I should have explained everything to you.

I should have asked whether you wanted any involvement.

Instead, I avoided the conversation.

That was wrong.

My eyes filled with tears.

Robert had not told me about the project.

He had made assumptions about what I would accept, and he had allowed those assumptions to replace an honest conversation.

The letter continued.

Daniel participated in basic testing, but he knew very little about the broader project.

Please don’t blame him.

If questions arise, contact Evelyn Carter and request the complete records.

Whatever mistakes I’ve made, please remember that I loved you.

Robert.

I lowered the letter.

For a long time, nobody spoke.

Then Daniel whispered, “I’m sorry, Mom.”

I shook my head.

“You didn’t write this.”

“But I knew Dad had those papers.”

“You were trying to respect his privacy.”

Sarah gently touched my shoulder.

“Margaret, how are you feeling?”

I looked down at the letter.

“Like I’ve lost part of my husband all over again.”

It wasn’t that Robert had stopped loving me.

It was that he had made choices involving our family’s private medical information without giving me the chance to understand them.

For fifty years, I’d believed our marriage was built on complete honesty.

Now I realized there had been important things we never discussed.

Daniel opened another folder.

Inside were copies of research correspondence and a form that appeared to carry my signature.

I studied it carefully.

“That’s strange.”

“What is?” Daniel asked.

“The last letter in my name. I haven’t written it that way since I was young.”

Sarah leaned closer.

“Could this have been copied from an older document?”

I remembered our marriage certificate.

Robert had kept it in his desk.

My signature on that certificate looked almost identical.

I couldn’t determine whether the research form was authentic, but the resemblance made me uncomfortable.

“We need someone to examine these documents properly,” I said.

Daniel nodded.

“No more assumptions.”

“No more secrets,” I replied.

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Then he found a letter from Evelyn.

It was dated shortly before Robert’s death.

Robert,

Before any further research proceeds, we need to ensure that all family participants understand the project and have provided appropriate authorization.

Please arrange a conversation with Margaret.

She deserves to understand how her medical information may be used.