After Her Husband Died, His Secret was Revealed

My husband,Richard,passed away when he was sixty.That year marked our thirtieth wedding anniversary.

When we got married,he told me that he had been injured in a car accident and could no longer be intimate.For thirty years,I willingly remained in a marriage that was all for show,a perfect couple in name only.

"It wasn’t until after his death that I discovered the truth—he had been saving himself for his first love,his'one true love,'Margaret."

After Richard died,I secretly took pills,hoping to follow him.But unfortunately,I was saved and survived.

The overwhelming grief turned my hair completely white in just a few days.

I rented a small apartment next to the cemetery,visiting him every morning and evening,talking to him as if he were still alive.Everyone praised us as the model couple.The TV station even came to interview me about our beautiful love story.I used to think that spending my life with him was my greatest fortune.

Although we never shared a bed in all those years,I always believed we were soulmates,perfectly in tune with one another.

Then his memoir was published.

Every word in that book spoke of his undying love for his first love,Margaret.His writing said:

"I was trapped in a marriage.How I wished to wake up with you in the morning and watch the sunset with you at night.When you were here,the world was only you.After you left,no one else compared.My body and soul belonged to you and only you."

Such passionate words of love—words I never received from him.

It was at that moment I realized that Richard wasn’t incapable of love;he just didn’t love me.

He hadn’t been unable to have children;he had simply remained celibate for another woman,for thirty years.

I will forever remember this year when I turned sixty.I lost the man I loved twice.

The memoir became a sensation online.One by one,I read the comments:

"For the first time,I cried over a love story in a memoir.Are my tears free?"

"The CEO of a top company and an internationally renowned fashion designer,such a perfect match!It would’ve been ideal if not for his wife."

"The one who isn't loved is the real third party.I hope his wife’s health gets exchanged for their next life together."

Even the higher-ups at the company knew about it.

In front of me,they’d sigh and say:"Mrs.Grace,you’ve worked so hard all your life,nearly giving up your own for Mr.Richard.What a deeply loving woman."

But behind my back,they’d say:"Thirty years of marriage,and she didn’t even bear him a child.Grace was a barren hen.She’s already halfway in the grave and now she finds out Mr.Richard loved someone else.Serves her right."

The love story the TV station once planned to air about Richard and me was scrapped,replaced by a scandalous report on a love triangle.

I had become the laughingstock of the city.Wherever I went,I saw people looking at me with either pity or mockery.

Then I got a call from Richard’s father,summoning me back to the family home.

He tried to comfort me,saying:"Grace,what man hasn’t made a mistake?He was loyal to you for a lifetime.Don’t hold a grudge over his feelings for Margaret."

The rest of the family echoed his sentiments:"He’s gone now.A little romance like that doesn’t matter anymore.Just let it go."

They were all afraid I would make a scene,damage the family’s reputation,and tarnish Richard’s image.

Not one of them cared about how I felt.

I spoke calmly:"Dad,Richard remained loyal to me for a lifetime,and I was loyal to him.But I never had anyone else in my heart."

The old man cleared his throat and said,"All these years,you couldn’t give him a child.Richard never complained.He’s already done more than enough for you.You shouldn’t ask for more."