The day I buried Emily, all I had left were our photos and memories. But when something slipped from behind our engagement picture that night, my hands started shaking. What I discovered made me question if I’d ever really known my wife at all.
The funeral home had tied a black ribbon on our front door. I stared at it, my key suspended in the lock, wondering who’d thought that was necessary.
A black ribbon attached to a doorknob | Source: Midjourney
As if the neighbors didn’t already know that I’d been at the cemetery all afternoon, watching them lower my wife into the ground while Rev. Matthews talked about angels and eternal rest.
My hands shook as I finally got the door open. The house smelled wrong — like leather polish and sympathy casseroles.
Emily’s sister Jane had “helped” by cleaning while I was at the hospital during those final days. Now everything gleamed with an artificial brightness that made my teeth hurt.
A home entrance hallway | Source: Pexels
“Home sweet home, right, Em?” I called out automatically, then caught myself. The silence that answered felt like a physical blow.
I loosened my tie, the blue one Emily had bought me last Christmas, and kicked off my dress shoes. They hit the wall with dull thuds.
Emily would have scolded me for that, pressing her lips together in the way she had, trying not to smile while she lectured me about scuff marks.
A heartbroken man looking down | Source: Midjourney
“Sorry, honey,” I muttered, but I left the shoes where they lay.
Our bedroom was worse than the rest of the house. Jane had changed the sheets — probably trying to be kind — but the fresh linen smell just emphasized that Emily’s scent was gone.
The bed was made with hospital corners, every wrinkle smoothed away, erasing the casual mess that had been our life together.
“This isn’t real,” I said to the empty room. “This can’t be real.”
A bedroom | Source: Pexels
But it was. The sympathy cards on the dresser proved it, as did the pills on the nightstand that hadn’t been enough to save her in the end.
It had all happened so suddenly. Em got sick last year, but she fought it. Chemotherapy took an immense toll on her, but I was there to support her every step of the way. The cancer eventually went into remission.
We thought we’d won. Then a check-up showed it was back, and it was everywhere.
A couple staring grimly at each other | Source: Midjourney
Em fought like a puma right up until the end, but… but it was a losing battle. I could see that now.
I fell onto her side of the bed, not bothering to change out of my funeral clothes. The mattress didn’t even hold her shape anymore. Had Jane flipped it? The thought made me irrationally angry.
“Fifteen years,” I whispered into Emily’s pillow. “Fifteen years, and this is how it ends? A ribbon on the door and casseroles in the fridge?”
A heartbroken man | Source: Midjourney
My eyes landed on our engagement photo, the silver frame catching the late afternoon light. Emily looked so alive in it, her yellow sundress bright against the summer sky, her laugh caught mid-burst as I spun her around.
I grabbed it, needing to be closer to that moment and the joy we both felt then.
“Remember that day, Em? You said the camera would capture our souls. Said that’s why you hated having your picture taken, because—”
My fingers caught on something behind the frame.
A man holding a photo | Source: Midjourney
There was a bump under the backing that shouldn’t have been there.
I traced it again, frowning. Without really thinking about what I was doing, I pried the backing loose. Something slipped out, floating to the carpet like a fallen leaf.
My heart stopped.
It was another photograph, old and slightly curved as if it had been handled often before being hidden away.
A stunned man | Source: Midjourney
In the photo, Emily (God, she looked so young) was sitting in a hospital bed, cradling a newborn wrapped in a pink blanket.
Her face was different than I’d ever seen it: exhausted, and scared, but with a fierce love that took my breath away.
I couldn’t understand what I was looking at. Although we tried, Emily and I were never able to have kids, so whose baby was this?
A confused man | Source: Midjourney
With trembling fingers, I turned the photo over. Emily’s handwriting, but shakier than I knew it: “Mama will always love you.”
Below that was a phone number.
“What?” The word came out as a croak. “Emily, what is this?”
There was only one way to find out.
A thoughtful man | Source: Midjourney
The phone felt heavy in my hand as I dialed, not caring that it was nearly midnight. Each ring echoed in my head like a church bell.
“Hello?” A woman answered, her voice warm but cautious.
“I’m sorry for calling so late.” My voice sounded strange to my ears. “My name is James. I… I just found a photograph of my wife Emily with a baby, and this number…”
The silence stretched so long I thought she’d hung up.
A man speaking on his phone | Source: Midjourney
“Oh,” she finally said, so softly I almost missed it. “Oh, James. I’ve been waiting for this call for years. It’s been ages since Emily got in touch.”
“Emily died.” The words tasted like ashes. “The funeral was today.”
“I’m so sorry.” Her voice cracked with genuine grief. “I’m Sarah. I… I adopted Emily’s daughter, Lily.”
The room tilted sideways. I gripped the edge of the bed. “Daughter?”
A shocked man | Source: Midjourney
“She was nineteen,” Sarah explained gently. “A freshman in college. She knew she couldn’t give the baby the life she deserved. It was the hardest decision she ever made.”
“We tried for years to have children,” I said, anger suddenly blazing through my grief. “Years of treatments, specialists, disappointments. She never said a word about having a baby before me. Never.”
“She was terrified,” Sarah said. “Terrified you’d judge her, terrified you’d leave. She loved you so much, James. Sometimes love makes us do impossible things.”
A man on a phone call | Source: Midjourney
I closed my eyes, remembering her tears during fertility treatments, and how she’d grip my hand too tight whenever we passed playgrounds.
I’d assumed it was because we were both so desperate to have a child, but now I wondered how much of that came from longing for the daughter she gave up.
“Tell me about her,” I heard myself say. “Tell me about Lily.”
A man speaking on his phone | Source: Midjourney
Sarah’s voice brightened. “She’s twenty-five now. A kindergarten teacher, if you can believe it. She has Emily’s laugh, her way with people. She’s always known she was adopted, and she knows about Emily. Would… would you like to meet her?”
“Of course!” I replied.
The next morning, I sat in a corner booth at a café, too nervous to touch my coffee. The bell above the door chimed, and I looked up.
It was like being punched in the chest.
A man in a coffeeshop | Source: Midjourney
She had Emily’s eyes and her smile. She even tucked her hair behind her ear like Em would’ve as she scanned the room. When our gazes met, we both knew.
“James?” Her voice wavered.
I stood, nearly knocking over my chair. “Lily.”
She rushed forward, wrapping her arms around me like she’d been waiting her whole life to do it. I held her close, breathing in the scent of her shampoo — lavender, just like Emily’s had been.
Two people hugging | Source: Midjourney
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered against my shoulder. “When Mom called this morning… I’ve always wondered about you, about what kind of man my mother married.”
We spent hours talking. She showed me pictures on her phone of her college graduation, her first classroom, and her cat. I told her stories about Emily, our life together, and the woman her mother became.
“She used to send Mom birthday cards for me every year,” Lily revealed, wiping tears from her eyes.
A woman in a coffeeshop smiling sadly | Source: Midjourney
“We never spoke, but Mom told me she used to call now and then to ask how I was doing.”
Looking at this beautiful, brilliant young woman who had Emily’s kindness shining in her eyes, I began to understand Emily’s secret differently.
It wasn’t just shame or fear that had kept her quiet. She’d been protecting Lily by letting her have a safe, stable life with Sarah. It must have hurt Em deeply to keep this secret, but she’d done it out of love for her child.
A thoughtful man | Source: Midjourney
“I wish I’d known sooner,” I said, reaching for Lily’s hand. “But I think I understand why she never told me. I’m so sorry you can’t get to know her, but I want you to know, I’ll always be here for you, okay?”
Lily squeezed my fingers. “Do you think… could we maybe do this again? Get to know each other better?”
“I’d like that,” I said, feeling something warm bloom in my chest for the first time since Emily’s death. “I’d like that very much.”
A man smiling in a coffeeshop | Source: Midjourney
That night, I placed the hidden photo next to our engagement picture on the nightstand.
Emily smiled at me from both frames — young and old, before and after, always with love in her eyes. I touched her face through the glass.
“You did good, Em,” I whispered. “You did real good. And I promise you, I’ll do right by her. By both of you.”
Iman Gives Rare Comment on Her & David Bowie’s Only Daughter, 23, Who Is ‘Dad’s Twin’ with ‘Incredible’ Same Eyes
Iman, the widow of legendary musician David Bowie, is known for her privacy, especially when it comes to their only daughter, Lexi Jones. But in a rare and candid moment, the supermodel recently opened up about 23-year-old Lexi, whom fans say is the spitting image of her famous father, sharing his iconic eyes.
Former supermodel, Iman, seldom talks about her 23-year-old daughter with late music icon, David Bowie in interviews. However, in a recent interview, she made a rare comment that gave fans a glimpse into who Lexi is and what she loves to do.
During a sit-down with Instyle, she shared how the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a newfound passion that she now shares with her daughter.
She revealed, “I was at my upstate house and I was by myself. So I started painting. My husband was a painter. My daughter is a painter. I have never painted. And I started painting.”
Though Iman values her privacy, she occasionally shares glimpses of Lexi Jones on social media. In addition to sharing sneak peeks into Lexi’s passions, she also celebrates her publicly, especially on her birthdays.
In August 2023, she posted a heartfelt video compilation celebrating Lexi’s 23rd birthday, accompanied by the caption, “Happy Birthday, Little Wonder. God blessed us with the greatest gift: You!”
Fans celebrated Lexi, and also quickly noted Lexi’s beauty and striking resemblance to Bowie. One commenter said, “Happy belated birthday, Dad’s twin.” Another gushed, “She’s so gorgeous it’s unbelievable!!”
Previously, the supermodel and entrepreneur posted a photo showcasing Lexi’s large, expressive eyes dark hair, and well-defined eyebrows. Her caption read, “Happy Birthday, my heart, my pride, my love, my angel, my Lexi! I’m proud to call myself your mommy.”
Fans were again amazed by her resemblance to the late legendary singer. One remarked, “Her Dad’s twin,” and another added, “Incredible her expressions, her laugh, the way she lowers her eyes …incredible ..like her dad.”
Lexi Jones, from a post dated August 15, 2023 | Source: Instagram/the_real_iman
Like her mom, Lexi is selective about what she shares online, but when she does post photos, they often highlight her distinctive features. A recent photo showcased her vivid green eyes, which were especially striking against her dark, full eyebrows.
Her long lashes enhanced the impact of her gaze. Her dark hair, styled with bangs, framed her face, while the rest was pulled back, drawing even more attention to her facial structure. One fan noted, “Daddy’s eyes [sic].”
While fans marveled at Lexi’s resemblance to her father, Iman shared touching memories of her late husband in the interview, emphasizing his never-ending presence in her life.
She recounted a story from their early days together, “My husband, the first week we met, we were walking down the street and my shoelaces came undone, and he got to his knees and tied [them up]. That is my perfect person.”
She stressed that Bowie was still her husband, saying, “When people say, ‘your late husband,’ I always correct them. He is my husband, not my late husband. He was the perfect person for me and I’m happy that I was able to experience that in my lifetime.”
When David Bowie was alive, the family led a relatively normal life despite their celebrity status. Iman cooked dinner every night, and they both ensured Lexi had a grounded upbringing. Bowie cherished the time spent playing music with Lexi, who inherited her parents’ artistic talents.
Bowie once said of his wife, Iman, “She’s uncanny at keeping the business at her office and the woman at home. But she’s a mom 24/7.”
Bowie passed away over eight years ago, but Iman continues to commemorate his life. She marked the 8th year since her husband’s passing with a touching post on Instagram on January 10, 2024. The tribute reflected the eternal bond shared between the renowned couple while showing fans a glimpse into Iman’s artistic side.
Her post featured a black-and-white canvas drawing of what appeared to be a person with wings. Although she did not further explain her share, Iman wrote a few sweet words alongside her post.
“Eternal Love,” she captioned the post with the hashtag “#BowieForever.” Several of Iman’s fans and followers expressed their admiration for her artwork and kind words about her love story with Bowie.
Iman’s Instagram share follows another post that commemorated Bowie’s life. On his birthday on January 8, 2024, she shared the same hashtag along with a captivating photograph, celebrating the enduring spirit of her late husband.
Bowie passed away on January 10, 2016, after an 18-month-long battle with cancer. His official Facebook page announced the tragic news but gave fans comfort knowing that the artist died surrounded by his family.
Iman has spoken about her husband since his passing, revealing that she would never tie the knot again. Although Bowie is no longer physically with her, he was, is, and will always be her husband.
“I definitely feel his presence, especially when I look out over the glorious sunsets at our home because David loves sunsets,” she said. “So, in that way, he is ever-present. Through my memory, my love lives.”
The couple, who met through a blind date, fell in love immediately. “David said it was love at first sight,” Iman said. Their enduring love story has since been admired by many.
Although they chose to keep their relationship private, the goodness they brought to each other manifested internally. “If David was not in my life, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to start Iman Cosmetics,” Iman disclosed.
Iman and David Bowie’s home became a reminder of their love and saved her from the pain and heartbreak of losing him. Although many years have passed, she still pays tribute to him in more ways than one.
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