Member-only story
The Weight of Lies
A family on the brink
The phone beeped at 3:17 a.m., interrupting Sarah’s restless sleep. A wave of anxiety swept over her as she answered the call from her mother, Linda, urging her to hurry to the hospital. Nearly a year had gone by since Cindy, her 28-year-old sister, received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, and Sarah feared the potential consequences of the call.
While driving along the empty streets of Boston, Sarah arrived at the hospital and noticed her parents in the ICU corridor. Linda remained seated, her head resting in her hands, as Robert paced anxiously from one side of the corridor to the other.
“What is she like?” Sarah asked, her heart dropping at the possibility of the response.
Robert stopped, locking eyes with her tired gaze. “She’s… she’s doing well, Sarah.” “At least in a physical sense.”
A furrow appeared on Sarah’s brow as bewilderment enveloped her. “What is the meaning of that?”
Linda lifted her gaze, exposing cheeks marked by tears and a blend of pain, irritation, and shame.
“Cindy doesn’t actually have cancer, Sarah. She always has been fine.”
