The call came on a Tuesday.
Late afternoon.
Daniel Carter answered it in his office.
“Yes.”
Pause.
“I see.”
Longer pause.
“I understand.”
His voice didn’t rise.
Didn’t crack.
Didn’t shake.
When he walked into the living room, Clara was already there.
She knew.
“You can say it,” she said.
Lina felt the air shift.
Daniel looked at his daughter.
For a second, he couldn’t speak.
“It’s confirmed,” he said finally.
No one asked confirmed what.
Clara nodded once. “Okay.”
Maya stood up slowly. “Okay?”
Clara looked at her sister. “What else should I say?”
Daniel’s jaw tightened. “Acute myeloid leukemia.”
The word sat in the room like something alive.
Lina’s fingers curled against the curve of her stomach before she even realized she’d done it.
Maya shook her head. “No.”
Cl
