I carried it home, in both hands, the whole way, the way you carry something you know will change you the moment you open it.

Chapter 11 — Everything He Thought Of

I finally opened the envelope at home, sitting at our kitchen table, in the quiet of a house that was suddenly far too large.

Inside was a handwritten letter.

There was also a copy of Mark’s signed donor authorization, and the contact information for the attorney who had helped him organize his estate.

I read the documents slowly, more slowly than I have ever read anything, and as I read I began to understand the shape of what my husband had spent those private weeks doing.