Carolyn paled. “I need to tell you something,”she said. Years ago, she gave up a baby girl for adoption. She never told me. She had been young and afraid, and afterward, she fled, severing ties with her parents. But it turned out they had adopted her daughter — Emma. The wedding resumed, but our minds were elsewhere. Days later, we visited Carolyn’s estranged parents. Yes, they confirmed, they had taken in the baby and raised her as their own. Emma knew she was adopted — and knew of Carolyn from photos and stories.

Emma agreed to meet. She was calm, wise beyond her years. “You’re still their daughter,” she told Carolyn. “Just like I’m still yours.” That day, I saw something incredible: a family, broken in pieces, beginning to come together again. Tim gained a sister. Carolyn found her daughter. And I realized that sometimes, love gives us a second chance — just not in the way we expect.