Inside the carriage she used to go to the doctor was Mrs. Radiance, now on her way home with a huge doubt swirling in her mind: 'Should I really tell them...?'
She wanted to be honest with her family and share everything, but at the same time, she knew that doing so would essentially be passing an enormous burden onto her husband and relatives—the burden of having to search for a cure or solution to her problem, not to mention the even greater pain they'd feel upon realizing that all their efforts had been utterly in vain.
Not wanting to hand over all that responsibility, anguish, and suffering to her family, she decided to hide the truth and continue seeking a solution on her own. But that only lasted until the hundredth day of her 27th year—her birthday.
She smiled, as always, thanking the guests for the well-wishes and maintaining a cheerful appearance to show that she was extremely happy with the grand party her husband had organized—a celebration featuring several tables, each laden with different kinds of food, where many wished her even better years ahead and prayed that she and her family would always prosper. And indeed, she seemed very pleased with it all.
Despite the inner pain that grew more intense with every passing second, she continued to smile at everyone, as if nothing were wrong. However, when all the guests had gathered and she stood up to personally thank each one of them, her vision suddenly began to blur. Even so, she proceeded and began her speech:
— I am immensely grateful for the presence of all of you here, and also—!
In the middle of her sentence, her vision went completely dark, and all she could remember was hearing her husband and her daughter calling out for her...
"Alice!!"
"Mom!"
Mrs. Radiance only woke up two days after having fainted at her party. She began to open her eyes slowly, but saw almost nothing because of her blurry vision, though she could clearly hear her husband's voice pleading:
— I beg you, doctor, you must figure out what's wrong with her. At this moment, you are my only and best option.
"As I had already told Miss Alice earlier, I can't say what's going on with her. I don't understand...; to me, she's just as well as anyone else."
"What...?! Do you mean she already knew something was wrong with her body?"
"Yes, Mr. Arthur... I'm sorry, but... didn't you know?"
Arthur shook his head, confused and angry—not at Alice, but at himself for not noticing something so alarming. He gritted his teeth while keeping his hands around hers and said,
— No, I... I just don't understand why she would hide something so important.
"…Maybe she did it to protect you..."
"Protect?! But protect you from what?"
The doctor sighed and said,
— Take a good look at the condition you're in.
Turning to face the bed, he continued:
— And look at this poor child... Do you really think a mother would want to see her daughter like this?
As he spoke, his eyes locked onto Sophia—a little girl just over two years old who had fallen asleep while crying beside her mother.
When Arthur looked at his daughter, he felt his chest tighten violently. Casting a brief glance at his wife, he noticed that she was now awake, and upon seeing her eyes open, he exclaimed,
— Darling!!
After that shout, he went to Alice. Hearing his outcry, Sophia—who hadn't slept in a long time and was still half-asleep—began to open her eyes and, in a whisper, said,
— Mommy... Mommy's awake, Daddy? Mommy…
But Alice, with her vision restored, gently placed her hand on Sophia's head and, in a soft voice, said,
— Don't worry, my little ray of light, Mommy is right here by your side; you can keep sleeping, okay? I'm not going anywhere and I'll always be with you, so sleep soundly...
Upon hearing her mother's gentle voice, Sophia soon drifted back to sleep. However, before she had completely dozed off, she inched closer, grabbed Alice's arm, and, with a silent smile, fell back asleep peacefully.