After 50 Years as Her Stand-In, I Walked Away

On her deathbed, our son asked Kirsten Swanson if she had any regrets.

Through her tears, she said the greatest regret of her life was not boarding that boat.

A sharp pain tore through my chest.

Back then, the three of us had planned a trip together.

Kirsten fainted out of nowhere. I rushed her to the hospital in a panic, and by the time I got there, Peter Gilbert had already boarded the boat.

That night, the boat sank. He was gone.

When the news reached her, her face went whiter than paper.

It was only through my constant care that she gradually pulled herself out of that darkness.