Walter lived peacefully for another eighteen months. Loved. Safe.
When he passed, Murphy curled up next to him and didn’t move for hours.
At the funeral, Lizzie—now Elena—stood before everyone and said, through tears:
“Walter didn’t just rescue me. He believed in me. When no one else did. And Murphy… he found me. Twice.”
The day after, she placed a stone in her garden:
Murphy—Guardian Angel. Good boy, forever.
Beneath it, in smaller letters:
“He kept asking for Murphy. None of us knew who that was. But now… We’ll never forget.”
