Breaking the ice
He would have felt ashamed to admit that his physical body had limits, that he needed medical devices, and that he could no longer perform the heavy physical tasks he was known for.
But as he sat there in the warm sunlight, holding Ethan’s hand, speaking the plain truth out loud to the people who cared about him, he didn't feel weak at all.
He felt free.
He had modeled the exact transparency he had once withheld. He had torn down the wall of secrecy, bringing his loved ones into the light instead of leaving them in the dark to worry.
Claire was the first one to break the silence.
She stood up from the sofa, walked around the coffee table, and threw her arms tightly around Adrian’s broad shou