Zach sat next to the bed and took her hands without Simra’s resistance. “It’s difficult to explain. God created another form of him from the dust for me. My tasks are finished as an angel of death, and I’m human now.”
Many questions raced through her head all at once. She noticed how he seemed to no longer read her thoughts. “You can no longer read my mind? Zach, how are you licensed to work as a doctor if you’re in Tristan’s body? Where’s Mandy, Jeff, and the drug dealer? I need explanations.”
Zach took a deep breath before explaining everything. “I went to see Mom. She had my old certificate. I don’t know how, but it has Tristan’s name on it instead of mine. Mom, Mandy, and Jeff knows that I’m really me. Everyone else knows me as Tristan Hanley. It took me awhile to convince Mandy and Jeff. They finally believed me. The drug dealer didn’t kill your grandmother. She died when Azazel did. The Alzheimer’s got to her, but she went in peace. I’m very sorry.”
Although Simra would’ve gotten angry and bitter in the past, she only remembered how happy Lucinda seemed. Her grandmother never looked so content. “That’s strange. I suppose God had something to do with that. Did I really die? Where is everyone?”
“No, you went into a diabetic coma for two months. We never lost hope that you’d return. Gabriel told me to never give up on you. He claimed you kept reliving the past.”
“Jeff and Mandy came with an ambulance just in time to save you. The drug dealer got arrested. He’s in jail. I promise he’ll be locked in there for life. Mandy and Jeff are doing well.”
This man before her was Zach, and Simra’s emotions ran rampant. It would be difficult to see him as the man she loved. So much happened since that day, but gratefulness enveloped her heart more than anything. God reassured her of Lucinda’s happiness.
He reassured her of Tristan being destroyed and the drug dealer’s punishment. Most of all, she had a relationship with Christ now. There was also Zach, who she loved with all her heart.
Zach’s lips tugged into a warm smile, and he got onto his knees beside her. “There’s something I’ve been dying to ask now that you’re alive and recovering. I can’t wait one minute longer. I want to make you happy, and I promise I’ll always protect you. I’ll never collect your soul, but I want to be joined to it. You showed me how to let go of past regrets, give them to God, and how it’s not wrong to fall in love. We’ll place a smile on our Father’s face each day. All haunted memories will be forgotten. However, how we first met and worked together as a team will not.”
Zach pulled a small box containing a diamond ring from his pocket. “Marry me?”
Tears of joy and trust misted her eyes. “So you promise there’ll be no more collecting souls?”
Zach squeezed her hand. “I promise, and angels never break promises.”
Giggling like a small girl, Simra slipped the ring onto her finger. So this was to what Gabriel referred. “I love you, my earth angel. How soon can you get me out of here for the wedding?”
Epilogue
"I thank my God every time I remember you." -Philippians 1:3
-Years later
The water in the Lake O’ The Pines licked the soft sand along the shore. The summer breeze kissed Simra’s face. The fish that Zach caught and cooked caused her mouth to water for more. This weekend was perfect for a fish fry at the lake house with their daughters and Zach’s mom. Lucy, Gabriella, and Snow gathered small mussel shells with their grandma.
Simra married Zach not long after he asked her a few years ago. She and Mandy still owned the Alzheimer’s facility. They loved their job more than ever. Jeff made the transfer to Longview as a detective. He and Mandy had their wedding ceremony alongside Zach and Simra. Two sons were born of their love.
Simra and Mandy’s Alzheimer’s facility became well known around the country. They made huge donations each year to aid scientists in finding a cure for the horrid illness. Alzheimer’s patients came from everywhere to be placed into their nursing facility. Dr. Hanley was the doctor in charge there.
Zach and Simra’s three girls ran along the shore. Their smiles widened across their small faces. Simra took a seat in the chair and giggled at them. Gentle hands brushed through her blonde tresses.
Zach gave her a playful grin. “They’re the spitting image of you.”
Placing her hand over his, she smiled at him. “They have their dad in them too. I love them so much. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for how He brought us together.”
Zach took a seat next to her and brushed a gentle kiss across her brow. “Me too. I love them also. The only one still suffering is Quint.”
Ah, she almost forgot about Quint. The man was still behind bars. It did him good. Although he still made threats in prison, he couldn’t escape now.
Easing up to stand, she took Zach’s hands. The children ran toward them to show off their mussel shells. Simra’s mother-in-law waved at the couple from the shore with a broad smile.
They returned her wave and smile before Simra gazed into her husband's eyes. “I love you so much.”
Zach placed a gentle hand across her cheek. “I love you too, my beautiful wife.” He gave her a fierce hug.
Simra thought she saw God’s smile and a snow angel above them, engraving an Immortal Memory in their hearts forever!
If you enjoyed reading Immortal Memory, please remember to write a review about my book on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews mean everything to me, and I enjoy hearing feedback from my readers. And please check out the history of how Tristan’s obsession began in Lucinda’s time in my second book, Immortal Memory: A Cursed Affair. In my third book, Immortal Memory: Her Darkest Hour, are all Simra’s nightmares and Tristan’s evil schemes to possess her truly over? Are love and faith in Christ powerful enough to defeat something so hungry for control and manipulation?
In Christ,
Sylvia
About Sylvia Frances
Sylvia is the author of the IMMORTAL MEMORY trilogy, a New Adult Christian Paranormal Romance, and spends much of her time being stalked by the fallen and holy angels since she began to pick up her cross and follow Christ by serving Him through her writing career.
She graduated from Louisiana Delta Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science in 2013. She graduated with honors and is a member of The National Technical Honor Society. When Sylvia is not writing about the battles of fallen and holy angels in her fictional novels, she is devoted to serving Christ through her freelance and editorial career writing for various newspapers and Christian magazines across the southern states.
She is happily married to her husband of two years, and they have three children who are their shih tzu and two cats. A portion of her book sales goes to the Stalking Resource Center for victims who are stalked and have been in abusive relationships and to the National Alzheimer's Association.
For more information about Sylvia’s books or Sylvia, she can be contacted at:
Website: www.sylviafrances.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sylvia-Frances- 717029808405508/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
Twitter: Sylvia Frances@SylviaFrances1
Immortal Memory (Book One) Page 21
