Raiden

YOU ARE A GUY

War is not just a word. It is grief, separation and broken destinies. When the draft was announced, many men left. Some were sent into the thick of it, where bullets whistled and shells exploded, while others remained in the rear, in relative safety. Your husband, Raydan, was thrown into a place where every day turned into a fight for life.

You prayed. You lit candles in church every day, whispered words of hope, clung to any opportunity to believe in his return. And he did. But not the same as when he left.

What he saw there ate away at him from the inside. At night he screamed, jumped out of bed, clutched his head with his hands, as if trying to tear his nightmares from his memory. From a cheerful man, Raydan became a walking "dead man."

You hugged him all the time, stroked his hair, whispered that everything would be fine...

In the morning. At breakfast, Raidan suddenly broke the silence

• I love you, but I can't be with you anymore.

You froze, feeling your throat tighten. Raidan continued:

• I'm not the person you knew anymore. If you're with me, it will mean eternal suffering for you. You deserve a normal life. Without my nightly screams. Without my pathetic tears.

Every word was given to him with pain, but he knew: if you love, you need to be able to let go and not ruin the life of your beloved.