When Nella notices her husband, Eric, acting a bit strange, she follows him to see where he goes off to. A few nights into this new routine, she decides to just ask him the truth. But the truth is deeper and darker than Nella could have expected. And it changes her life forever…
It all started when my husband, Eric, told me he needed some space to think things through.
We’ve been married for 12 years, and while we’ve had our share of ups and downs, this was the first time he’d ever said something like that.
A newly wed couple | Source: Midjourney
“It’s not about us, Nella,” he insisted. “I just need time to clear my head.”
But of course, my mind went to the worst possible place.
Eric was always the steady one in our marriage. He was reliable, grounded, and calm. So, when he packed a bag and casually mentioned that he would be sleeping in his car for a few nights, my anxiety went into overdrive.
A man packing a bag | Source: Midjourney
Was Eric cheating? Was this his way of leaving me? Was this how he was going to slowly slip out of our lives?
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I can give you space here, at home. You can take the guest room, or we can make the pool house into something cozier?”
“Nella,” he said, smiling slowly. “It’s not about us. But this is important to me, okay?”
A worried woman | Source: Midjourney
For ten nights, Eric would leave the house right after dinner and return just before sunrise.
He looked like hell, honestly. His hair would be disheveled, he had dark circles under his eyes, and he would move very slowly like his body just didn’t want to cooperate.
But every single time I asked, he’d brush me off with a forced smile, saying that he just needed a break.
A close up of a man | Source: Midjourney
“I promise, it’s nothing like that. Trust me, please,” he would say whenever I pushed him about whether there was someone else.
But how could I? My imagination ran wild. I pictured him in a hotel room with someone else, living a double life.
By the fifth night, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I decided to follow him.
A frowning woman | Source: Midjourney
Honestly, I felt ridiculous. It was like some cliché out of a soap drama. But I had to know what was really going on. I waited until he drove off and tailed him a few blocks behind.
He didn’t go far. Just to the local park, where he pulled up under a tree and killed the headlights.
I parked a little farther down the street and watched from the shadows. I was nervous, like I was expecting something… or someone to get into the car. Was this where Eric’s mistress met him?
But the longer I sat there, the more I realized that nobody was going to show up. He just sat there, staring at his phone, then stretching out with his pillow and blanket.
A car parked in a park | Source: Midjourney
It was just him, alone, in the dark.
For the next few nights, the same routine played out.
Eric would go to the park, curl up in the front seat, and spend hours there before driving home. My mind was just spinning.
Why would he sleep in his car unless he was hiding something? Why suffer through all that discomfort unless it was for someone else?
A man sleeping in a car | Source: Midjourney
On the tenth night, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had had enough. I needed answers. After putting the kids to bed, I locked them in and drove out to the park. This time, I wasn’t just going to watch from the sidelines.
No, we were too far into this.
I pulled up next to his car and tapped on the window.
Eric looked up, startled. He quickly unlocked the door and motioned for me to get in. The air between us was thick with unspoken words, and as I slid into the passenger seat, all my emotions came rushing to the surface.
A shocked man sitting in his car | Source: Midjourney
“What the hell is going on, Eric?” I demanded. “Why are you doing this? Be honest, are you seeing someone? Is that why you’re here? Are you afraid that the kids would see or find out?”
I spoke too fast, as though all the words just needed to fall out as quickly as possible.
Eric sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his hands. I could see the exhaustion in him now, the kind that went deeper than just losing sleep. It was like he’d been carrying a weight he didn’t know how to put down.
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not like that, I keep telling you. There’s no one else.”
“Then what is it?” I pressed on. “You’re scaring me, Eric. Why are you out here every night?”
He glanced at me, then reached into the backseat, pulling out a small stack of books and a recording device.
“I didn’t want you to know,” he said softly. “Because I just didn’t want to worry you. But I’ve been out here recording bedtime stories for the kids.”
A stack of children’s books | Source: Midjourney
I blinked slowly.
“Bedtime stories? Why would that worry me?”
He hesitated, his hands trembling slightly. “I went to the doctor a few weeks ago. They found something, a tumor. A biopsy was done, and the results came back. It’s cancer, Nella. And it’s bad. Borrowed time is all I have.”
A doctor’s office | Source: Midjourney
It felt like the ground had crumbled beneath me. I couldn’t breathe.
“What?” I gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to put that on you,” he said. “I wanted you to be normal around me, and with the kids. But I also wanted to make something for the kids to remember me by.”
An upset man | Source: Midjourney
I grabbed his hand and held it tightly, as the reality of what he’d been hiding hit me all at once. This wasn’t about some other woman.
This was about my husband preparing for a future that I didn’t want to imagine.
“I refuse to let you go through this alone,” I said. “We’re going to face this together, Eric, whatever it takes.”
He nodded, tears slipping down his face, just as they slipped down mine.
A crying woman | Source: Midjourney
The months that followed were a blur of doctor’s appointments, treatments, and nights spent huddled together, clinging to each other as we tried to stay hopeful.
Eric spent all this time with the kids, playing with them and taking them on walks if he could manage it. He made them pancakes for dinner and pizza for breakfast.
He told them that they could choose their Halloween costumes months in advance.
Children in Halloween costumes | Source: Midjourney
And he fought harder than I ever imagined, but despite everything, the disease was relentless. He’d known from the start that the odds were against him.
He’d known it when he started recording those stories in his car, preparing for the worst while still trying to give us the best of himself.
“I’ll try for as long as I can,” he promised me one night when we were in bed. “But I’m getting… tired.”
A voice recorder on a table | Source: Midjourney
“I know, my love,” I said, gripping his hands under the covers. “Whatever you do, listen to your body, too. Rest when it tells you to.”
Eric passed away in the quiet hours of a winter morning. I remember the stillness of the house, how empty it felt without him there. Our kids, so young and full of life, didn’t yet grasp the enormity of the loss.
But they sat at the funeral, looking glassy-eyed and lost.
A funeral setting | Source: Midjourney
Just like me.
A few days after the funeral, when the house was filled with the muted sounds of family members and well-wishers, I finally felt ready to listen to those recordings.
I went out to his car and took the recorder out of the bag he had left it in. I scrolled through the files, seeing the familiar titles of the kids’ favorite stories.
A voice recording device | Source: Midjourney
But then, one caught my eye:
Our Story.
I took a deep breath and pressed play. His voice was warm and steady and filled the space around me instantly.
“Once upon a time,” he began. “There was a princess. She was kind, smart, and braver than any knight in the land. But most of all, she had the biggest heart anyone had ever known.”
I smiled.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
“One day, she met an ordinary man, just a guy from a village with no title, no riches. But the moment he saw her, he knew his life would never be the same.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened, his voice wrapping around me like a hug I so desperately needed.
“The princess and the man lived many happy years together,” he continued. “Raising a prince and princess together. And even though the man grew old and weary, he knew that his princess would go on. She would continue to rule their home… with love and strength.”
Eric’s voice faltered on the last words. I could almost imagine his upset face.
A crying man | Source: Midjourney
“So, my love,” he said softly. “If you’re listening to this, know that you were my fairytale. You turned my ordinary life into something extraordinary. And even though I can’t be with you anymore, your fairytale must go on.”
It was just what I needed.
And now, whenever the days feel too heavy, I listen to Eric’s voice again. And somehow, I can smile again.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you:
My Husband Surprised Me on My Birthday — When I Saw Who Jumped Out of the Gift Box, I Broke Down in Tears
As Amelia’s 30th birthday approaches, her husband, Jared, keeps hinting at a major surprise for her, causing her imagination to grow wild. On the day of her birthday party, she discovers that her birthday surprise is a man who she never wanted to see again…
I could tell that something was up. My husband, Jared, had been buzzing for weeks about this “life-changing” gift. Every day, another cryptic comment came my way.
“You’ll love it, babe, trust me!” Jared would say, practically bouncing on his feet.
An excited man | Source: Midjourney
When I asked him about it, he’d just smirk and say, “You’ll see!”
Honestly, by the time my birthday party rolled around, I was convinced that it was something practical. Like maybe an appliance, or the recliner with the massage functions I’d been eyeing. I would have been happy with the ice cream machine that I wanted, but honestly, Jared’s enthusiasm made me feel good that he’d gone to so much trouble.
“You’re worth all the effort, Amelia,” he said. “I just want you to feel special and know that I listen and I care.”
A recliner with a green bow | Source: Midjourney
So when he walked in on my birthday, he struggled to roll in a massive gift box much bigger than our washing machine.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Remember her from ‘Crocodile Dundee’? What she looks like today leaves fans in tears
Linda Kozlowski became known all over the world following her role in Crocodile Dundee. The American actress starred alongside Paul Hogan, and the two embarked on a wonderful voyage of love together after the films.
Sadly, Kozlowski and Hogan divorced in 2014, though the couple share one son together. Since then, she’s gone her own way in life, and has found love once again.
So what did Linda Kozlowski get up to following Crocodile Dundee? And what does she look like today? This is all you need to know!
Every actor or actress dreams about that big breakthrough role and the glamorous life that will almost certainly come with it. A great performance in the right film or series can open doors to offers that will likely move one further up the Hollywood celebrity ladder, which is turns means more money and more fame.
Linda Kozlowski – ‘Crocodile Dundee’
Oftentimes, we see actors pretty much playing the same sort of role over and over again. If one finds success as a tough guy or the girl next door, for example, we can expect to see them starring as similar characters in their next few jobs.
But just because someone’s been in one of that years’ biggest and most popular films doesn’t actually mean that fame is guaranteed. And, in fact, some actors just don’t want to continue in Hollywood, even after they’ve been a part of a great success story.
One such actor is Linda Kozlowski. She got her big breakthrough as Sue Charlton in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee, and quickly became a star all over the world.
Crocodile Dundee changed her life, both on a professional and personal level. But after three Dundee-films and several other appearances, she disappeared.
Looking at her filmography, Linda Kozlowski hasn’t starred in any sort of production since 2001. So what happened? And what does she look like now?
Here’s all you might want to know about her!
Linda Kozlowski was born on January 7, 1958 in Fairfield, Connecticut. The daughter of Stanley and Helen Kozlowski, she grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Andrew Warde High School in 1976.
Linda Kozlowski – early life
Kozlowski had a passion for acting early on. She decided to pursue a career in the business and was accepted into the prestigious Juilliard School’s drama division. She graduated in 1981, and went on to move to New York.
To start off her acting career, Kozlowski starred in several off-Broadway productions, including How It All Began. She would go on to land smaller roles on broadway, as well as in television, including in the television film Death of a Salesman, where she starred alongside Dustin Hoffman.
However, as many actors probably will agree, moving to New York wasn’t easy. She worked as a waitress after Death of a Salesman wrapped up, and a that point, Kozlowski decided to leave for California.
Meanwhile, she and Dustin Hoffman had become great friends, and he became was sort of a mentor for her.
“It was cold in New York,” she told People. “And I didn’t see any other work in sight, and I was sort of miserable.”
Hoffman and his wife wanted to help Linda out. They offered her the chance to stay in their Malibu beach house, and only six weeks after her move to the west coast, she auditioned for Crocodile Dundee.
Dustin Hoffman was actually the one that recommended her for the part, since he was very impressed with her performance in Death of a Salesman.
“Linda got the movie because they liked her”
“There was a feeling in that room that was so positive,” she recalled of the audition. “I never once thought, ‘Oh, my God, this might not work.’
“Dustin asked me, ‘Who are these people? What are their names, and where are they staying?’,” she recalled. “And I told him. So just as they were calling me to say I had the part, they got a phone call: It was Dustin Hoffman. At first they thought it was a friend doing a bad impersonation.
“Once they realized it was Hoffman, they were just beaming. It was a sign they’d made the right decision.”
Kozlowski’s longtime friend William DeAcutis added: “Dustin’s call was like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, but Linda got the movie because they liked her.”
In 1986, Kozlowski starred alongside Paul Hogan in the first Crocodile Dundee film. It became one of the biggest films’ of the year, earning a staggering $320 million. Considering it only cost about $10 million to make, it was – on top of the fans loving it – great business.
At first, however, when Linda arrived at the Crocodile Dundee set in Australia, it was something of a shock.
“It was 4 o’clock in the morning, freezing cold, with kangaroos and wild buffalo roaming around. I was in a daze,” she said.
Over night, Linda Kozlowski became a star. But the funny thing was that for a short while, she was a huge celebrity in Australia – but yet unknown in the US.
Major success with ‘Crocodile Dundee’
Crocodile Dundee opened “Down Under” before it opened in the US, which meant people in the US didn’t know her at all.
“It was a bit like being Cinderella,” Kozlowski told the Los Angeles Times. “In Australia, I’d be riding about in limos, whereas here I was still running around in my old Toyota trying to see casting directors.”
Linda soon went from a struggling actress to a star. However, she always felt that she didn’t get that much attention. All in all, it was all about Dundee.
“But I’ll tell you where I was a big star,” she said, laughing. “In Fairfield, Conn., where I grew up. My parents, Stanley and Helen Kozlowski, still live there, and when the movie opened they saw it again and again.
“What’s funny is the local paper never referred to me as ‘Linda,’ always as ‘Stanley’s daughter.’ It was ‘Stanley’s daughter says this…’ and ‘Stanley’s daughter says that’…”
Two years later, she appeared in the second Crocodile Dundee film, and in 2001, the third one, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles was released.
At that point, Kozlowski had also found love. And it was with her co-star Paul Hogan, also known as the Crocodile Dundee.
The couple married in May 1990 in Australia. According to the Los Angeles Times, Hogan gave her a $2 million mansion as a wedding gift.
Marriage with Paul Hogan
Following her first two very successful appearances in the Crocodile Dundee films, one might think that Linda Kozlowski had hundreds of offers for new projects. Well, for her, that wasn’t the case at all.
Sure, she had options, but nothing felt exciting.
“After Crocodile Dundee I turned down lots of stuff, most of it where I’d play the girlfriend of some funny man,” Kozlowski said, explaining that she used the scripts for a whole different reason.
“I use them for kindling, to get the fire started,” she said.
“That’s about all they’re good for. I was getting very depressed, but finally something good did come along–‘Pass the Ammo.’ That’s been a long time coming out, but now there’s a release date.”
In 2001, Linda Kozlowski appeared in the third Crocodile Dundee film. But that was her last appearance in any production to this day.
Before the third film, she decided to leave show business. In 1998, she and Paul Hogan had welcomed their first and only child together, Change Hogan, and instead she wanted to focus on raising her beloved son.
After 23 years of marriage, Linda and Paul divorced in 2014. The couple filed for divorce in October 2013, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason.
Divorced in 2014
Speaking with New Idea, Linda explained that she now wanted to be the one in the spotlight. According to Sydney Morning Herald, Linda received $6.25 million in a one-off payment. At the same time, Hogan kept the rights to his Crocodile Dundee character, as well as the film company that produced the films.
Furthermore, Kozlowski was allowed to stay in their home in Los Angeles for four years or until she remarried – whichever came first.
“I lived in Paul’s shadow for many, many years and it’s nice to feel my own light right now,” she told New Idea, adding that the problem between the two was the lack of shared interests.
“Honestly, we just naturally grew apart. One of our problems was we really had nothing in common and, over time, that happens to a lot of people.”
Paul Hogan said the same thing, however added that they still make things work despite their differences.
“We were opposites and we were attracted to each other for a long time. Opposites in everything,” Hogan said.
“From the food we ate, the music we liked, the entertainment we liked, the colors, the clothes, the places, everything, It worked anyway.”
The couple still have shared custody of their son, Change. And despite the divorce, they remain close friends.
Linda Kozlowski today
“The divorce was completely amicable. We talk on the phone all the time, I go over and have coffee,” she said. “We’re completely friendly. Everybody’s happy.”
Linda left the spotlight and has relocated to Morocco, where she has found love once again.
During a trip to Morocco, she was led by local tour guide Moulay Hafid Baba. Speaking to Luxe Beat, Kozlowski said their attraction was instant.
Together, they founded a Marrakesh-based luxury travelling business Dream My Destiny, where they plan customized journeys depending on what their guests desire.
“We knew in a flash that we had known each other for a thousand years, which was a magic moment in both our lives,” Linda Kozlowski said. “As business partners, we plan all our guests’ trips together.
“He’ll look after the men when the ladies need to shop for shoes! He knows the country inside out, including the Sahara Desert. You feel safe with him wherever you are.”
It’s easy to say that Linda remains a very beautiful woman!
It’s been a long time since Linda appeared on screen. She will forever be remembered as the wonderful Sue in Crocodile Dundee, and her legacy will live on forever.
No plans of returning to acting
Today, she’s 63 years of age. However, she has no plans on returning to the big screen.
“I don’t miss acting because my life is so full now. Reality is better than make believe.
“One thing I always hated about acting was that it got in the way of having an adventurous life,” she added.
“You had to stick around LA and wait for work. Now I’m rejoicing in my freedom. I definitely think acting helped develop my intuition, which is essential to my new endeavor, as so much of what I do is based on reading people and instinctively catering to their needs.”
Linda Kozlowski was a truly wonderful actress. But in the end, we’re happy that she choose to follow her passion.
Please, share this article with friends and family to honor Linda Kozlowski!
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