When I returned to the workshop, Grace was already asleep.
Her smartwatch sat charging on the table, the screen warning that storage was full.
While clearing files, I saw a recording from the day of the surgery.
Before Grace went into surgery, she had used the watch to call Robert.
Once the call connected, she asked softly, "Dad, I'm scared. Can you come and stay with me?"
In the background, music from a ribbon‑cutting ceremony blared.
Robert replied, "I'm busy. Listen to the doctor, and stop using your sickness to bother the grown‑ups."
Grace sobbed, "Will I die?"
After a brief silence, he lowered his voice and said, "No. Even if something does happen, that's fate. Don't use those words to scare your mother. She's already plenty good at using you to tie me down."
The recording en
