We got married two years later.
Then came the kids—Ella first, then Max. We bought a suburban house. Went to school concerts. Did big Costco runs every weekend. Complained about laundry and laughed about nothing.
It felt like a life you could trust.
Then, two years ago, everything changed.
Daniel started getting tired. Not normal tired—bone-deep exhaustion. At first, we blamed work. Stress. Age.
But then his doctor called after a routine physical.
The bloodwork was off.
I still remember sitting in the nephrologist’s office. The walls were covered in posters of kidneys. Diagrams everywhere. Daniel’s leg wouldn’t stop bouncing. My hands were clenched tight in my lap.
The doctor cleared his throat and said,
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