My heart hammered so loud I almost pressed a hand to my chest.
For one terrible minute, I thought my entire life had been a lie.
“Mama, what is it?”
I just stared at the ring. “This isn’t mine,” I whispered.
Inside, nestled on a scrap of yellowed cloth, was a gold wedding ring.
Toby’s eyes darted between us. “Grandpa left you another ring? That’s… sweet?”
I shook my head. “No, honey. This is someone else’s.”
I turned to Paul, my voice sharp. “Why did my husband have another woman’s wedding ring?”
Toby looked stricken. “Grandma… maybe there’s some reason for it.”
I gave a short, humorless laugh. “I should hope so.”
Around us, chairs scraped softly against the floor. A woman from the church lowered her voice mid-sentence. Two of Walter’s old fishing friends near the door suddenly found the coat rack very interesting.
“This is someone else’s.
Nobody wanted to stare, but everybody was listening. I could feel it settling over the room, that quiet, ugly kind of curiosity people pretend is concern.
And I hated that.
Walter had always been a private man. Whatever that was, he wouldn’t have wanted it opened under funeral flowers and whispering eyes.
But it was too late for dignity. The ring sat in my palm, small and accusing, and all I could think was that I had shared a bed, a house, a daughter, bills, winters, grief, and laughter with that man for seventy-two years.
Walter had always been a private man.
