I notice it first during a routine morning walk, a persistent ache in my joints that no amount of stretching seems to ease.
"You've been favoring your left side for weeks," Talia observes over breakfast, concern evident despite her attempt at casual tone.
"Just getting older," I say, though something in my chest tightens at the dismissal.
She doesn't argue, though I catch her watching me more carefully over the following days, the same protective attention she's carried since those early dangerous months of our original investigation.
Two weeks later, during a routine physical exam, my doctor delivers news that settles heavy despite years of anticipating this eventual reality.
"Your biological markers show considerable acceleration," Dr. Patel explains, reviewing test results with vis
