Shadows of a past

   In the chamber, silence prevailed, with only the steady beeping of the monitor breaking the quiet. Ludmila's gaze traced the sunbeams dancing on the ceiling. Gleb, her husband, sat by her bedside, his eyes filled with palpable concern. Since the accident, he hadn't left her side, his presence a soothing balm.
   Ludmila's memories of the accident were hazy, like a half-forgotten dream. All she remembered was pain, fear, darkness, and then awakening to Gleb's face.
He was caring and gentle.
   She had never realized this aspect of him before.
   In these quiet moments, she felt their connection rekindling: the flame that seemed extinguished for so many years was flickering back to life.
When Gleb took her hand, Ludmila was transported back to their early months together, filled with promises and hope. She smiled at him with genuine gratitude and love.
   He returned her smile tenderly, but there was something resembling guilt in his eyes.
   "Do you remember our trip to the lake?" Ludmila suddenly asked. "You proposed to me then. It was so beautiful."
   "Yes, I remember," he replied sadly.
   Ludmila continued reminiscing about their trip to the lake, but a growing sense of unease crept upon her. Something was amiss, as if pieces of a puzzle were slipping away from her.
   Her gaze fell upon a small table next to the bed, where her personal belongings lay. Among them was a simple silver frame with their photograph. A small inscription on the frame caught her eye. It read: "For Lyudochka, on our last anniversary."
   The words hit her like a bolt of lightning.
   Memories flooded back, overwhelming in their clarity. Arguments, tears, irrevocable words spoken in anger, and finally, the agonizing divorce.
   They hadn't been husband and wife for many months already!
   Ludmila turned to Gleb, her eyes wide with realization. "We are divorced," she whispered. The words felt foreign but true.
   "I didn't know how to tell you," he confessed in a barely audible voice. "After the accident, you seemed so fragile."
   "Gleb, you need to leave," Ludmila said firmly, despite the storm of emotions raging within her.
   "I just wanted to protect you."
   "I know, but I need to come to terms with the truth, even if it hurts."
Gleb left the room, leaving Ludmila alone with her reality.
   As the door closed behind him, the sense of loss grew, but so did a strange sense of relief.
   The path ahead was uncertain and daunting, but it was her path, free from the shadows of the past.
   A past that no longer belonged to her.