Page 103 of The Lost Husband

“Yesterday, they reported the German High Command had signed surrender documents in France,” Noah adds. “Ifthat’sconfirmed…” I notice he skips past the confirmation of the Führer’s death. Unless Noah sees proof… I think he might always wonder about the truth.

“What exactly doesconfirmedmean in this situation?” Elias asks.

“The signed surrender needs to be verified by officials,” Noah answers.

Elias takes a swig of his soup. “You must have been a politician.”

“Worse. An economist,” Noah says with a small smile.

I glance at Noah, giving him a raised brow, and a smirk I can’t hide. “Trusting numbers is a dangerous habit.”

Noah drops his head in a hush of laughter just as the radio crackles louder than a hiss.

The static crackles and squeals then a voice fades in from the grit. Broken at first, then clearer.

…reports confirm that Berlin has fallen

…The capital is under Soviet control…

I stand up from the mattress and quietly make my way closer to the radio. Avi only takes a step closer, her hands clenched by her sides. And Elias leans forward, his eyes bulging.

Noah doesn’t blink, as if worried he might disrupt the signal, but he leans in closer to adjust the dial with hairline movements.

…the German High Command has signed an act of unconditional surrender…

Hope, or false hope?

No one says a word, which tells me they’re all thinking the same.

Hours pass before the static returns, and I imagine someone pressing their finger down on the dispatch button.

…victory over fascist Germany has been declared…

…German Command has signed an act of unconditional surrender…

The voice fades into a muted static. My heart splinters from within as I reach for Noah’s free hand as he reaches for the tuning dial again. But he stops just as the static clears once more.

…the war in Europe has ended…

I stare so hard at the radio, I begin to count the holes along the speaker, waiting, for something—someone to say this was a misunderstanding and that it’s not truly over.

But it doesn’t.

It repeats.

…Again, unconditional surrender…

…the war in Europe has ended…

I shift my stare from the radio to Noah’s eyes. Neither of us blink, just exist in this moment.

Elias lets out a quick, hard laugh then stops as if someone interrupted him. “It’s over. It’s really over?” he asks.

And Avi, she whispers, “We survived.”

I know survival doesn’t mean freedom. Not yet. The war might be over, but there are still soldiers occupying Poland. Their uniforms are different, but the power is not. We can only hope they don’t plan to dehumanize this country any more than the Reich already did.

“Yes,” Noah breathes. “The war part…is over.”