He depended on his wife for everything. She prepared his meals, kept the house, and was the sole breadwinner.
But Mr K Ramalingam, 71, has no idea how his wife has ended up in the National University Hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
On Wednesday, Madam Singaravallye Karuppiah, 59, was allegedly hacked by a man at the void deck of a block of flats near where they live in Bukit Batok Central.
She suffered deep cuts to her head, left cheek, neck and hands.
At their flat last night, Mr Ramalingam, who is retired, said his wife would prepare food for him in the morning before leaving for work. She would also call him at noon every day to check if he had eaten and taken his medication.
He suffered a mild stroke a few years ago and needs a walking aid to move around. The couple, who have been married for 17 years, have no children.
On Wednesday, he waited for her to come back from work like he always did.
He said that his wife, who works as a factory machine operator at Porite Singapore, normally reached home between 4 and 4.30pm.
He said: 'I was worried when she didn't come home. Then at 5.30pm, a nurse called and asked me to go to the hospital. I was surprised because my wife called me at noon as usual and everything was normal.'
As he has difficulty travelling alone and has poor eyesight, his younger sister advised him to wait till the next day to see his wife.
He said he broke down when he saw her at hospital yesterday.
He said: 'I could see only a bit of her face from outside the room. She had a lot of bandages on her face. This is the first time anything like that has happened to her.'
Traumatised
Asked if he knew what had happened to his wife, Mr Ramalingam shook his head.
He said that several police officers was at his flat on Wednesday evening and took away a few items, including several notebooks in which Madam Singaravallye kept telephone numbers.
She carried a black handbag, in which she kept her IC, some money, her handphone, and her packed lunch.
A police spokesman confirmed that they received a call at about 4.30pm on Wednesday about a man assaulting a woman at the void deck of Block 227, Bukit Batok Central.The woman suffered serious injuries and was taken unconscious to the National University Hospital.
Investigations are ongoing and police are looking for the assailant, who is said to be slim-built with a dark complexion and in his 50s to 60s.
He wore a blue striped top and dark pants and was carrying a haversack.
At the hospital last night, relatives from both sides kept vigil.
Mr Ramalingam's younger sister, who declined to give her name, said they had no idea why Madam Singaravallye was targeted.
Her boss also visited her in hospital yesterday.
Madam Singaravallye had surgery on Wednesday and again yesterday.
'The doctor said the most serious cut was to her head,' Mr Ramalingam's sister said.
Although Madam Singaravallye is still unconscious, her condition has stabilised.
At the ICU ward, she was hooked up to numerous machines.
She was covered in blankets, and only her head was visible.
A large portion of her head was bandaged, and the deep cut on her left cheek was visible under the bandage.
It is believed that her handbag and its contents, as well as her necklace, were intact.
Another relative said that they had prevented Mr Ramalingam from going inside the room to see his wife as they didn't want him to see her condition up close.
He will most likely stay with his sister in the meantime.
Mr Ramalingam said he missed his wife.
Asked if he would be visiting his wife soon, he said: 'If I can't see her, what's the point of going to the hospital?'
