuzzy after that, but she remembered enough. They told her the crash had been horrific, so bad that she shouldn’t see his body. They didn’t even let her have an open casket. And that was it—no goodbye, no closure. Just a funeral with a casket closed forever.
At the service, her mother had held her, whispering words of comfort that Kelly couldn’t process.
“Kelly, honey,” her mom had said, her voice gentle. “You need to stay strong. For the baby.”
“How?” Kelly had choked, her tears falling uncontrollably. “How am I supposed to do this without him? He was supposed to be here. He was supposed to be the one holding her…”
Two years passed, and Kelly had tried to keep going, to push through the pain for Sophia. But that emptiness? It never left.
And then, just two days ago, something happened that turned her world upside down.
It had started like any other afternoon. Kelly had put Sophia down for her nap, curled up on the couch, and opened a book. The house was quiet. Peaceful.
Then, it happened.
A sound. A soft noise, like the window closing. Kelly didn’t think much of it at first. Probably the wind, she told herself. But then, a voice cut through the stillness.
“I love you forever.”
Her breath caught. No. That couldn’t be. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Her entire body went cold.
It wasn’t just a memory. It wasn’t just a figment of her imagination. It was real. Clear. And unmistakable.
“Jeremy?” Kelly whispered into the silence, her voice trembling. “Baby, is that you?”
But no. This was impossible. Jeremy was gone.
And then, again, she heard it.
“I love you forever.”
The voice came from Sophia’s room.
Without thinking, Kelly bolted up from the couch, the book slipping to the floor. Her mind raced in a blur of panic. Was someone in the room with Sophia? Was this some kind of cruel joke? Or was she losing her mind?
“Please,” she whispered to herself as she rushed down the hallway. “Please, if you’re there…”
Her heart was pounding, her hands cold and clammy. She couldn’t believe what was happening, but she had to know.
She pushed open Sophia’s door.
Sophia was fast asleep in her crib, curled up tightly, clutching a small teddy bear. The room was just as Kelly had left it. No open windows. No strange shadows. No sign of anyone else.
But then, again.
“I love you forever.”
Kelly’s heart skipped a beat. She felt as if time had frozen in that moment.
“Jeremy?” Her voice cracked, barely a whisper. “Is this some kind of sick joke? Please… I can’t take this…”
She scanned the room, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she moved toward the window. Something had to explain this. Anything.
Her fingers touched the glass. It was locked, just like it should have been. Outside, a tree branch rested lightly against the pane, broken and bent, like it had fallen onto it. That explained the noise, but Jeremy’s voice? There was no explanation for that.
Then, her eyes moved to Sophia.
Sophia stirred in her sleep, her tiny fingers clutching the bear tighter, and murmured softly, “Dada.”
Kelly felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was like the wound of loss reopened all over again.
And then it hit her.
The bear.
She sank to her knees beside the crib, her hands shaking as she reached for the teddy bear. She squeezed it, and once again, Jeremy’s voice filled the room.
“I love you forever.”
Kelly’s world seemed to collapse around her as she held the bear to her chest, sobbing.
“Oh God,” she whispered, clutching the bear tighter. “Oh God, Jeremy…”
She collapsed onto the couch, staring at the bear as though it might come to life. Her mind raced. She had no memory of buying this bear. Had someone given it to Sophia?
And then, it clicked.
A week ago, they had celebrated Sophia’s second birthday. Jeremy’s mom, Gloria, had given her the bear. Kelly remembered how her heart had ached when she saw the gift, the first birthday without Jeremy. She had smiled through the pain and handed it to Sophia.
“Look what Grandma got you,” Kelly had said, her voice forced cheerfulness.
Now? Now, everything was different. She needed answers.
Kelly grabbed her phone and dialed Gloria’s number. The phone rang twice before Gloria picked up.
“Kelly, hi, sweetie! Everything okay?”
Kelly gripped the bear tightly in her hands. “Did you know this thing plays Jeremy’s voice?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
Finally, Gloria’s voice came through, soft and almost hesitant. “Oh… did it finally play?”
Kelly’s stomach twisted in confusion and dread. “Finally? What do you mean, ‘finally’?”
There was a sigh on the other end. “I was wondering when you’d hear it.”
Kelly’s head spun. “Gloria, what did you do?”
“Kelly, please,” Gloria’s voice wavered. “Just let me explain…”
Kelly could barely contain her frustration. “Explain what?” she demanded. “Explain why you thought it was okay to… to…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence.
An hour later, Gloria showed up at Kelly’s door. She looked almost nervous, her hands folded in her lap as she sat across from Kelly.
“I just… I thought it would help,” Gloria said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Kelly placed the bear between them, her eyes hard. “Help who?”
Gloria exhaled, looking down at the bear. “Sophia. And you.”
Kelly stared at her, disbelief written all over her face.
“Kelly,” Gloria said, reaching across the table to take her hand. “Every time Sophia asks about her daddy… every time I see you trying to explain… it breaks my heart.”
Kelly’s voice cracked. “And you don’t think this breaks mine? To hear his voice again, out of nowhere?”
Gloria swallowed hard. “After Jeremy died, I kept thinking about how Sophia would never know her dad’s voice. So, I took a recording from your wedding video. You remember his vows?”
Kelly’s throat tightened. “I remember,” she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. “He practiced those vows for weeks. He wanted them to be perfect…”
Gloria nodded. “I had it sewn into the bear before her birthday. I wanted her to have a piece of him. To know he’s always with her.”
Kelly sat back, overwhelmed. Gloria had meant well, she knew that. But she felt blindsided, caught off guard by this secret.
“Gloria,” Kelly whispered, “You should’ve told me.”
“I know,” Gloria admitted, tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t want to upset you.”
“Upset me?” Kelly laughed bitterly. “I thought I was going crazy. For a moment, I thought… I thought he was…”
“Alive?” Gloria finished softly, placing a hand on Kelly’s shoulder.
Kelly’s breath hitched. “Yes…”
Gloria pulled Kelly into her arms, rocking her gently as Kelly sobbed. “I miss him so much,” Kelly whispered, tears falling. “Every single day…”
“I know,” Gloria murmured. “He would be so proud of you, Kelly. So proud of how you’re raising Sophia.”
That night, as Kelly sat in Sophia’s room, watching her daughter sleep, everything felt different. The bear rested in her lap. Her fingers traced its soft fabric as she watched her little girl, the daughter Jeremy never got to meet.
Sophia looked so much like him—same nose, same dimples when she smiled, same sparkling blue eyes.
“You would have loved her so much,” Kelly whispered into the quiet room. “She’s perfect, Jeremy. Just perfect.”
With one last squeeze, Kelly pressed the bear again. Jeremy’s voice filled the room.
“I love you forever.”
Tears filled Kelly’s eyes as Sophia stirred in her sleep, reaching for the bear.
“Bear?” she murmured, her tiny voice full of wonder.
Kelly handed it to her. “That’s your daddy,” she whispered through her tears. “He loves you so, so much.”
Sophia smiled sleepily, hugging the bear close. “Love Dada.”
And in that moment, Kelly realized something. For the first time in a long while, she didn’t feel alone. The grief would always be there, but so would the love. Forever.
