Page 148 of The Widower
I had no idea what he was going to say—but there was still a flicker of hope in my heart. He was going to pull through this.
“I promise I’ll try. That’s all I can do.”
“That’s a start.”
COLIN ADAMS
I kept replaying what Henry and Isabelle had said to me, and for the first time, something felt different when I thought about their words.
Their patience had run out—and now, it was on me. No one else could help me anymore.
I ended up making a decision: I was going to try, no matter how long it took. I knew it was easy to say that, but actually doing it... that was the real challenge. And to commit myself, I did something I’d never imagined I would—
I made a promise to God.
I felt like the lowest kind of human being for only reaching out now, when I was in this state.I hadn’t cared to be close to Him over the past year.Quite the opposite—I’d cursed Him, blamed Him, shut Him out completely.And now here I was, asking for help.
But I was honest. I told Him I didn’t want the kids or Isabelle to see me as a weak man who gave up when things got hard. If I couldn’t find the strength to ask for help for myself, then I at least had a reason to keep fighting—for the people around me.
I want to get better. And no matter how slow or painful my recovery is, I’ll find the strength. I’ll make it.
ISABELLE CAMPBELL
The next morning was rough. Really rough.
I tried to keep my distance from Colin since his temper was worse than usual.
Yes, he was pushing himself hard in physical therapy—that’s exactly why he was so irritable. He couldn’t manage most of the movements Lucas asked him to do. The situation hadn’t changed much, but something in Colin had.
As the days went by, it became clear he was fighting a mental war with himself. There were times he wanted to give up, but annoying as I am, I made sure he didn’t—and if I had to throw a fit to stop him, I did. Deep down, I still had hope, faith even, that he’d make it through this brutal battle.
Besides his own effort, the kids were constantly cheering him on. He didn’t like it much—he said it was hard for them to see him like that—but in the end, he always gave in.
His friends came by the mansion too, at least the few he still had. I don’t even need to mention Henry—he’d practically moved in at this point. Colin used to get irritated when Henry showed up uninvited, but now… well, things were different.
Hanna and I were in the therapy room, and after the session, she immediately went up to him. I stayed a little farther back, but I could still hear them clearly.
“Hi, Uncle Colin.”
“Hey, little one.” He smiled.
“Are you in a lot of pain?”
“A little.”
“It’s gonna go away, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Do you want a hug?”
“I’d love one.”
I don’t know how long Hanna stayed in his arms, but it was several minutes. I decided to leave them alone and headed back to the kitchen. Sometimes you just have to give people their space, and I knew Colin would want that.
Still, I couldn’t stop feeling moved watching how tender he was with my daughter.It only made me more certain of one thing—
I love him.
