I stopped breathing.
Caleb wiped his eyes and continued.
“Caleb was the only person I let see that side of me. I cried in front of him. I told him things I was too scared to tell anyone else.”
A woman behind me began sobbing.
Then came the sentence that broke my heart.
“Mom, Dad, I wasn't brave every day. I was only trying to make things easier for you.”
The paper shook in Caleb's hands.
“And if you're hearing this, please know that you didn't fail me. You loved me through every terrible day. I just couldn't bear to make those days harder by telling you how afraid I was.”
I covered my mouth.
For fourteen months, I'd praised Ethan for being strong.
I told relatives how bravely he faced treatment.
How rarely he complained.
How he always managed a smile.
And now I was hearing the truth.
My son had been frightened.
