She realizes how beautiful life is without her husband. Then, realizing that her husband is still alive, she dies of supposed “joy.” A joy that, according to doctors, comes from seeing her husband alive. Specifically, it resonates the irony of the doctor's statement that Louise dies of "killing joy" in ways that are more complex than common understanding allows (Dolan 354). In reality we are led to believe that he dies of horror. This happens because for one hour of her life, Louise feels really excited and happy about her future. The feeling of being fully alive broke her heart because she realized that with her husband's survival, that feeling would end. Chopin clearly shows that what killed her was the awareness and horror of no longer being free