I married my high school sweetheart at seventy-three to honor his final wish—but after his funeral, his lawyer came to my door and said, “You walked straight into his trap.”

make. I chose a college in another city. He chose to stay and work in his father’s business.

“Please don’t go, Nancy,” Thomas had begged me at the bus station.

“I have to, babe. I’ve worked too hard for this.”

“Then you’re breaking my heart.”

And that was the last time I ever saw him. Or so I believed.

The phone rang, pulling me back into the present. I continue reading …