Anna sat by Lilly’s bedside, her hand resting gently over her sister’s small, fragile fingers. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor blended with the faint hum of machines, creating a lullaby of sorts—one she had grown painfully used to over the past year. Her chest rose and fell with each shallow breath, her lips slightly parted in sleep.
Anna traced her sister’s features with her eyes—the soft curve of her cheek, the faint freckles dusting her nose, and the gentle flutter of her eyelids as she dreamed. She looked so peaceful now, so different from the days when pain twisted her face, and her body trembled from the side effects of chemotherapy. Those days had broken Anna. Every wince, every whimper had felt like a dagger to her heart.
But now—there was hope.
The treatments were wor
