For months, Liam had been acting strangely—locking himself in the bathroom for hours at a time. At first, I thought maybe he was unwell or hiding something serious. The noises I heard behind the door only made me worry more. When I finally saw a video on his phone, my heart raced.

There he was—doing push-ups and sit-ups in the bathroom, sweating and struggling. He admitted he’d gained weight and felt ashamed. He didn’t want me to see him like that, so he started working out secretly, locking the door to hide his effort and embarrassment.I couldn’t help but laugh at the whole thing. After 25 years together, I told him he never needed to hide from me—weight gain or anything else. His honesty brought us closer. Sometimes, the fears that keep us apart turn out to be nothing but opportunities to support each other.