CHAPTER 34
“There are gestures that can surprise even the most skeptical of men…”
ISABELLE CAMPBELL
After six grueling months, Colin finally started walking on his own, though he still struggled a bit with some hip movements.
To make things simple, I’ll explain what happened step by step.
The first two months were the hardest—for him, for all of us.
That was when every possible difficulty hit at once, and he thought about giving up more times than I can count.
The second month, in particular, was when he began the full circuit his physical therapist had planned.
By then, he could already move his toes and foot normally again.
That had been our biggest fear. Because of the spinal injury, several areas were affected, and Colin had to start from the ground up—literally.
The third month was a turning point in his recovery. That was when he showed the most progress and managed to move around with crutches. It wasn’t easy, but he did every single exercise, never lost focus—and for once, he didn’t let frustration win.
The fourth month, though… that one was tough. There wasn’t much visible progress, and I honestly wondered where he found the strength to keep going. Still, Colin didn’t give up. Somehow, he kept believing—seeing hope in everything.
The kids stayed with him during every session, cheering him on nonstop. Joshua grew even closer to his dad, and even during breaks, the two of them were inseparable.
And Hanna...
I almost forgot, but she insisted on being there too. At one point, I actually wondered if she even remembered I existed anymore.
Yes, I’ll admit it—I was a little jealous.
By the fifth month, his exercises had changed, but Colin kept improving. He could now balance on his own for a few seconds without any help.
One day that month, I threw my arms around him and sobbed when I saw he’d completed another stage of therapy. That was when I noticed something new in him—Colin was moved by his own progress. He looked forward to each new day, eager to start again, always saying, “I’ll do better than yesterday.”
The sixth month was the most stable of all, but Colin was strong by then—walking completely on his own. Even when he stood for long stretches, he didn’t falter. Sometimes he’d lean on something for support, but as his therapist told me, that was part of the process.
As for me... well, I was completely drained. I’d lost weight, had dark circles under my eyes, and my mind was hanging by a thread from the constant exhaustion.
Even with this victory, I was falling apart.
For anyone who thinks I’m exaggerating—try helping someone who doesn’t want to be helped, and you’ll understand exactly what I mean. It wears you down.
There comes a point when you just want to throw your hands up and say screw it. But when that person means everything to you, you keep going.
That’s what I did. What I keep doing.
I won’t lie and pretend I never thought about giving up on pushing Colin.
The thought crossed my mind countless times—especially when he snapped and refused to do a single exercise.
Thank God that phase didn’t last long. As he got stronger, an incredible determination took over him, and soon my worry flipped to the opposite—he started begging to do more.
But as his therapist reminded us—too much of anything is never good.
Colin and I were in the kitchen. Besides making sure he ate properly, I also kept a close eye on him. After catching him cheating on his diet once, I’d become relentless about anything food-related.
“You don’t look so good. Did something happen?” he asked, his dark eyes fixed on me.
That one simple question was all it took for me to break down like a child. Everything I’d been holding in came crashing down at once. I sat in one of the chairs, completely drained. My mind was spinning, my body felt weak.
“I... I’m not okay. These last few months... they’ve been hard,” I said between sobs.
“Come here.”
Colin pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly while I cried against his chest. I became a prisoner of my own thoughts, my mind flooded with memories and exhaustion. I really wasn’t okay.
“I think it’s time,” he said softly.
“Time for what?”
“To take care of you. To give back what you’ve done for me.
” He brushed away my tears. “I couldn’t have done this without you.
Honestly, I wouldn’t have even tried if you hadn’t pushed me so damn hard.
Even when I yelled at you, told you to leave—you stayed.
No one’s ever done that for me. Deep down, you’re the one who brought me back, Isabelle.
And that’s why I can finally say something I’ve known for a long time but don’t say enough: I love you.
Not a little. A lot. So much it actually hurts.
And yeah, sometimes I hate you too, but I know that’ll fade.
I can’t forget Henry either—he was a pain in my ass during recovery. ”
I smiled like an idiot. Trust Colin to sneak in a jab even in the middle of a love confession.
“Loving me means what exactly to you?”
“Everything.” He didn’t even hesitate. “I want you for myself, and I’m not giving that up.
I’ll be the father Hanna never had, if you’ll let me, because I love your daughter as if she were mine.
And before you think I’m trying to fill a void, don’t.
I’m not comparing her to Maddison. My daughter’s gone, but she’ll always have a place in my heart. ”
“Colin…”
“You’ve given me more than enough reasons to love you. And Hanna—with that little way she has of catching me off guard—she did the same, maybe even faster than you. I don’t know why, but what I do know is that I see you two as my family.”
I kissed him, hard.
The truth is, we almost fell off the chair because of how desperately I threw myself at him. I’d needed to hear something like that from someone I cared about—and Colin had picked the perfect moment to say it.
“I’m sorry for being such a grump,” he said, frowning.
“It wasn’t easy. Especially considering I’m young and you’re basically an old man. I’m not used to dealing with elderly tantrums,” I teased.
“Old man?” he hissed. “So thirty-five counts as old now?”
“Maybe…”
“I prefer experienced.”
The last few minutes in the kitchen were some of the best I’d had in that mansion. We talked about everything, and for the first time, I could truly see that Colin had changed.
Or maybe… he’d just gone back to being the man he used to be before the accident.