Part 5: Who Is Grace?

“Sometimes the person you fear the most is not your enemy, but the messenger of a truth you never expected.”

Synopsis

Amara’s anger and fear grow as she demands answers. Who is Grace, and why does she know about David’s condition before his own wife? As tensions rise, David finally begins revealing pieces of a truth Amara is not ready to hear.

David sat heavily on the edge of the bed.

“I didn’t cheat on you,” he said.

His voice sounded tired.

Broken.

But the words did little to calm the storm inside me.

“Then how?” I demanded.

He shook his head slowly.

“I don’t know yet.”

“That’s impossible!”

I paced the room, trying to breathe.

“You don’t just wake up with HIV without knowing how you got it!”

“I’m still waiting for the full results,” he said quietly.

“Grace is part of the medical team reviewing the case.”

The name hit me again.

Grace.

“So she’s your doctor?” I asked sharply.

“Not exactly,” he replied.

“She’s a counselor at the hospital.”

I laughed bitterly.

“A counselor knows about your diagnosis before your wife?”

Shame filled his eyes again.

“I was scared,” he admitted.

“I didn’t know how to tell you.”

The anger inside me cracked slightly.

Because beneath it was something else.

Fear.

“What if I’m infected too?” I whispered.

The question hung between us like a storm cloud.

David’s face tightened.

“I prayed it wouldn’t come to this,” he said softly.

That sentence hit me like a slap.

“You prayed?” I repeated.

“You stopped praying with me weeks ago!”

Pain flickered across his face.

“Because I was terrified.”

The room fell quiet again.

For the first time, I realized something.

David wasn’t just hiding something.

He was drowning in it.