When my wife started pulling away from me and our daughter, I couldn’t understand why. My heartbreaking story is about how someone can love you so much that they try to protect you by all means. Read on to see how we traversed secrets, innocent lies, and heartache to unite as a family.
There’s something deeply unsettling about not knowing the whole story, especially when it involves the people you love the most. Okay, let me backtrack a bit, my name is Kevin, and Levine and I have been married for 15 lovely years.
We share one amazing child, Emily, who is still quite young and attending school. My wife and daughter mean the world to me, and I believe we have a great family. However, around six months ago, Levine started withdrawing and avoiding me and our daughter.
For months, I watched as my formerly loving and caring wife grew increasingly distant by the day. What started as small changes in her demeanor escalated into full-blown avoidance. Her smiles are fewer and her nights spent awake longer.
I even sometimes caught glimpses of her crying in the bathroom more than once. But every time I approached her about it, she brushed off my concerns with a shaky “I’m fine.” Yet, she wasn’t. And deep down, I knew it.
This unspoken “thing” hung over me and our daughter heavily, causing our family relationships to start cracking.
“Levine, please talk to me,” I pleaded one evening, finding her again at the window, staring into the backyard. Her back was to me, her shoulders tense.
“I just need some air, Kevin. That’s all,” she murmured, her voice hardly above a whisper.
I stepped closer, my concern deepening. “It’s been months of ‘just needing air.’ You’re scaring me, baby. You’re scaring Emily.”
She turned then, her eyes wet with unshed tears. “I can’t, not yet…” her voice trailed off as she turned back to the window, leaving me standing helplessly behind her.
I returned home yesterday from picking Emily up at school to find the house eerily silent. The morning Levine left was like any other, except she didn’t say goodbye. My stay-at-home wife wasn’t anywhere when we arrived.
However, on the kitchen table amidst the usual clutter of mail and Emily’s school books that she had come with, I found THIS DREADFUL ENVELOPE. My name scrawled across it in Levine’s familiar handwriting.
My heart sank to my stomach as I tore it open with trembling hands. Inside, her letter lay, written in the same shaky hand that had addressed the envelope. As I opened it, tears streamed down my face as I found out what she had been going through all along:
“My dearest husband,
If you’re reading this, then I am already gone. I couldn’t bear to tell you in person, for fear I would never be able to leave. I have been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer, and the doctors are not hopeful. It is my deepest fear to become a burden to you and our beautiful Emily.
I want to protect you both from the pain of watching me deteriorate. I love you both more than life itself, and it’s because I love you that I need to do this. Please understand that this is the hardest choice I’ve ever made, but it’s made out of love. I am at Clear Life Center, a quiet hospice two states away. Please forgive me.
With all my love, always,
Levine.”
Tears blurred my vision as I tried to compose myself. My lovely, beautiful wife had chosen solitude over the anguish she believed her illness would cause us. If I thought I loved her before, at that moment I realized I loved her MORE THAN EVER.
Without a second thought, I packed a bag. I told Emily, “My baby, mommy’s not feeling too well, and we are going on a little trip to see her, okay?” My brave little girl with a worried face asked, “Is she going to be okay, Daddy?”
Not wanting to lie to her, I replied, “She’s going to feel much better when she sees us, I promise.” We drove straight to the facility my wife mentioned, desperate to be with her, regardless of her wishes to shield us.
When we arrived and I found her, the reality of her condition hit hard. Levine was frail, a shadow of the vibrant woman I had fallen in love with. Yet, when she saw us, her eyes lit up with a mix of joy and sorrow, and she instantly looked better, than I had envisioned!
“Kevin, Emily,” she murmured, reaching out weakly.
“Mom, why didn’t you tell us? We could have helped…” Emily sobbed, clutching her mother’s hand. “I thought… I thought it would be easier this way,” Levine whispered, tears streaming down her face.
“We needed to be here, with you. No matter what,” I said, gripping her hand.
We spent those last weeks of her illness by her side, achieving her life goals before her death. Whenever she was strong enough, we went out for walks, well, she was in a wheelchair. She got to tell Emily all the things she wished her to know before her passing.
“I’ll always love you, my sweet baby girl. And I want you to know that I will be with you in spirit for all the days of your life,” Levine told Emily as they embraced, shedding more tears.
We talked, laughed, and sometimes sat in silence, savoring the precious moments we had left. Emily read her favorite books aloud, and I held her mother’s hand every night until she fell asleep.
My darling wife passed away holding my hand. Emily curled up beside her, a peaceful expression on her face. Her last days were not filled with the pain and suffering she had feared but with love and the warmth of her family.
In the wake of her passing, I’ve come to realize the profound strength it took for her to make the decision she did. Levine’s act, initially so incomprehensible to me, was one of selfless love. The kind that sees beyond immediate pain to the eventual peace it can bring to those left behind.
Now, as Emily and I adjust to a world without Levine, we do so with a deep understanding of her last gift to us. Not just the envelope that explained her absence, but the enduring presence of her love.
A love that, like the subtle fragrance of her favorite flowers, lingers around us, invisible yet palpable. It remained a gentle reminder that even in their absence, love remains.
KEVIN COSTNER’S BIG DECISION TO HAVE KIDS AT 50 BACKFIRES – DIVORCE FILED AFTER 18 YEARS
Kevin Costner was initially hesitant about having more children in his 50s. Despite already being a father to four kids from a previous marriage, he and his second wife, Christine Baumgartner, decided to expand their family. They had three children together after getting married in 2004.
Recently, Kevin and Christine have ended their 18-year marriage. The couple shares three children, and their decision to part ways marks a significant change for the family.
Kevin’s fear of expanding his family came true, as his second wife has filed for divorce. Despite their split, the family’s bond and their shared interests remain an important part of their lives.
Kevin Costner, famous for movies like “Dances with Wolves” and “The Bodyguard,” has seven children. Despite his success as an actor, he had concerns about having more kids in his 50s. His wife, Christine Baumgartner, who is 19 years younger than him, wanted to have children.
In a 2008 interview, Kevin admitted, “I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father.” His initial worries about expanding his family were a big concern for him at the time.
Kevin Costner realized he didn’t want to risk losing his wife, Christine, due to his fear of having more children. He decided to overcome his hesitation and embrace fatherhood once more. At 52, he welcomed his fifth child, Cayden.
Kevin was thrilled to be a father again, but he had some worries. In a 2007 interview with People, he expressed his concern: “My fundamental fear is that my new baby, someone else will raise him … I won’t get to coach him in what I think it is to be a man.” Despite these fears, Kevin was eager to be involved in his child’s life.
Actor Kevin Costner and his wife Christine Baumgartner with their son Cayden at Daytona International Speedway on July 5, 2008, in Daytona Beach, Florida. | Source: Getty Images
Despite his worries, Kevin makes sure to spend quality time with his children. He plays with them and teaches them to be independent, just like any other parent trying to navigate parenthood.
Kevin also shared some funny advice about what he’s learned from being a dad for decades. He joked:
Kevin Costner’s family includes seven children from both his marriages. Here’s a look at his kids:
From His First Marriage to Cindy Silva:
After his first marriage ended, Kevin admitted that his faith in relationships was “shaken” due to the breakdown of his first marriage. He said, “No one wants their marriage to end,” and the experience had a significant impact on him. Despite these challenges, Kevin has worked to be a devoted father to all his children.
Kevin Costner has seven children from different relationships. Here’s a look at his kids:
From His First Marriage to Cindy Silva:
1. Annie Costner** – Born in 1984, Annie is Kevin’s eldest child. She has acted in movies like *Dances With Wolves* and co-founded a film company called Sound Off Films in 2014.
Kevin has mentioned that not being able to see his children as much as he wanted has been a difficult adjustment for him.
Lily Costner, born in 1986, is Kevin Costner’s second child and a talented singer like her dad. Joe Costner, born in 1988, works in the entertainment industry as an audio engineer and production sound mixer.
Kevin also has a less-known son, Liam Costner, born in 1996 from a short relationship. Liam prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
In 2004, Kevin married Christine, and they had a son named Cayden Wyatt Costner in 2007. They had another son, Hayes Logan Costner, in 2009. Both boys like music and sports.
Lily Costner, born in 1986, is Kevin Costner’s second child and a talented singer like her dad. Joe Costner, born in 1988, works in the entertainment industry as an audio engineer and production sound mixer.
Kevin also has a less-known son, Liam Costner, born in 1996 from a short relationship. Liam prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
In 2004, Kevin married Christine, and they had a son named Cayden Wyatt Costner in 2007. They had another son, Hayes Logan Costner, in 2009. Both boys like music and sports.
The divorce news has received mixed reactions, with some expressing disappointment, while others suppose it’s beneficial for his wife, given that Kevin is significantly older than her.
While many people reserved their judgments about the shocking revelation of their separation, countless onlookers shared their opinions. One user wrote:
“Yep, he is too old for her anyway! Good for her! You old people have to learn the hard way!”
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