The husband’s voice was barely audible, but the words were clear. “I know you can hear me,” he whispered, his voice tinged with both desperation and something darker, an edge that hadn’t been detected in his daily tender words. “I never wanted it to end this way. I was reckless, and you found out. I’m sorry about the accident. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt. I need you to forgive me.”

The revelation hung in the air like a specter, reshaping everything the nurse had thought she understood about the couple. Was this a confession cloaked in a goodbye? The accidental fall down the stairs that had led to this moment suddenly seemed more sinister in the light of his whispered words.