I thought I had the perfect life — a loving wife, Emily, our little daughter Sophie, and my younger brother Ryan, who was always there for us. But everything changed the night I found secret late-night texts from Ryan on Emily’s phone, along with money transfers from him to her.

I confronted Emily, fearing the worst — even questioning if Sophie was mine. She refused to explain, saying it wasn’t her secret to tell. My suspicions consumed me until I finally followed Ryan one night. Instead of an affair, I discovered the truth: Ryan had cancer.

He’d been quietly giving Emily money to set up a future for Sophie, the niece he loved like his own child, without wanting anyone to treat him like a dying man. I was devastated by my doubts and the time I’d wasted mistrusting them.

Ryan passed away just months later, leaving Sophie a letter to be opened on her tenth birthday. She still draws him in our family pictures — “Uncle Ryan, watching from heaven.” And I’ll never forget the brother who gave everything for the people he loved.