I Sat Alone as My Mother-in-Law Took Her Last Breath — Then a Nurse Gave Me Her Final Letter…

The monitor flatlined at 3:42 p.m. on a Tuesday—not with a dramatic movie beep, but a low, continuous hum that stretched into forever.

I didn’t move, my hands still clasping Rachel’s cooling fingers, realizing I was now the only living soul in the room. My mother-in-law had just exhaled her final breath, and I was completely alone.

“Mrs. Emerson, are …