My heart started pounding.
“Why?”
The doctor looked at me.
“Because he didn't want you to change your mind about something.”
I looked down at the envelope.
My name was written across the front.
To my wife.
My hands began shaking.
I couldn't open it.
“Did he tell you what was inside?”
The doctor nodded.
“He told me exactly what to say.”
“What?”
The doctor looked me directly in the eyes.
He repeated Mark's words:
“Tell her I didn't keep this from her because I didn't trust her. I kept it from her because I knew she'd try to stop me.”
I started crying.
“What was he talking about?”
The doctor handed me the envelope.
“Open it.”
Inside Was More Than a Letter
I slowly tore it open.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
But beneath the letter was something else.
A tiny USB drive.
I stared at it.
“What is this?”
The doctor shook his head.
“I don't know.”
“You don't know?”
“Mark asked me to give it to you unopened.”
I looked at the letter again.
The first line immediately broke me.
“My love, if you're reading this, then I'm no longer there to explain.”
I couldn't continue.
The doctor stepped back and gave me privacy.
I sat down in the hospital hallway.
My hands trembled as I read.
Mark explained why he had kept the secret.