"Really? But who could it be?" Tessa asked, her voice tinged with genuine curiosity. "Your parents have been gone for years, and their old friends have long since moved on. They've never even mentioned your parents' names in ages. Why would anyone suddenly show up to pay respects?"

Her words struck a nerve.

The idea that people "move on" hit me harder than I expected. I hadn't noticed their absence in conversations before, but Tessa's blunt reminder left me ...