At 38, I Secretly Went to the Doctor Without Telling My Husband. While Examining My Large Belly, She Asked, “Why Haven’t You Been Able to Have Children for 18 Years?” I Replied, “My Husband Always Says My Body Is to Blame.” The Doctor Suddenly Became Serious. “Has He Ever Forced You to Do Something You Didn’t Want to Do?” I Whispered, “Yes… Every Night, for 18 Years.” When I Explained What My Husband Had Been Doing to Me, the Doctor Turned Pale, Locked the Door, and Asked, “Does He Know You’re Here?” I Said No. But What She Told Me Next Was More Than I Could Bear…

Michael slowly raised his head.

“Because you were the first person who said them to me.”

I froze.

“Don’t you remember? When I came home from the hospital, I thought I wasn’t the husband you deserved. That night, you held my hands and said, ‘It’s not your fault. Tomorrow will be better.’”

Suddenly, I remembered.

I’d never forgotten that evening, but I’d forgotten those exact words.

“I wanted to hear them again every night,” Michael whispered. “I thought that as long as you kept saying them, you still believed in us.”

Tears streamed down my face.

“Michael, I would have loved you even if we could never have children. But you took away my right to know the truth.”

He reached toward me.

“I know. And I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me.”

I didn’t forgive him immediately.