After 16 years of marriage, my husband Adam asked for a two-month break. I was sure he was cheating. He moved in with his mom, and I was left shattered, convinced our marriage was over.

Weeks passed in pain and silence. Then, one night, I saw a home health nurse’s car outside his mom’s house — and something didn’t add up. I called a neighbor, and the truth hit like a punch to the gut: Adam had stage two lung cancer. He hadn’t left me for someone else — he was trying to protect me.I found him frail and hooked to an IV, hiding his pain because he thought it would be easier on us. But I reminded him we were a team, that I’d signed up for the hard parts too.