Life's Too Short

Vanessa concedes that the breakup is partly her fault because she lured Adrian with “false advertising” or “clickbait”; he didn’t fully understand what he was getting into. She travels to Iowa to spend New Year’s with Annabel in her rehab facility. Annabel knows about Vanessa’s wrist weakness, and in part, it’s what sparked her relapse. Gerald and Brent know this too, and their awareness that they might lose Vanessa sent them all into a downward spiral. Vanessa feels the weight of how ALS continues to affect their family. Annabel explains that rehab has taught her to be honest, and she doesn’t want to be a mother. Vanessa empathizes with her and realizes Annabel is too young to handle this. She agrees to find a family for Grace. Annabel is relieved that Vanessa understands. For the first time, she begins to talk about her future, discussing going to college and helping Brent with the business.

As Vanessa prepares to drive home, she realizes that there’s nothing left for her in St. Paul and that being there will only burden her family, who are finally in a good place for the first time. Since Grace is safe with her father and she and Adrian are over, Vanessa decides to disappear and continue her travels, but this time without a camera crew. Her only regret is that she didn’t say goodbye to Grace, a child she’s come to love as her own.

It has been two days since Adrian spoke to Vanessa. He knows he was wrong to give her an ultimatum and regrets every word he said. Feeling like he has hit “rock bottom,” he cannot leave his apartment and hopes she will return. Becky is distraught because Vanessa has posted a video entitled “Goodbye Forever.” Adrian watches the footage that Vanessa filmed at the airport. She tearfully thanks her fans for all their support and explains that she believes she is experiencing early symptoms of ALS and wants to continue her journey in private. Eventually, there will be more videos, but they won’t be posted until after her death. She addresses Adrian directly, thanks him for loving her, even for a short time, and apologizes for not being the partner he needed.

Gerald arrives to pack up Vanessa’s apartment. Adrian begs him to tell him where Vanessa is, but Gerald refuses. Over a drink, he shares with Adrian that Vanessa is “luminous” but stubborn like her mother. Vanessa’s mother also refused treatment, and the car wreck that killed her was likely due to her symptoms. Gerald explains that living with the disease isn’t the hard part; it’s dealing with the loss afterward. He says, “If you can’t handle it now, believe me, you’re not cut out for what’s coming” (331). Gerald likes and respects Adrian but encourages him to continue his life without Vanessa. Gerald now has custody of Grace and offers an open invitation for Adrian to visit.

Two months later, Vanessa is on Drake’s private island for his and Laird’s wedding. Brent and Joel are there to discuss business since Drake is an investor. Before coming to the island, Vanessa had traveled all over Europe but found no peace. She feels lost without Adrian. Additionally, her wrist numbness extends up her arm, and she can see the beginning of muscle atrophy. She shut off her social media and cut contact with Gerald and Annabel, seeing the necessity of forcing them to function without her.

Laird is shooting content for Drake’s channel, where Vanessa will appear, when Brent shouts that Chrissy Teigen is tweeting about Vanessa and the trending hashtag “Where’s Vanessa Price” (338). Tiegen’s article explains that Adrian Copeland is on a global search to find the love of his life, Vanessa Price. After months of therapy to deal with his anxiety, he’s been flying all over the world, along with Grace, whom he’s adopting, to find Vanessa and apologize for his mistake. Just as Vanessa tries to find her phone to call Adrian, she hears him calling her name and sees him running toward her on the beach. Vanessa runs into Adrian’s arms as he kisses her and apologizes for disregarding her feelings and squandering their time together. He promises to honor her wishes and faithfully support her no matter how long they have. He explains that the day Gerald unloaded her apartment, he chased him down and asked to have Grace, knowing he was meant to be her father.

It’s 10 months later, and Vanessa is recovering from surgery to remove a benign cyst from her arm, which was the cause of the numbness. Though there’s no guarantee she still won’t get ALS, for now, they can live in relief. Adrian, Vanessa, and Grace have traveled and documented it for the last 10 months. Still, Vanessa hasn’t released a video since Laird captured her and Adrian’s reunion. Adrian uploads 10 months of videos that capture all the ups and downs of their travels, which they hope will kickstart fundraising for ALS once again.

Adrian and Vanessa are married and living off the proceeds of Brent’s thriving lip balm business. Brent and Joel are engaged, and Gerald maintains his job and mental health. Annabel relapsed after getting out of rehab but is sober again and working with Brent. Though she wants to be seen as Grace’s aunt, they have all agreed to be honest with Grace when the time is right. Adrian quit his job when he commenced the search for Vanessa. Now he works as an attorney for disability rights, ensuring public places follow the Americans with Disabilities Act. He continues to attend therapy so he can be the best version of himself for his family and those for whom he advocates.