No team has quite been as visually appealing as the Showtime Lakers. While dynasties have come and gone, none have been quite as spellbinding as those damned Los Angeles Lakers. But what truly made them special? Or, should I say, magical? Well, the answer is rather obvious. The man whose rivalry with Larry Bird would turn the fortunes of the entire sport, Magic Johnson was the engine of that offense. He was the catalyst that made the team Showtime. However, his is a story of tragedy.

In her book “Believing in Magic: My Story of Love, Overcoming Adversity, and Keeping the Faith,” his wife Cookie shed light on the day her life took a complete U-turn. However, the entire journey building up to that moment was truly harrowing.

Confusing, haunting, and desperate, the hours and minutes between first finding out something is wrong to learning the truth, was a truly tough time for Mrs. Johnson. Her recounting of the experience took readers on the same moving path.

“I’m coming home early because I have to tell you something,” is how their tale began. “Why? Are you okay?” the response was somehow even worse than the tension. “I have to talk to you, but I’m on my way to the doctor’s office right now. I’ll tell you what’s going on when I get home, Cookie. I can’t tell you over the phone. I’m on my way to you.”

In the time between, Cookie would imagine the worst possible outcomes. A devastating, career-altering, or ending injury, a possible run-in with teammates, anything to calm her mind. But the worst? “I was convinced it was divorce – my husband’s urgent phone call and unplanned trip home was to tell me he was leaving me.”

The next few moments were spent deliberating the consequences of that one thought.

How Magic Johnson left Cookie imagining every scenario

Once that thought got stuck, it was unimpeachable. As a result, the 64-year-old would recount her possible options. While reminiscing about her “fairytale” wedding, Cookie was left struggling for options.

Watch This Story: Newark Local Austin Reaves Gets Totally Honest About Los Angeles Lifestyle

Whether it was questions about her family, moving back to Toledo, or how raising their child would go, everything was up in the air for the missus. Then, the moment of truth arrived. The rest of the story is pretty well-known by now.

But the entire experience does shed an illuminating light on how shocking and heartbreaking the HIV diagnosis of the 5x Champion was.

Read More: Magic Johnson, Who Openly Came Out After Having HIV, Revealed His Wife’s Deepest Fears in Honest 2014 Interview