A woman whose husband took his own life shortly after their honeymoon was left stunned when she received flowers from him months later.
Isabel and Christopher Coles, from North Carolina, married in September 2024 after meeting on a dating app a year and a half earlier.
Keen to get married before Christopher, who was in the army, was deployed in October, the pair tied the knot at a courthouse but planned to have a bigger ceremony in May 2025.
The bride described the couple as being 'so insanely happy and in love', and to celebrate their marriage they went to a festival for their honeymoon, as music was a 'huge part' of their relationship.
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After the couple flew back home, Christopher spent 'all night' putting guest information for their bigger ceremony into their wedding website, but the following morning Isabel noticed things were 'a little weird'.
"He went downstairs and tried to get out. I stood at the front door and asked what was going on," she recalled. "He got out and started heading towards the woods."
Isabel ran upstairs to get her shoes, at which point she realized her husband had taken a weapon with him. The next morning, Christopher's body was found by his father.
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Isabel was left 'shocked' and 'devastated', noting that Christopher was 'very driven and motivated', which left her to wonder if there were signs she may have missed.
"He was very hard on himself, always pushing himself. There were no signs, it did take me really off guard," she said.
As Isabel continued to grieve her husband, she was left stunned when, on Valentine's Day this year, she received a delivery which had been sent from Christopher.
She admitted she 'freaked out' at the delivery, so contacted the florist for more information.
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The florist revealed then that Christopher had ordered the flowers prior to his death.
Isabel said: "They said he ordered the flowers in September because he knew he would be deployed and travelling back around Valentine's day."
Isabel shared her story online in a video which has since gone viral, and while she has received some backlash for speaking out, she's hoping to raise awareness about mental health.
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The mom-of-one is also planning to run the Chicago Marathon in October 2025 to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. If you'd like to contribute to Isabel's efforts, you can do so here.
She explained: "Everyone wants a reason why. No one believes that a smart, handsome, successful man who has a great life wakes up one day and decides to end his life. There are people in my life that say I had something to do with it."
"I know it's not true, my husband and I were very happy. No one can change that or take that away from me," she continued.
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"He obviously was fighting demons and no one knew about it.
"I'm not doing well, there's a part of me that is gone forever.
"There's still so much that I'm dealing with that make me feel like I'm re-living the moment over and over again which is very tough.
"He didn't do it to hurt me, he wouldn't do anything to hurt me. For whatever reason he probably thought that people would be better off without him."
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If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Topics: Mental Health, Valentine's Day
Emily Brown