I showed up at the hospital to surprise my husband during his shift. But the second one of his coworkers saw me, all the color left his face. Then his eyes filled with tears. “He hasn’t said a word to you, has he?” Ben and I had been married eleven years, and for every one of those years, I had shared him with the hospital. He was a remarkably gifted surgeon.

He looked up at me, tears running freely down his face.

“I told myself I was protecting a young nurse, but the truth is I was only protecting my own comfortable life.”

“Brian has been loading heavy cargo trucks in the dead of night, Paul, while he drains our life savings to keep a roof over that boy’s mother.”

My voice climbed with unchecked fury.

“And through all that misery, Brian stood up for you to me last night, swearing you were the most loyal friend he had in the world.”

Paul started crying openly, his hands shaking against his knees.