Two months after a bitter divorce from my strong, relentless wife, I found myself at

The words seemed to echo in my mind, reverberating through the stillness of the waiting room. Claire’s frail form sat before me, a stark contrast to the fiery, relentless woman I once knew. I tried to process what she had just said, but my mind stumbled over the implications, the complexity of what lay ahead.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I asked, my voice barely audible above the whisper of hospital life around us.She looked down, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of the hospital gown. “I was scared, Ethan. I didn’t know how to tell you, especially after… everything.”