CHAPTER 102 - THE LETTER

I stared at the envelope, afraid to pick it up, fearing what was inside... Reluctantly, I opened it and found a hardcover book with our photo from our honeymoon, smiling happily in Cuba. In the image, Patrick was whispering something silly in my ear while hugging me from behind, making me blush and provoking a genuine smile. At the bottom of the envelope, there was a letter addressed to me, written in his elegant handwriting:

“My sweet Elisabeth, if you received this letter, I'm afraid my time has come. You will probably hate me for how I chose to handle this, but I need you to know that I never wanted to hurt or upset you. In a cowardly and selfish way, I decided not to tell you my biggest secret. You had already suffered so many losses and so much pain that it didn't seem fair to put you through another turbulent time.”

“What is Patrick talking about?” I bit my lip, growing nervous with every word, and continued reading.

“I hid the truth about my joining the army. In reality, I disc