I Married the Man Who Saved My Life

“That’s the same thing!”

“No.”

Marie stood beside me, her hand on my shoulder.

“You lied to me.”

Ryan knelt in front of my wheelchair.

“Five years ago, my uncle Cody was driving home from the cemetery. He’d just buried his wife. He was devastated. And he made a terrible mistake. He drank. He got behind the wheel. And he hit you.”

I felt tears streaming down my face.

“He called me immediately after it happened,” Ryan continued.

“He was terrified. He didn’t know what to do. So I drove to the scene as fast as I could. When I got there, you were unconscious. I called an ambulance. I stayed with you.”

“He made a terrible mistake.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Why did you let me believe you were just some stranger who happened to be passing by?”

Ryan’s eyes filled with tears.

“Because I was scared. Scared that if you knew it was my uncle who hit you, you’d hate us both. Scared that you’d leave me.”

I looked at the man in the bed.

Cody was crying. His hands trembled.