The sheet was covered with alarming, thick, dark stains.

Panicking, I opened the drawers and found rolls of bandages, a bottle of disinfectant, and neatly folded clothes carefully hidden.

Elena’s Truth

I went downstairs and grabbed Elena by the wrist:
— “Explain! What is going on? Why all this? Why hide it from me?”

At first silent, her body trembling, eyes full of tears. Then she collapsed into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
— “Mom… Lucas has advanced leukemia. The doctors say he only has a few months left. We rushed the wedding because I couldn’t leave him alone. I wanted to stay with him… even if the time is so short.”

My world crumbled.

My son—the boy I had raised and loved—had kept this secret to protect me.

Elena had chosen to suffer in silence so that I wouldn’t break down.

A Mother’s Devotion