That is who they were.

That is who they had always been.

It only took me nearly dying to finally see it.

Chapter 9 — Under the Lights

The last thing I saw before the operating-room doors was the ceiling lights sliding past, one after another, and the last thing I felt, stronger even than the pain, was a cold and total clarity.

For seven years I had told myself a story about a devoted son and a difficult wife.