A little while later, I heard the soft creak of the bedroom door.

My husband had gotten up and left the room earlier, and now he was coming back to grab something.

His footsteps were slow and careful, as if he didn’t want to disturb me.I stayed still, unsure whether to open my eyes or say anything.

He moved around the room quietly, and then…

he stopped. For a moment, there was only silence. Then I felt his presence close to the bed.

He leaned in just slightly, and in the softest whisper, almost like he was talking to himself, I heard him say, “I wish.”

That simple phrase made my heart ache. I didn’t know exactly what he wished for — maybe for us to stop arguing,

maybe for