started a relationship.
“I know.”
“Did she know?”
Helen hesitated. “Eventually. They never legally married, but they spent almost fifty years together. They had children. A home. Everyone in their life knew Margaret as his wife.”
“Except me.”
Helen looked down. “Except you.”
They never legally marrie.
“Then why did his friend tell me Danny was dead?”
“Because Danny asked him to.”
I couldn’t speak.
Helen’s voice cracked. “He didn’t lose you. He left you.”
I stood up. “You knew?”
Except you.
“Not immediately. My husband told me later.”
“And you said nothing?”
“I thought you’d survive a dead hero better than a husband who chose someone else.”
“That wasn’t your decision!”
“I know.”
He didn’t lose you. He left you.
“You let me wait!”
“I thought I’d tell you eventually.”
“Eventually? Helen, it’s been fifty-five years.”
Her eyes filled. “Every year I waited made it harder. After five years,
