My spouse, Ethan, has been confined to the hospital for nearly seven days now.

He underwent an operation to mend an old injury that had troubled him for years—a persistent hip issue that had finally caught up with him.

Typically, I visit Ethan in the late mornings or early afternoons while our children are at school. However, on Friday, my father offered to take care of them for the night.

It struck me as the perfect chance to surprise Ethan with an unexpected evening visit.

As I stepped into his hospital room, he lifted his eyes from his phone and instantly froze in place.

“Hey,” I greeted, flashing a smile as I set my overnight bag on the chair. “You weren’t expecting me, were you?”

He blinked repeatedly before letting out an uncertain chuckle. “No. I mean, um, didn’t you stop by earlier today?”

“I did. But I found myself with some free time, so I figured—why not?” I shrugged as I lowered myself into the chair beside his bed. “I miss you, you know.”

“Sam…” he murmured, reaching halfway for my hand before hesitating. “You shouldn’t… I mean, you must be exhausted. The kids—”

“Dad’s looking after them,” I interrupted, studying his face closely. There was something in his expression that made my stomach twist uncomfortably. “They miss you a lot, Ethan. Sarah even broke down in tears this morning.”

He managed a smile, but something about it felt… off. There was a distant look in his eyes, as though his mind was occupied with something else entirely.

We engaged in light conversation while I peeled an apple for him—his absolute favorite snack. But throughout our chat, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. His responses were unusually brief, and he kept glancing at the door as if expecting someone.

“Ethan,” I said, extending my hand again, this time determined. He didn’t resist as I took his fingers in mine. “Talk to me. What’s going on? Are you in pain? Do you want me to call the nurse?”

“No!” he blurted out too fast, then quickly softened his voice. “No, really. I’m fine. Just… a little worn out.”

Something in his reaction didn’t sit well with me.

Later, as I stepped out to discard the apple peels in the trash bin outside the ward, I ran into Carla.

Carla, one of Ethan’s nurses, was always warm and chatty. She had a way of making people feel at ease.

She stepped in front of me, her gaze flickering nervously down the hall before she spoke in a hushed voice. “Can I have a quick word with you?”

Her eyes darted toward Ethan’s room, and her tone dropped even lower.

“Listen, I don’t want to alarm you, but… check under your husband’s bed when you get back in there.”

Before I could ask her to elaborate, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving me rooted to the spot with a cold weight settling in my stomach.

What did she mean? Was something wrong with Ethan? Had I overlooked a crucial detail?

Taking a deep breath, I composed myself and re-entered the room, acting as normal as I could manage.

But my mind was racing, replaying Carla’s cryptic words: “Look under his bed.”

Trying to appear casual, I reached for the apple I had been slicing and deliberately let it slip from my grasp.

That’s when I saw it. My heart stopped.

There were eyes staring at me from beneath the bed.

At first, I thought I was imagining things. But I wasn’t.

A woman was curled up there, staring at me with the wide-eyed look of a startled animal caught in a trap.

“What the—” I gasped, leaping back. “Who the hell are you? What are you doing under my husband’s bed?”

Ethan shot upright, his face paling. “Sam, wait—”

“Don’t you dare tell me to ‘wait’!” I snapped, my voice rising. “After everything we’ve been through? A whole decade together?”

The woman clambered out from her hiding place, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. She looked utterly mortified.

“Samantha, please, just listen. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

I took another step back, keeping both of them in my line of sight. “How long has this been happening? Is this why you’ve been acting so weird, Ethan?”

The woman hesitated before finally muttering, “I’m a wedding planner.”

I frowned, my anger momentarily clouded by confusion.

“Ethan hired me to plan a surprise wedding renewal ceremony. For you.”

My mouth opened, but no words came out. The rage that had burned hot inside me melted into something unrecognizable, a mix of shock and raw emotion that made my chest tighten.

Then, before I could stop myself, I burst into laughter, tears trailing down my cheeks.

The woman—Jessica—mumbled another quick apology before scurrying out of the room, leaving Ethan and me alone.

As the door clicked shut, Ethan reached for my hand once more. “So… what do you think? Still mad at me?”

He pulled me close, his tears dampening my shoulder as he whispered, “I love you, Sam. Even after ten years, I keep falling for you every single day.”

Tears of my own spilled over as I held him tightly. “You absolute idiot,” I choked out with a laugh. “You scared the hell out of me.”

But deep down, my heart swelled with warmth.

Because no matter how bizarre the night had turned out to be, I had never been more certain of one thing: Ethan still loved me just as much as he always had.