I was watering a few of the flowers near the window when dizziness began to creep over me. I ignored it, brushing the sensation away. I wasn’t ready to be sick, not now. I had just accomplished something I’d dreamed of for so long, opening this shop. But the feverish warmth radiating through my body hinted that this was beyond my will.

"Good morning, Vera." A middle-aged woman greeted me as she entered, her voice warm and familiar. She wandered toward the flower pots in the corner, ...