Richard puffed out his chest, feeling a surge of indignation. “So now that I’m unemployed, you turn me into the cleaning lady? In that case, you have to pay me!”

“Pay you?” gasped Sharon, her voice tinged with disbelief. “For the things I do for YOU free of charge?”

“Yes,” declared Richard arrogantly, a smirk playing on his lips. “15 dollars an hour is fair, I think!”

Sharon looked at her husband with tears glistening in her eyes, her heart heavy with disappointment. Without a word, she turned away and retreated back into her little home office, the weight of Richard’s words hanging heavy in the air.

Feeling satisfied with himself, Richard flopped back onto the sofa next to the blaring TV, his mind consumed with thoughts of entitlement and self-importance. But amidst the cacophony of the sports game, he heard a muffled thump from the other room.

Curiosity piqued, Richard furrowed his brow and turned his attention towards the source of the sound. His eyes widened in shock as he saw Sharon lying motionless on the floor.

“Damn you, Sharon!” he shouted, his voice laced with irritation. “I don’t need your drama!”

But as the halftime break approached, Sharon still hadn’t moved. A sense of unease crept over Richard, gnawing at the edges of his consciousness. With a sigh of frustration, he begrudgingly dragged himself off the sofa and made his way to the kitchen to grab a beer.

As he returned to the living room, beer in hand, he couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding that hung in the air. Sharon was still lying on the floor, her breathing shallow and labored.

Richard’s heart sank as he realized the gravity of the situation. Fear coursing through his veins, he dropped to his knees beside Sharon, his hands trembling as he reached out to shake her gently.

But Sharon didn’t stir. Panic rising within him, Richard frantically checked for signs of life, his mind reeling with the possibility of losing his wife.

And then it hit him like a ton of bricks – the realization that his selfishness and arrogance had blinded him to the pain and suffering of the person he loved most in the world.

With tears streaming down his face, Richard cradled Sharon in his arms, his heart heavy with regret. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. “I’m so sorry.”

In that moment, as he watched over his wife with a newfound sense of humility and gratitude, Richard vowed to be a better husband, to cherish and appreciate Sharon for all that she was worth. And as the weight of his words hung heavy in the air, he prayed for a second chance to make things right.