AFTER 65 YEARS OF MARRIAGE, I OPENED MY LATE HUSBANDS LOCKED DRAWER, AND WHAT I FOUND INSIDE CHANGED EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW

After 65 years of marriage, I opened a locked drawer in my late husband’s office — I found a stack of letters inside, and when I saw who they were addressed to, I forgot how to breathe.
Martin and I had known each other since childhood. When I was little, I sang in the church choir, and even back then, I was already in a wheelchair after an injury.
When Martin joined the choir, we became close friends right away, and later we started dating.
It never bothered him that I was in a wheelchair.
And when we were both 20 years old, he asked me to be his wife.
We built a life together. We had two children and grandchildren.
When you have known someone since childhood, it feels like life without them never existed.
But this winter, Martin died. I held his hand until the very end.
It was very hard for me. I tried to keep going for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
I still hadn’t packed his things into boxes, and I hadn’t even gone into his office yet. I just couldn’t.
But yesterday, my older daughter came and said she would help me pack Martin’s things.
So for the first time in several months, I went into his office.
I was sorting through the things on his desk when I realized I couldn’t open one drawer. It had a lock on it.
Honestly, I’d never noticed it before. Had Martin locked the drawer recently? But WHY?
I found the keys in the pocket of his jacket.
My hands were trembling as I opened that drawer. That lock gave me a bad feeling.
And I was right.
My heart was pounding against my ribs when I saw a stack of LETTERS.
Martin had been writing to someone for years.
I turned over one of the envelopes and saw WHO it was addressed to.
My vision was already going dark, but I had to find out what Martin had been hiding from me.
So I opened the first letter I grabbed.
WHEN I READ THE FIRST LINE, I FELT THE AIR LEAVE MY LUNGS