My Husband Spoiled Me for 34 Years—Then a Blood Test Exposed His Family’s Darkest Secret (3 of 3)

Suddenly I understood why, with me, he was so tender, almost childlike. I had teased, “You’re grown, why are you so sweet? Am I your mother?” Now I knew. With me, he finally received the comfort denied him in childhood.

He left on a rainy afternoon. The silence after his last breath hollowed the world.

Our daughter brought me home. One evening by the lake she whispered, “Dad told me: I cared for your mom my whole life. Now I can’t.” And then I said, “From today, I’ll care for her instead.”

Since then, she has never left me alone. On quiet mornings I sometimes hear her murmur, “Dad, I’m taking care of Mom for you.”

People ask if I feel bitterness toward his family. I don’t. He lived not for himself, but to give. His love transformed everything it touched.

And if another life awaits us, I’ll find him again. I’ll take his hand, hold him tight, and never, ever let him go.