Why Is Peyton Farquhar's Wife Alive

I believe that Peyton Farquhar’s wife is still alive because Peyton’s thoughts are fixated on his wife before and during his hanging. The way he thinks of her leads me to believe that he doesn’t want to leave her to live without him. The dream-like state that he is pushed into is based on him returning home to her as well.
In this story, it is known that Peyton’s wife is alive before he decides to burn down the Owl Creek Bridge. She is described as giving water to the Union spy. Peyton attempts to burn the bridge shortly after this encounter, meaning that his wife must still be alive. Also, Peyton says, “... my wife and little ones are still beyond the invaders farthest advance.” This explains that his wife is alive and cannot be hurt by the soldiers because unlike him, she has done nothing to betray the Union army.
As the soldiers prepare to hang Peyton, “He closed his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children.” The way he concentrates his last thoughts on his family, makes it seem as though they are alive. In the Twilight Zone film version, Peyton was crying after they took his watch because it finally dawned on him that he was going to die. Furthermore, in the written version, he is worried that he will leave his wife behind to live without him. If she was dead, he
On the bridge, some soldiers were facing toward Peyton, which was the land of the living and others were facing away, which was the land of the dead. Peyton imagines that he returns home to see his family. In this scene, it says, “ At the bottom of the steps, she stands waiting, with a smile of ineffable joy, an attitude of matchless grace and dignity. Ah, how beautiful she is!”. His wife is facing him and showing her face. Additionally, in his thoughts before he enters the dream sequence, his wife is shown with her face towards him. She personifies life when she shows her face, meaning that she is