His eyes were bloodshot, with black circles beneath them as if he hadn’t slept in days. “Morning,” he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He didn’t look at me but instead glanced into his cup like it held all the answers in the world.
“Damien, we need to talk,” I said, my voice trembling despite my efforts to stay calm.
He looked up at me, and I noticed a glimmer of terror in his eyes. “What’s going on, Lacy?” he inquired, his tone suspicious.
“I saw you last night,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I know about the letter, Damien. I saw you crying. Please, just tell me what’s going on.”
The color drained from his cheeks, and I thought he was going to faint. He laid down his coffee cup, his hands quivering, and looked at the table.
“Lacy, I didn’t want you to find out this way,” he whispered.
“What’s in the letter?” I pressed, leaning forward. “Please, just tell me the truth.”
He took a deep breath. “I’ve been diagnosed with something,” he finally said, his voice so quiet I almost didn’t hear him. “It’s… it’s not good, Lacy.”
My heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”
Damien looked up at me, his eyes filled with tears. “It’s cancer,” he said, his voice cracking. “Terminal. The doctors gave me six months, maybe less.”
I felt like the floor had just dropped out from under me. The room swirled, and I had to hold the edge of the table to keep myself steady.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Why did you try to hide this from me?”
He reached out, taking my hand in his, his grip weak and trembling. “Because I didn’t want you to go through this,” he said, tears streaming down his face. “I didn’t want you to have to watch me die. I thought… I thought if I could just keep it to myself, maybe it would be easier for you.”
“Easier?” I repeated, my voice rising in disbelief. “How could you think that shutting me out would make this easier? We’re supposed to be a team, Damien. We’re supposed to face things together. You can’t just decide to go through this alone.”
“I know,” he whispered, his voice filled with regret. “I know, and I’m so sorry, my love. I was scared. I didn’t want you to see me like this, weak and broken. I thought I could protect you, but all I did was hurt you.”
I grabbed him and pulled him in for a tight hug, fighting back tears that threatened to spill over.
“You don’t have to protect me from this, babe. I’m your wife. I want to be there for you, no matter what. We’ll face this together, okay? No more secrets.”
He nodded and hugged me back, his eyes full of thanks and sadness. “I don’t deserve you, Lacy,” he said softly, his voice strangled with emotion. “But I’m so glad I have you.”
We hugged each other for a long time, grieving over everything we were going to lose. I knew the path ahead would be extremely difficult, but I also knew we’d face it together.
After then, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the time we’d wasted, all the moments we could have had together if he’d just given me the truth. But I understood that obsessing on it would not change anything. What mattered now was that we were in it together.
I noticed physical and emotional changes in Damien over the course of several weeks. He started to open up more, sharing his anxieties and concerns with me! We spent our days trying to make the most of the time we had left by finding small joys in ordinary situations!
We went on walks in the park, watched movies at home, and even started making a bucket list of things we wanted to do together before it was too late! One day, as we sat on the porch, watching the sunset, my husband gave me a sorrowful look.
“I wish I had told you sooner, Lacy,” he said quietly. “I’ve wasted so much time hiding from you, from us.”
I shook my head, squeezing his hand. “Don’t think about that now, baby. We’re here together, and that’s what matters. We can’t change the past, but we can make the most of the time we have left.”
He nodded, his eyes glistening with tears. “I don’t want to leave you,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “But I’m so grateful for the time we’ve had. You’ve made these last few months bearable, my bunny. I don’t know how I would have done it without you.”
My eyes welled up with tears as I leaned in to rest my head on his shoulder.
“You don’t have to do anything alone anymore, my angel. I’m here with you, every step of the way.”
We sat there, wrapped in one other’s arms, as the sun fell below the horizon. At that point, I realized something significant. I had set out to catch Damien in a betrayal, believing that he was keeping something dreadful from me.
And, while I had discovered something even more tragic, it had also brought us closer than we had been in years. For however long we had left, we would face it together, side by side, as we always should have.
While Damien did not cheat, Ryan’s wife believes he is cheating after discovering incriminating evidence in their bedroom. The evidence led her down a rabbit hole, and she realized she couldn’t trust him anymore. Her anxieties were finally confirmed when she found proof of his cheating in his car. Her revenge was sweet and swift!