Her smile faded.
“Harry…”
I opened the ring box.
“Please stand up.”
I laughed nervously.
“You haven’t even heard the question.”
“Harry… please.”
Something in her voice made me rise immediately.
Her face had gone pale.
Her hands trembled.
“What’s wrong?”
She looked from the ring to my face.
“You deserve to know the truth before you say another word.”
Every muscle in my body tightened.
“What truth?”
She covered her mouth.
“Oh, Harry…”
“You can tell me anything.”
Last year, she explained, she had gone to a cardiologist after months of unusual exhaustion and shortness of breath.
At first she believed it was stress.
It wasn’t.
She had a heart condition.
It was manageable.
She was receiving treatment.
Then she looked directly into my eyes.
“My doctor told me not to become pregnant.”
The words barely registered.
“What does that mean?”
“It means pregnancy could put too much strain on my heart.”
