For three months, Mia’s mom had insisted that she stay away due to house renovations, but something didn’t sit right. Mia drove to her mom’s house early one morning, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong. When she arrived, she found the door unlocked and the house strangely pristine with a sharp, citrusy smell in the air. The garden, usually well-maintained, was overgrown, and inside, everything was eerily quiet.

When Mia called out for her mom, she heard a faint creak from upstairs. She rushed up and found her mother, looking nothing like the vibrant woman she remembered. Her mom was frail, weak, and bald from chemotherapy. In a barely audible voice, she revealed that she had been secretly battling cancer for months, not wanting to burden Mia with the truth while she focused on her career.