On this week’s podcast, the actor Chris Messina reads “When Love Isn’t as Simple as Standing by Your Man,” a story that shows how even the most enduring marriages are precarious.

The author, Eirik Gumeny, wrote his Modern Love essay after a double lung transplant led to a turning point in his relationship with his wife. He is the author of the “Exponential Apocalypse” science fiction series.

Mr. Messina stars in “The Mindy Project.” Its final season will begin airing in September.