In 2010, I met a man who wasn’t my usual type but intrigued me with his confidence and smile. He was married with a newborn, so I kept my distance. Two years later, after his separation, he reached out, and though I rejected him initially, by 2013, we were inseparable, falling fast in love. By 2016, I was pregnant, and he was there every step of the way, promising he’d never leave.

But when I went into labor, he wasn’t there. I tried calling, but there was no response. At 1:05 p.m., I gave birth, only to receive a devastating message from his sister, Ana: he had died in a car crash on his way to see us. He had been working hard to buy us a home, a surprise he never got to share. His love, though gone, remained in the house, his sacrifices, and in our son.

Love endures, even beyond time.