Winona’s breath hitched as she stepped onto the staircase. Each step was lined with photos, leading her gaze upward.

The first photo showed them in college, sitting side by side during a lecture, notebooks open, eyes bright with curiosity. Her chest tightened as she remembered those days, how easy it had been to be around him, how every laugh and teasing glance had lingered in her mind long after.

The next step held a stolen snapshot from a family dinner, her father and his, meeting to ...