Our tenth anniversary was supposed to be perfect. I planned every detail, bought him a watch, and waited—only to find him gone. No note, no calls, just silence. Panic set in as hours passed; I imagined the worst: another woman, a secret life.
Desperate, I investigated and discovered cryptic payments and coded emails about “Patient X.” Racing to the medical facility, I found our daughter in a hospital bed, hooked to machines, and my husband lying beside her, pale and bandaged.
He hadn’t abandoned me. He had sacrificed himself to give our daughter a future, keeping her rare kidney disease hidden from me to protect me from worry. On our anniversary, he gave everything—his strength, his love, his life—so our family could survive.
