“Elena, I need to ask you something important,” I began, choosing my words carefully. “I found some stains on the sheets. Are you… is everything alright?”

Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of fear. But then she sighed, her shoulders slumping as if a heavy weight had been lifted from them. “I’m so sorry, Mama,” she confessed, tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

She went on to explain that she had been experiencing frequent nosebleeds, a condition she’d had since childhood but had worsened in recent weeks due to stress