Carissa left the room first and Cody followed, quietly closing the door behind him.Inside the small side hall, only Gerald and Malcolm remained. The father and son pair sat in silence for a long while, neither of them speaking. Finally, it was Malcolm who stepped forward, intending to remove the cloth covering Gerald. But the old man held tightly to it with both hands, refusing to let him.With a heavy heart, Malcolm set the blankets and clothing aside, turning his back. "Please change your clothes. I'll turn around."The sound of rustling fabric came after a long pause.A sharp, uncomfortable feeling welled up inside Malcolm. His chest tightened, his throat burned, and his nose became clogged as tears welled up in his eyes. He couldn't tell if it was from frustration, anger, or the weight of everything he couldn't quite accept.All his life, his father had been a figure of stern authority, someone whose presence commanded respect. His words could shake the literary world, and hi
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