tonight, on an all-new "20/20" -- >> many are familiar with the blockbuster movie, "american sniper," and how an american hero was lost. chris kyle, surviving the most dangerous war zones, only to be killed on home soil at the hands of a fellow veteran. >> that somebody would shoot him in the back -- he didn't have any chance. >> but tonight, the hero we didn't know. the sniper's wife. the american wife. taya kyle, reluctantly drawn into the spotlight. >> my life lately has been, the volume turned up all the way. >> i'm here. your family is here. your children have no father.

>> i love to serve my country. >> tonight, she's inviting us in. >> is it difficult coming back now? >> i don't know. once we get to the place that it all -- i don't know how i'll feel. >> reporter: a journey with taya kyle back to the darkest day in her love story with her husband. on an emotional drive into the north texas hill country, winding our way over creek beds, through prairies of bluebonnets, miles of range bounded by barbed wire. >> we always felt like it was one of the best places on earth honestly. >> reporter: it's serene. >> it is. >> reporter: i mean, it's horrible what happened, period, but in such a beautiful, peaceful area. "20/20" cameras allowed access for the first time to the scene of the crime that shocked america. the gun range where chris kyle lost his life. >> as a way of comforting myself in some ways i just thought, well at least it was maybe

peaceful and he didn't see it coming. >> reporter: a brave taya kyle, about to confront the ghost of an unimaginable loss. you ready to do this? >> i'm good. good evening, i'm robin roberts. later tonight, we'll be back at the place where her life changed forever. but first, the story you never knew until now. so many of you saw the movie, but that's only half the story. in her new book, "american wife" taya kyle gives an unflinching look at their life. >> reporter: this is american sniper chris kyle as you've never seen him. not in a hollywood movie but in a home movie. one of many his wife, taya kyle,

is sharing exclusively tonight with "20/20." >> you might not like everything, but it's for a reason. >> faith was very important to chris, too. >> reporter: the blessing of a new child. it's scenes like these that inspired taya to write her new book, "american wife," where she tells her story of love and loss with chris. >> there is so much more to him. it was my chance to share some of that side, too, because i think he, i think he's earned it. >> reporter: for taya, chris was her unlikely soul mate, her cowboy in shining armor. >> he just had this softness and this tenderness. i continue to look back and be in awe of how he managed it all so well, honestly. >> reporter: when you open the book, four words jump out -- love, war, faith, renewal. why those four words? >> love certainly is always a key thing for me, it always has been, probably always will be. and the war taught me a lot.

i mean, it brought the greatest pain in our marriage, but it also brought greater strength. it's been a lifelong journey, but definitely it was more clear with my time with chris how i had to rely on my faith and then, you know, renewal is a -- it's a constant process. >> reporter: four words, four powerful forces shaping their lives from the earliest years. born in texas, chris drifts from job to job as a ranch hand and professional rodeo competitor. he finally finds purpose in the navy s.e.a.l.s. during the grueling training program he befriends fellow navy s.e.a.l. marcus luttrell, famous in his own right as the subject of the film, "lone survivor." >> are mikey and danny really dead? >> i don't know. >> people die all the time in our training. not -- i'm not talking about combat. just talking about training. i mean blood and sweat every day. >> reporter: chris not only survives. he thrives, showing immense

talent as a sharpshooter, earning his s.e.a.l. trident. he's stationed in southern california where, as the movie shows, he meets taya. she's working as pharmaceutical sales rep and, as she says in her book, depressed after a series of bad relationships and an unsure future praying for a man with a good heart. >> you know, i wanted to be really independent, even though i knew i kind of needed somebody. >> reporter: her prayers would be answered during a night out at a bar of all places. the chance meeting between taya and chris started off on a pretty rocky note, as seen in the film "american sniper." okay, how true was that first meeting? >> so true. i mean, i drank a little too much and he held my hair back while i, you know, let it all back out. but -- >> reporter: great first impression, taya.

>> yeah, right, i know. it's such a gentle, tender exchange. and i feel like that was so incredibly true with chris. and that was what was so intriguing. so yeah -- and it was funny. >> reporter: so, not exactly love at first sight? or was it? >> i mean we're in a bar, you know, and he was so genuine and had a depth to him and this really hot body with a cute face. >> reporter: when he told you what it was that he does for a living, i believe you said you didn't want to marry a s.e.a.l. >> right. >> where are you going? i said i'd never marry one. >> my faith is different now, because i think god has a plan. and you can really hard to think you know what's going to happen, but i don't think any of us do. and no, it wasn't my plan, but i'm so glad i did. >> reporter: so when did you know in your heart that he was the one? >> it was just little by little. he was so nice. real.

i mean, just so nice and supportive. he made me feel like he was excited to talk to me, to see me, and he was just this simple, fun, deep person. >> reporter: on march 16th, 2002, chris and taya wed on a sunny california day. exchanging inscribed wedding bands, taya wrote on chris' ring "my life, my love." and he wrote "all of me" on her ring. but from day one chris is torn between love for his country and love for his family. they have to cut their honeymoon short, because chris is called up for duty. marcus luttrell's wife, melanie, is a dear family friend. >> i mean they loved each other passionately. i think there was a lot of -- sometimes ups and downs through different events. but they're going to stay strong together afterwards. >> reporter: the struggle between family and military service would continue to test their marriage.

but when he is home, chris is committed to their growing family -- a son who chris immediately nicknamed bubba. >> give me a hug? >> reporter: and a daughter nicknamed angel, that commitment undeniable. it's these stolen moments that taya treasures most. what kind of father was he? >> amazing. i truly don't think there's a better example of what a father should be than him. i can barely think of a day, you know, there may have been less than ten in our whole lives that i remember him not laughing with those kids, no matter what kind of day he had. >> reporter: here's a perfect day -- shot by taya. chris roughhousing "navy s.e.a.l. style" with bubba who can't get enough. and a game they called "poke the bear" which inspired the filmmakers.

taya's camera captures more than the fun times. she also records poignant, reflective moments like this. listen closely as chris talks to his son bubba the night before his third deployment. >> you know this isn't really for you right now. come here, bubba. we'll read two more and then you can go to bed. this is so later, when i'm gone you can look at the tape. >> reporter: i know when he said, when i'm gone -- he was referring to deployment. but he is gone. and this can be played. what are your emotions, and your children, when you see this? >> i know there was a part of

him that also was referring to being gone for good. and that was always a possibility, when it came down to, would he be okay with dying on the battlefield? absolutely. but i think in the moments where you're holding your kid and thinking about not being there with them, that's when the pain, you know, comes in. >> reporter: and there was plenty of pain for chris, and for taya. when we come back, trouble in the marriage and what the home movies would reveal about a family in crisis. >> what's this year going to bring for you? >> sickness, misery, bankruptcy.

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robin roberts continues with "love, war, renewal." >> another day in the massive invasion of iraq. >> reporter: in the fog of war, a sniper must make split second life and death decisions -- who is friend and who is foe. >> he's the eye in the sky. the hand of god. i mean that kind of deal. watch our backs. he did it well. took pride in the job. loved his brothers. >> reporter: but as we saw in "american sniper," playing

judge, jury and executioner weighs heavy on the heart, even for the man they called "the legend." >> she has a grenade, she is giving it to the kid. >> you prepare for war to fight other men, but, you know, when you look at his experience, women and children -- women putting their children in harm's way, i mean i don't -- i can't imagine having to deal with that and see that, i mean it's painful just to think about. >> reporter: to keep hold of his humanity, chris keeps in touch with his wife. taya says he never lost his softer side. it came out in his emails. he thought you were sexy. >> i know! >> reporter: oh, i love how he would end -- hey, sexy, and just -- what was that, you know, to read that again and to know that he made you feel that way and that he thought that way of you? >> that's one thing any person can do in their relationship is remind the other person that they find them attractive and, you know, beautiful in their worst moments, and he did that. >> reporter: but emails alone

aren't enough to keep a marriage healthy. chris chooses to re-enlist. that means he will spend more time in iraq with his band of brothers than at home with his family. this video is taken shortly after angel is born. the moment is so touching, but also bittersweet. as taya holds her infant, chris is preparing to ship out for the fourth time. you were angry at him, that he went back, weren't you? >> yeah, yeah, i was. simultaneously angry and thinking, like, i love him so much, but you also know, how are you supposed to be mad at somebody who's serving their country and putting their life on the line every day? >> reporter: taya, juggling two children and the constant anxiety of a wartime military spouse, is nearing her breaking point. >> i remember crying to him and saying, i don't want to tell you this. i don't want to tell you this, because what if this the last time that we talk? i don't want to tell you this because i don't want you to worry about it. >> reporter: screenwriter

jason hall got close to chris and taya while writing the movie "american sniper." >> i think the challenging part for her was, why is he choosing this over me and over us? >> reporter: by the end of chris' fourth tour, taya is no longer willing to share her husband with uncle sam. you kind of put your foot down and saying, it's either us or -- >> right. >> reporter: the s.e.a.l.s. >> it wasn't just for me, and it wasn't just for the kids. and this is a guy who would go until there was nothing left. and i felt like he was kind of on the precipice of not having much left. >> reporter: finally, after 1,000 days in iraq chris is home for good. the kids are happy to have dad back, and so is taya. >> dad's being super dad and putting together your rip rider and you just got it. >> reporter: but this video doesn't tell the whole story. chris is struggling to return to civilian life. a mission as tough as any he's faced. in what ways did it change chris, did war change chris?

>> he had the sleepless nights. he had the high blood pressure. he had, you know, the horrible dreams. >> reporter: he moves his family to texas and starts a security business, but money is short and the kyles are facing bankruptcy. in this video he can't hide his despair. >> so what's this year going to bring for you? >> sickness. >> sickness, misery, bankruptcy. >> reporter: money problems aside, chris is suffering from ptsd and shutting taya out, even texting an ex-girlfriend. you were so brutally honest about the toll that it took on the marriage. you kind of danced around the ex-girlfriend, never really came completely open in saying, was he unfaithful or was he not?

how close did you all come to not making it as a couple? >> you know, we came really close a number of times. >> reporter: chris couldn't tell taya about everything, but he could write it down with the same unflinching accuracy he'd used to aim his sniper's rifle. >> there was a part of him that had to just throw his crap on the table. and stand and be accountable for it, not hide from it. >> reporter: the book is a best seller. hollywood comes calling. clint eastwood signs on to direct bradley cooper in the movie version. cooper knows it's not going to be easy to fill chris kyle's size 14 boots. >> everything you could possibly want a job to be, something that scares the hell out of you, something that brings you to a different place, but in the end changed my life, quite frankly. >> bradley got to know chris so well that he improvised by putting the teddy bear on his shoulders. and that just goes to show how

much bradley got in the heart and mind of chris. >> you like country music? >> only when i'm depressed. >> reporter: and what about seeing herself on the big screen played by sienna miller? >> did you feel that sienna was able to portray you the way you wanted to be portrayed? >> i spend a lot of time not talking about that, because it's me and i'm more interested in talking about, you know, chris or the military, this and that. but i thought, it's almost ironic, because the military wives often get ignored, and here i'm doing the same thing to her performance. because i think she did a phenomenal job. i mean not only did she do a great job with the accent, but you know when she was crying on film, it was making he hurt. >> reporter: "american sniper" hits a bull's-eye at the box office, making $350 million to date and receiving six oscar nominations.

the love story of chris and taya kyle seemed destined for a hollywood ending, but when i meet taya for the first time on the oscar red carpet, chris is already gone. >> what do you think he would think? >> he would be absolutely blown away. deep down, he would be happy that so much healing is happening for coupling healing with this movie. >> reporter: when we come back -- the story of what happens after the movie's ominous fade to black. and taya and i make that emotional visit to the place where she lost her husband. >> i just needed to be with him, you know? i just wanted to be with him. i was back in college. i even accept that i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. but i won't accept giving it less than my best. so if i can go for something better than warfarin, ...i will. eliquis.

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"20/20" continues. once again, robin roberts. >> reporter: the moment has arrived. taya kyle is finally ready to return with us to the place where chris was taken from her. when you return here, is it -- is it hallowed ground?

is it haunted ground? is it -- >> i don't know. it's something, it's confusing and it's almost unthinkable. that somebody would do that right here. >> reporter: standing here, taya is brought back to the day everything changed. february 2nd, 2013. >> we just had our normal routine, you know, kids' sports. >> reporter: its nearly three years after chris left iraq, and his war is finally over. now, a bestselling author, he not only has the means to support his family, he has conquered his demons. here is the family, happy, on vacation at the grand canyon. >> there's daddy! >> reporter: home at last in body and mind, he has even begun helping fellow vets adjust to civilian life, bringing them to shooting ranges like this to relax and open up. >> you can still make a difference in this nation by the things that you do in your day

to day life. >> reporter: one life that needed saving -- eddie ray routh, a marine who served in iraq and in haiti after the deadly earthquake. when he got home, his life spun out of control. violent episodes, even threats of suicide. routh's mother reached out to chris for help. and even though chris had never met routh, he agrees. >> chris was going to go do something charitable and kind and something he didn't really have time for, he's one of those guys that made time. >> reporter: that brisk february morning, chris asked his best friend, chad littlefield, to come with him and routh here to the rough creek lodge gun range, a hunting resort about two hours southwest of dallas. but when chris and chad pick routh up in chris' big black truck around 1:00 in the afternoon, routh is wary and the feeling is mutual. the strange man in the back seat set off alarm bells for chad and chris. while driving, chris texts chad

"this dude is straight up nuts." chad responds "he's right behind me, watch my six," military slang for watch my back. still, when they arrive at the range chris goes ahead with the day's plan. >> chris was definitely in the front and chad was behind and i know that he had just shot some old west kind of replica guns and both of them were empty. >> reporter: routh waits until chris has fired all his shots downrange and guns down chad. then, before chris knows what's happening, routh shoots him six times, all in the back. >> i know that chad and chris both had their sidearms holstered and on safety. the shooter, i think, was over there. and he definitely had some -- some loaded weapons that he turned on them quickly if not simultaneously. i don't think they've ever been able to --

>> reporter: if he had two -- >> pinpoint exactly -- >> reporter: if he had two guns >> i know they didn't, neither one of them saw it coming. >> reporter: the man who survived 1,000 days of war, and made it home has been killed, by a fellow veteran. >> dying's one thing. everybody dies. but, he shot him in the back, man. you're a coward. >> reporter: routh takes chris' gun and his truck, and heads to his sister's house telling her he just killed two men. the second he leaves, she calls 911. >> what's your emergency? >> yes, ma'am, my brother just came by here. he told me that he committed a murder. >> reporter: taya hears the news from mark treibly, a family friend on the local police force. >> i immediately left the police station, went to his house. taya immediately knew something was wrong. and i told her that it was confirmed that chris had been murdered. >> i just looked at him. i remember looking in his eyes so intently, and just saying like, "are you sure?" because i've had these scares before where i thought he was dead and he wasn't. and he said, "yes."

i just remember thinking, "there's no way you're wrong? like, there has to be. he was a survivor and a fighter, and you know, and honestly i didn't know how many times he'd been shot, or that somebody would shoot them in the back. he didn't have any chance. and i think that was part of it, is, he was so capable, and he'd been in so many close calls that it didn't seem real. >> reporter: how were you able to tell your children about what happened to chris? >> it was one of the -- the hardest things i've ever had to do. and i remember thinking, "you know, maybe i'll take them outside so they don't have the memory of getting this news in the house." i just told them something really bad had happened, and that daddy got hurt. and my daughter looked at me and she said, "is he dead?" and then i just you know, shook my head, and then just this sound from her chest and her stomach. that guttural cry came from, is

she was thinking that couldn't possibly be true. it's very hard to understand they had the same questions we all had, "why would he do that?" you know, "why would somebody do that to daddy?" >> reporter: police track down chris' truck within hours. this video shows police ordering routh to exit. >> eddie! >> reporter: then, unexpectedly, routh takes off, leading police on a high-speed chase though residential neighborhoods. at one point, police ram the truck. eventually, routh surrenders. he is arrested and charged with the first degree murder of chris kyle and chad littlefield. nine days later, a rainy, grey day in dallas. thousands file into at&t stadium, home of chris' beloved dallas cowboys, to pay their respects to a fallen american hero. >> i stand before you a broken

woman, but i am now and always will be the wife of a man who was a warrior both on and off the battlefield. >> reporter: chris kyle's funeral procession to the texas state cemetery providing the movie's poignant final moments. the pictures taken from real life, like these unforgettable images captured by abc stations kvue and wfaa. the drive to austin to the cemetery. >> it's 200 miles of people lining the streets and every overpass, and the bagpipers and people stopped on the other side of the freeway. i mean it was that feeling of patriotism and acceptance, and that goes right in line with chris' life. >> reporter: today, taya still has mixed feelings about this place, where her husband spent

so much time. for him to lose his life in that manner has to just, you must look to the heavens and go like, "are you kidding me?" >> yeah. >> reporter: i mean, he didn't even have a bullet in his gun. >> right. >> reporter: didn't even have a chance. >> right. and i guess when i try to comfort myself, i think, if god had gone to chris and said, >> reporter: to be here where it actually happened, because it makes me want to just pay my respects and say thank you to your husband really. >> when we come back, taya kyle confronts her husbands killer in

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rober roberts, and the taya kyle story. >> reporter: in the dusty west texas town of stephenville, cowboy capital of the world. many come to bear witness as the man who killed her husband is brought to justice. >> this matter styled "the state of texas versus eddie ray routh." >> two years later, routh looks very different. he's heavier and neatly dressed. what was it like being in that courtroom with him? >> some of the pictures, when it was autopsy type pictures, and he'd be staring at them. i wanted to come out of my seat, like, don't you dare look at them in that vulnerable state, you don't have the right. >> reporter: it's a challenge for taya just to be here. the two years since chris was taken from her have been the darkest of her life. and i know, taya, you tried to remain as strong as you could, but you went down a deep hole of depression in some ways. you beautifully wrote that, were it not for the children, you'd

want to be where chris was. did you contemplate suicide? >> no. no, you know, there's a -- i have a lot of compassion for people who feel that way, but i also know without a doubt that the people left behind are never the same, they're never okay. >> reporter: a phrase kept running through her mind -- "i don't understand." >> i think everybody goes through things in their life where they're like, this does not make any sense, or i don't understand why this is happening, but that's part of the journey of faith. which i think is to say, "it's okay not to understand all the reasons why but to see how you can be better for it and what you can take away from it, how you can help others." because we all have something. >> reporter: that's faith. faith is not seeing, not knowing. that's why it's called faith. >> yes, yes. >> mr. nash, you may call your first witness. >> the state calls taya kyle. >> reporter: taya will need every ounce of her faith to get

through this trial. >> who were you married to prior to february 2nd, 2013? >> chris kyle. >> okay. >> reporter: taya introduces the "american sniper" few knew. the good son, the family man -- celebrating their last easter. >> that was outside our house on easter morning, chris hiding easter eggs for the kids. >> reporter: the state's case -- crime scene photos, x-rays of fatal bullets, a recreation of the shooting. no doubt. routh did it. >> he didn't just want chad dead, he wanted chad dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. and he wanted the same for chris. >> reporter: eddie ray routh's defense, not guilty by reason of insanity.

in and out of mental hospitals four times in the 18 months before the killings, diagnosed with psychosis and ptsd even though he never saw combat. doctors prescribed half a dozen or more medications. >> your honor, i offer state's exhibit 331. >> reporter: he certainly seems to be acting strangely when police interview him the night he was arrested. >> the ones in the sky are the ones that fly, the pigs in the world. >> dr. mitchell dunn, says routh was schizophrenic with delusions of cannibals and strange creatures. >> he began to think that both mr. kyle and mr. littlefield were some type of pig assassins. he was acting in self-defense, to kill them, before they killed him. >> reporter: routh's lawyers say veteran's administration doctors should have kept him in the hospital.

did the v.a. fail here? >> i think there are a lot of issues with the v.a., i really do. in this situation, though, you know, this guy manipulated, every time he got in trouble he used some sort of excuse. >> reporter: the jury heads off with these words ringing in their ears. >> this defendant gunned down two men in cold blood, shooting them in the back in our county. we find him guilty. >> reporter: jurors deliberate together, pray together, and two decide. >> the way he carried out these murders and then in his actions afterwards. >> the reloading of the gun. the taking of the truck. >> he ran from the police. >> he may have had some mental issues, but i don't think it rose to the level of that he didn't know what he was doing was wrong. >> i've been advised the jury has reached a verdict in this matter, is that correct? >> yes, your honor. >> mr. routh, please stand.

we the jury find the defendant eddie ray routh guilty of capital murder as charged. >> reporter: the sentence is automatic. life without parole. when we come back, can taya ever forgive? it's a struggle at times. i mean, he -- he took something. and she considers the possibility of new love. but you even said, taya, that you heard chris saying he wants you to allow yourself to find another love. stay with us. ♪ want to take everything you love with you? do it in style on your pandora charm bracelet from jared the galleria of jewelry. jared has an incredible selection of the latest pandora charms, bracelets and jewelry -including charms you will only find at jared. telling her life's story with just a turn of the wrist.

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well, not that kind we of fresh.h chicken. but we do take extra steps in our farms, trucks that deliver daily and everywhere in between... ... to bring you a fresh tasting chicken. perdue. we believe in a better chicken. once again, robin roberts, and more of "20/20."

>> reporter: i know this is your home. you're very private about it and rightfully so. it is springtime in texas, and taya kyle invites us to her new home. are you at peace here? >> it is peaceful. and i feel like it's you know, a real blessing that i can wake up in the morning and, you know, you can hear the birds chirping in the trees. >> reporter: the trial seems far away, but her feelings about the man who took her husband's life are ever present. >> i had a friend tell me, it showed in the bible that, there are stories where he forgives the person immediately but there's still a consequence for their actions and sometimes it's long term. and i needed to hear that because i was thinking forgiveness means it's okay. >> reporter: no, no. and that's the thing, when you don't forgive, you're hurting yourself, not that person, because you feel like if you're forgiving that person then you're letting them off the hook. no, you're not. >> right. >> reporter: taya may still struggle with forgiveness, but the hate is behind her. >> that's why god tells us not to hate, because the moments

where i had just disdain, disgust, like any focus on that person, it hurt me. >> reporter: in this new season, time for a new purpose. taya is committed to keeping her husband's legacy alive. >> welcome to lubbock. >> reporter: we travel with her to lubbock, texas, where she speaks with kids at trinity christian school. >> hi. how are you? i'm taya. what's your name? >> ezra. >> reporter: after taking care of unlaced sneakers. she takes questions. >> what do your kids say when they hear their father is a hero? >> i think they know all our service members are heroes, and they also know sometimes just having a mom and a dad who love you, that's really just as important, maybe even a bigger reason to call somebody a hero. >> reporter: there's q & a with some high school kids, taking time for pictures with anyone who asks. taya meets two young men who will soon be serving the country.

>> and john beck is headed to west point. >> nice to meet you. >> i feel like crying. i don't know why it's emotional but i wish the best for you guys and i'll be praying for you. just don't lose yourself, don't be afraid to talk about it if it gets hard. you know? >> reporter: 1,500 people come to see her at a fundraiser that night. there's no speech, she just tells her story. >> in my darkest hour, the littlest things made the difference. it was the people who didn't have the words, but just showed up. to hold my hand or give me a hug. >> reporter: they auction off a rifle. an autographed copy of taya's new book, and a hunting dog. >> a 14-week-old black lab. you know what her name is? sniper. >> i got a couple guys who know they're alive because of chris. >> thank you for telling me that. >> reporter: they raise $100,000 for the chris kyle frog foundation. the money will go to help take

care of veterans and first responders. back home, taya takes me to see a special place on the property. the stable. it's kind of fitting with everything we've read about chris. he was a cowboy. cowboys have horses. >> right, right. his spirit is something that -- it's important to me to keep that alive for the kids. and, you know, they've been robbed. but, i'm going to do my part to try to help them know their dad through different experiences, and horses might be one of them, you know? look at you. looking good. >> reporter: you ever think you'd marry a cowboy? >> no, but it was exciting. i never probably thought a cowboy would want me, but -- >> reporter: before we say goodbye, taya and i find time to go riding. i'll tell you right now, neither one of us is getting on any wild horses they way chris kyle once did. what is it that you like about riding? >> well, i love the fact that the animals have that, i feel like there's sort of a spiritual sense to them. and i like the peace of it. i just think they're magnificent animals, you know? >> reporter: and there's no place like the back of a horse, to give you a fresh perspective,

on what's around the bend. which brings us to a story taya tells those high school students about her son. >> he said something to me about dating. i said, "no i'm not, i'm not interested." and he goes, "okay, good." and i said, "you want mommy to die a lonely old shrew?" and he goes, "yeah." he goes, "i'll love you." >> i know no one can replace chris, but i do hope that she finds love with someone. >> reporter: taya writes in her book about a big decision. she says she took she took off her wedding ring, moved it to her right hand. so, we were in for a bit of a surprise when we sat down to talk. and i'm trying to look at the rings, which, you know, because you talked about switching hands with-with the ring, so. but it's back on the left. the wedding band is back on her left hand, right where

chris kyle put it 13 years ago. so why is it back on the left? >> i know, i just couldn't do it. i just, you know, i kept it on the right for quite a while. >> reporter: but you even said, taya, that you heard chris saying he wants you to be able to allow yourself to find another love. >> yup, i do believe it. i can allow for that possibility that the love i had for chris doesn't have to change. it's just not what i wanted, you know? >> reporter: two steps forward, one step back, but she'll get there. and wherever she goes, whoever she may meet, she'll never forget, as her favorite randy travis song put it, "the man who whispered her name." ♪ i heard a night bird call to its mate when i heard you whisper my name ♪

>> reporter: you said that song captures what chris was all about. how so? >> it's just this quiet presence of somebody who knows you, means you have an intimacy with somebody that saves you. and he did save me. ♪ whisper my name >> and we are all looking forward to what's next for taya. her book will be released this coming monday, and will join us live on "good morning america" on monday. we hope you'll join us

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"20/20" continues with a new "what would you do?" book by john quinones. >> are you kidding me? >> oh, my god. >> this is "what would you do?" "what would you do?" is the ultimate reality show, because the reactions we capture are real, raw, from the heart. >> i was so scared for you. >> so real, that schools and universities now use video clips of our scenarios in class. >> teaching people to be good citizens of the world. to have compassion and empathy. >> compassion, empathy. some of the many lessons in my new book which is all about doing the right thing and chasing your dreams. something my sisters and i learned about very early in life from our parents, bruno and maria. as a little boy, i picked cotton with my family, in these fields in south texas.

now, championing the underdog is made easier, because in these fields i was one myself. and that's why san antonio was the first stop on my book tour. >> your show really dissects >> i used to shine shoes on guadalupe street. i also spoke to thousands of students, encouraging them to shoot for the stars. when you do your job right, try to give a voice to people who don't have a voice. >> john's book is available now, and the all-new season of "what would you do?" starts may 29th. i'm robin roberts. thanks for joining us, and have a great weekend. >> next on "action news," new details on six baltimore officers charged in the murder

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