Chapter 22

• It was not the stiff cold night that woke him up or the yellow light from the lamp on the nightstand, or the pain from his injury when he missed the dose of his painkillers or the warm breathing against his neck—it was the emptiness twisting in the pit of his stomach, and the empty space at the other side of his bed.
• Before he dozed to slumber, he had so many things he wanted to say to his wife—he wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, how they fit perfectly together, how amazing he felt when he was inside her, or how he wanted her over and over again. He wanted some answers to his unanswered questions.
• He was expecting tender and feather kisses on his shoulder to wake him up. He thought a good pillow talk would be nice when they woke up. Instead, he found himself alone in the room, cold, and lonely.