Grief plays tricks on your mind, but this? This was different. This wasn’t just some strange feeling or memory. Kelly knew her husband’s voice — she’d heard it every day for years. And now, just two years after his death, she was hearing it again. But it wasn’t a memory. No, this was real. The sound of Jeremy’s voice came from her daughter’s room, and it made her heart freeze.
How could this be happening? Kelly thought, her hands trembling. Jeremy had been gone for two years. So why was his voice still in her home?
I’m Kelly, and I’m 30 years old. My life’s been full of love, but also a lot of loss. My husband, Jeremy, died in a car accident when I was eight months pregnant with our daughter, Sophia.
One minute, I was happily painting flowers on the walls of her nursery, dreaming of the life we would all share. The next minute, I got a phone call that shattered everything I had ever known.
I remember that moment like it was yesterday. The paintbrush slipped from my fingers, leaving a trail of pink down the wall.
“Miss Kelly?” a calm voice spoke from the phone. “This is Officer Reynolds…”
My hand instinctively moved to my belly as I felt Sophia kick.
“Yes?” I asked, my voice shaky.
“There’s been an accident. Your husband…”
“No…” I whispered. “Please, no…”
The officer’s words after that were a blur. They told me the crash was bad. So bad that they didn’t want me to see his body. I never got to say goodbye. It was just a closed casket at the funeral, and that was it. No closure. Just pain.
“Kelly, honey,” my mom had said at the funeral, pulling me into a tight hug as I sobbed. “You need to stay strong. For the baby.”
I’d choked on my tears. “How? How am I supposed to do this without him? He was supposed to be here. He was supposed to be holding her.”
Two years had passed since then. I was trying my best to be strong, for Sophia’s sake, but the emptiness never left. Every day felt like a battle to keep going.
And then, two days ago, something happened that changed everything.
It had started as a normal afternoon. I’d put Sophia down for her nap and settled on the couch with a book. The house was calm and quiet. Peaceful.
Until I heard it.
A soft sound, like a window closing. It was barely audible, but enough to make me glance up. Probably just the wind, I thought, trying to brush it off. But then, my heart stopped when I heard it clearly.
“I love you forever.”
Jeremy’s voice. It was unmistakable.
My whole body went cold. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. My ears rang with the sound of his words. My heart pounded so fast I thought I might faint.
“Jeremy?” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Baby, is that you?”
No. No, no, no. Jeremy was gone. This couldn’t be real. This just wasn’t possible.
And then, I heard it again.
“I love you forever.”
The words were coming from Sophia’s room.
Without thinking, I leaped off the couch. My book slipped to the floor as I rushed down the hallway, my mind racing. Was someone in there? Was I hallucinating? Was Jeremy alive?
I could feel my heart racing in my chest. My hands were freezing. My stomach churned with nausea.
“Please,” I whispered under my breath, already starting to cry. “Please, if you’re there, let me see you.”
I pushed open Sophia’s door.
She was fast asleep in her crib, curled up in a little ball. Her tiny fingers clutched a teddy bear as she snuggled deeper into her blanket. The room looked exactly as I had left it. No open windows. No shadows in the corners. Nothing out of place.
But then, the voice came again.
“I love you forever.”
It was louder this time. Clearer.
My heart skipped a beat. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My voice cracked as I called out, “Jeremy? Is this some kind of joke? Please… I can’t… I can’t take this…”
I scanned the room, desperate for an explanation. I moved toward the window, my hands shaking with fear. Something had to make sense of this.
My fingers brushed the glass. It was locked, sealed tight. Outside, I noticed a small tree branch leaning against the pane, a broken branch that must’ve fallen from the tree outside.
Okay, that made sense. The sound I heard earlier was probably the branch. But Jeremy’s voice?
I turned back to look at Sophia, who was still sound asleep, hugging the teddy bear tightly.
And then, my heart broke.
“Dada.”
She murmured it softly in her sleep, and my chest felt like it might shatter all over again.
That’s when it hit me.
The bear.
I dropped to my knees next to her crib, my hands shaking as I reached for it. I squeezed it tight, pressing it against my chest.
And then I heard it again. “I love you forever.”
I gasped, my body trembling. It wasn’t possible. How could this be happening?
I sat down on the couch, the teddy bear still in my hands, staring at it in disbelief. How could this toy have Jeremy’s voice?
I had no memory of buying it. Had someone given it to Sophia?
And then I remembered.
A week ago, we had celebrated Sophia’s second birthday. I had tried to put on a happy face, even though the day was hard without Jeremy.
My mother-in-law, Gloria, had been there, and she had given Sophia the teddy bear. “Look what Grandma got you!” I had said, forcing a smile. I hadn’t thought much of it then, just another stuffed animal, another reminder that Jeremy wasn’t there.
But now? Now I needed answers.
I grabbed my phone and called Gloria. It rang twice before she picked up.
“Kelly, hi, sweetie! Everything okay?” she asked, her voice light.
I gripped the bear tightly. “Did you know this thing plays Jeremy’s voice?”
There was a long silence on the other end.
“Did it finally play?” Gloria’s voice was small, almost hesitant.
My stomach dropped. “Finally? What do you mean, finally?”
I could hear her take a deep breath before answering. “I was wondering when you’d hear it.”
My head spun. “Gloria, what did you do?”
Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke. “Please, Kelly, just let me explain…”
“Explain what?” I interrupted. “Explain why you thought it was okay to… to… to play his voice like this?”
I was shaking now, my breath quickening.
Gloria sighed heavily before speaking again. “I thought it would help.”
“Help who?” I demanded, barely able to keep my voice steady.
“Help Sophia. Help you.”
My head was spinning. I didn’t understand. “How would this help?”
“Kelly,” she said softly, “Every time Sophia asks about her daddy… every time I see you trying to explain, it breaks my heart.”
I felt a wave of sadness crash over me. “And you don’t think this breaks mine?” I whispered, tears falling freely now. “To hear his voice again, out of nowhere?”
Gloria swallowed hard. “After Jeremy died, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Sophia would never hear her dad’s voice. So, I took a recording from your wedding video. Remember his vows?”
I froze. I felt the air leave my lungs. I remembered. The vows. Jeremy had practiced them for weeks, wanting them to be perfect.
“‘I love you forever,’” Gloria whispered.
I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of her words.
“I had it sewn into the bear before Sophia’s birthday,” she explained. “I wanted her to have a piece of him. To know that he’s always with her.”
I stared at the bear in my hands. I had to fight to keep my voice steady.
“You should have told me,” I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips.
“I know,” Gloria admitted, her voice fragile. “I just didn’t want to upset you.”
I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t relieved. I was just… overwhelmed.
Later that night, I sat in Sophia’s room, staring at the bear in my lap as she slept. Her little chest rose and fell, and I couldn’t help but watch her, mesmerized by how much she looked like her father. Her nose was the same as his, and when she smiled, she had the same dimple in her cheek.
“You would have loved her so much,” I whispered to the darkness. “She’s perfect, Jeremy. Just perfect.”
I pressed the bear once more. And, as if by magic, his voice filled the room:
“I love you forever.”
A lump formed in my throat. I wiped my eyes quickly, trying to push down the pain.
Sophia stirred in her crib, her little eyes fluttering open.
“Mama?” she whispered softly.
“Hey, baby girl,” I replied, my voice thick with emotion.
“Bear?” she asked, reaching for it.
I handed it to her, watching as she pressed it close to her chest. Jeremy’s voice filled the room again.
“That’s your daddy,” I said softly, my heart full of love and grief. “He loves you so, so much.”
She looked at the bear with wide eyes, then back at me. “Dada?”
“Yes, sweetheart. That’s Dada.”
She hugged the bear tighter and closed her eyes again. “Love Dada.”
I couldn’t help but smile through my tears.
For so long, I thought I had lost everything. But here, in my daughter’s arms, was a piece of Jeremy. A piece of him that would always be with us.
I kissed Sophia’s forehead gently and whispered, “You’ll always have him with you, my sweet girl. Always.”
The grief was still there. It always would be.
But for the first time in a long, long time… I didn’t feel so alone.
