Nicole stared at Daniel, her chest rising and falling as if her very heart had lost its rhythm. His words hung in the air, echoing painfully inside her mind.

“If it’s the cancer you mean… I already know, Mother.”

Her body froze. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. She blinked rapidly, as though her ears had deceived her, but Daniel only repeated himself, softer this time, as if he had resigned to fate.

“I’ve always known.”

Nicole staggered backward, her hand clamping ...