My husband had spent years warning me never to set foot on that farm. So after he passed away and the lawyer handed me the key, saying that from now on the place belonged to me, I was ready to sell it right away and put everything behind me. But before making my final decision, I still wanted to see it once for myself. When the door opened, I finally understood why, all those years, he had never wanted me to set foot there.

The room tilted.

Outside, voices rose. One of the brothers said something sharp. Another answered. The porch boards creaked under restless weight. But all of it seemed far away now, muffled behind the roaring in my ears.

Joshua looked down for a moment, then back into the camera. “You have every right to be angry when you hear that. I know you. You’ll think I robbed you of the chance to prepare. And I did. But I need you to understand why.”

He leaned back in his chair, hands clasped the way they always were when he had to say something difficult but wanted to say it cleanly.

“I did not want my last years with you to turn into a waiting room for death. I did not want you watching my body for signs. I did not want Jenna measuring our holidays against a countdown. I wanted our life to stay our life for as long as it could.”

I had to grip the desk to steady myself.