When Nella noticed her husband, Eric, acting strangely, she had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. She decided to get to the bottom of it, but what she uncovered would change her life forever, in ways she could never have imagined.
It all began one evening when Eric sat her down and said something that shocked her deeply.
“I need some space, Nella. Just a little time to think.”
They had been married for 12 years—twelve wonderful years through thick and thin. Eric had always been her rock: steady, calm, and reliable. But this? This was unlike anything she had ever heard from him before.
“It’s not about us,” he reassured her. “I just need to clear my head.”
But despite his words, fear crept into Nella’s heart. Her mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion.
Was he seeing someone else? Was this his way of slipping out of their marriage?
She tried to offer solutions, to make him feel less distant. “You can take the guest room or the pool house. Whatever you need, Eric. But please, don’t leave.”
Eric gave her a tired smile, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. “It’s not about us, Nella. Trust me. I just need this.”
That night, he packed a small bag and left.
For the next ten nights, Eric followed the same routine. He’d leave after dinner, disappearing for hours, only to return just before sunrise, looking worse each day.
His hair was messy, dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his movements were slow, as if weighed down by something heavy. Every time Nella asked, he brushed it off with a strained smile.
“I promise, it’s nothing bad. Trust me,” he would say.
But how could she trust him when everything about his behavior screamed that he was hiding something? By the fifth night, Nella’s worry turned to suspicion, and she made up her mind: she had to follow him.
That night, after Eric left, she waited a few moments and then quietly tailed him. She kept a safe distance, driving just a few blocks behind him. He didn’t go far—only to the local park.
She parked a little ways away and watched him pull into a spot under a tree. He turned off the headlights and settled into his car.
Hours passed. Nella sat in her car, staring at him, waiting for someone to join him, but no one came. It was just Eric, sitting alone, staring at his phone. After a while, he curled up in the front seat, wrapping himself in a pillow and blanket.
Night after night, he did the same thing: came to the park, sat alone, and slept in his car.
It made no sense. Why would Eric be sleeping in his car? What was he hiding? Nella couldn’t bear the mystery any longer. On the tenth night, she drove to the park again, parked right beside him, and knocked on his window.
Eric jumped, startled, but quickly unlocked the door.
“Nella?” he asked, his voice tight. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” Nella snapped, sliding into the passenger seat. “What are you doing here, Eric? Why are you sleeping in your car every night? Are you cheating on me? Just tell me the truth!”
Eric’s face crumpled, and for the first time, Nella saw something deeper than exhaustion in his eyes—it was grief.
“There’s no one else,” he said softly. “I keep telling you, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it?” Nella’s voice wavered. “You’re scaring me, Eric.”
Eric took a deep breath, then reached into the backseat and pulled out a small stack of books and a recording device. Nella’s heart raced as she tried to make sense of it.
“I didn’t want to worry you,” Eric said, his hands trembling. “A few weeks ago, I went to the doctor. They found something—a tumor. It’s cancer, Nella. It’s advanced, and the prognosis isn’t good.”
The words hit her like a punch to the stomach. She felt the world tilt, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
“I didn’t tell you before,” Eric continued, his voice barely above a whisper. “I wanted to protect you and the kids. I’ve been coming out here to record bedtime stories for them—so they’ll have me with them, even when I’m gone.”
Nella’s eyes welled up with tears as his words sank in. He wasn’t leaving her. He was trying to leave behind something—a piece of himself—for their children, for their family.
She reached out and grabbed his hands, holding them tightly. “We’re going to face this together, Eric. You’re not doing this alone.”
For months, they fought the cancer together. There were endless doctor’s visits, treatments, and sleepless nights. Eric poured everything he had into their family, making memories with the kids and cherishing every moment.
But no matter how hard they fought, the cancer was relentless. One quiet winter morning, Eric passed away. The house felt unbearably empty without him. Nella could hardly imagine life without his steady presence.
A few days after the funeral, Nella found the recorder Eric had used. She scrolled through the files and saw many familiar titles. But one caught her eye: Our Story.
Curious, she pressed play, and Eric’s warm, steady voice filled the room.
“Once upon a time,” he began, “there was a princess. She was kind, smart, and braver than any knight in the land. But most of all, she had the biggest heart anyone had ever known.”
Tears welled in Nella’s eyes as she listened. She smiled through the sadness, as Eric continued.
“The princess met an ordinary man, just a guy from a village with no title, no riches. But from the moment he saw her, he knew his life would never be the same.”
Eric’s voice faltered as he neared the end of the story. “So, my love, if you’re listening to this, know that you were my fairytale. You turned my ordinary life into something extraordinary. And even though I can’t be with you anymore, your fairytale must go on.”
In that moment, Nella realized that Eric had given her a gift—a lasting memory of their love, something to hold on to forever.
And whenever the weight of his absence felt too heavy, she would press play and hear his voice again, reminding her of the extraordinary life they had shared.
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