My 78-year-old mother confessed to me through tears: “Your father forbids me from going to the doctor. Every evening, he forces me to take some of his own medication and tells me not to tell anyone.” I was horrified. The next day, I secretly took my mother to the hospital. But when I saw the test results, my legs gave way beneath me, and I collapsed to the floor…

“Your mother is resting.”

“Your mother can’t talk right now.”

“Everything is fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry.”

At first, I didn’t pay much attention to it.

Until last Tuesday.

At eleven in the morning, my mother called me.

Her voice was so weak that I barely recognized it.

“Sarah, could you come over tomorrow? But please, don’t tell your father.”

My heart started pounding violently.

“Mom, what’s going on?”

She remained silent for a few seconds.

Then she began to cry.

“Sweetheart, I’m scared.”

Those three words still echo in my ears. My mother was the kind of woman who never complained, even during the most difficult times.

“What are you afraid of, Mom?”

“Your father won’t let me go to the doctor.”

I froze.

“What are you talking about?”

“I haven’t been feeling well for two months. Sometimes I get dizzy, and everything goes black before my eyes. I want to get checked out, but every time I bring it up, your father tells me it isn’t necessary.”