I still struggled from the shock of my wife Erin divorcing me after 56 years together. Even months later, I couldn’t entirely understand what was going on.

Our fight had quickly developed over seemingly trivial issues—her accusing me of having an affair, my anger with her continual yelling. But I never imagined it would mean the end of our lifetime partnership.

Since the divorce was finalized, I’d been attempting to settle in to life on my own. It was lonely, despite the presence of our children and grandchildren. Every day felt like an effort to make sense of the sudden gap Erin had left in my life.

One afternoon, I was at my son Henry’s house when the phone rang. Henry picked it up, and I could tell by the way his face paled that something was wrong. He listened intently for a moment before his expression turned into one of disbelief and distress.

“What? No, that can’t be right,” Henry muttered into the phone, his voice rising with agitation. “I’ll be right there.”

He hung up abruptly and turned to me, his eyes wide with shock. “Dad, it’s Mom. She’s in the hospital. They found her collapsed at home.”

My heart fell. Despite everything, Erin was still my children’s mother, and I couldn’t face the reality of anything bad happening to her. Without doubt, I followed Henry to the hospital, my mind racing with concern and shame.

When we arrived, the situation was chaotic. Erin was conscious but weak, with doctors and nurses tending to her. She appeared feeble and vulnerable, in stark contrast to the strong-willed woman I had known for over 50 years.

“Mom, what happened?” Henry asked, his voice trembling.

Erin managed a weak smile. “Oh, Henry, I’m so sorry,” she whispered hoarsely. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

I stood by her bedside, my emotions in turmoil. Part of me wanted to lash out, to demand answers for why she had left me after all those years. But seeing her like this, I couldn’t find it in me to be angry.

“I should have listened,” Erin continued, tears welling up in her eyes. “I was so scared of losing you that I pushed you away instead.”

I reached out and took her hand, my own eyes moistening with unshed tears. “Erin, I never stopped loving you,” I admitted quietly. “I just didn’t know how to make you see it anymore.”

She squeezed my hand weakly. “I know,” she whispered. “I know now. Can you forgive me?”

In that moment, staring into her regretful and vulnerable eyes, I knew I had forgiven her. “Of course, Erin,” I responded softly. “We’ve been through too much together to let this tear us apart.”

Erin healed gradually over the next few weeks. Our children rallied around us, offering support and guiding us through this new chapter in our lives. It wasn’t easy, and there were a lot of conversations to have, but we were determined to rebuild what we’d lost.

As we sat together one evening in her hospital room, holding hands and reminiscing about our years together, I realized that our love had endured despite everything. It was a love that had weathered storms and stood the test of time—a love that was stronger than pride or misunderstandings.

And as Erin looked at me with gratitude and love, I knew that we still had many more years ahead of us, to cherish each other and to make up for lost time.