I married my patient knowing she had only three days left to live — but after her funeral, her sister approached me with a small box and whispered, “She made me promise not to give you this until she was gone.

But Alicia hadn’t.

Her recording continued.

“Lucas, when I asked you to marry me, I wasn’t trying to trap you in some childhood promise. I knew we couldn’t have the future ordinary couples dream about.”

There was a long silence.

“I asked because somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the kind man that little boy became.”

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I began sobbing.

“And when you said yes, you made me feel like a bride instead of a patient waiting for the end.”

Rebecca put her hand on my shoulder.

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But Alicia wasn’t finished.

“There’s something else I need you to know.”

Her voice suddenly became serious.

“Remember the little house by the ocean I always talked about?”

I nodded instinctively.