Part 1: The Words He Thought She Would Never Hear

A Performance for the Room

In front of the medical staff, he played his part perfectly.

His shoulders sagged as if weighed down by grief. His voice cracked when he spoke. He pressed a hand to his face, wiping away tears that looked real enough to fool everyone watching. One young nurse even had to turn away, visibly moved by his sorrow.

“Please,” he said softly, his words trembling. “Let me say goodbye. I just need a moment alone with her.”

The doctors agreed without hesitation. They saw a devoted husband facing the unimaginable.

No one suspected what lay beneath that carefully constructed image.

Alone at Last

The room was quiet when he entered.

His wife lay still, her face calm, almost peaceful. If not for the tubes and monitors, she could have been sleeping. The steady rhythm of the machines filled the space, marking time in quiet beeps.

He sat beside her and glanced toward the hallway. A nurse stood nearby, keeping an eye on things through the glass.

So he began to act again.

He brushed his fingers through his wife’s hair, gentle and slow. He sighed deeply. A tear slid down his cheek, carefully summoned. Anyone watching would have seen a man saying goodbye to the woman he loved.

Then he leaned closer. Continue reading…

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