Second life

Penny had always been the smart one. Grace could never deny that, even though Penny was a few years younger than her. After knowing Penny for years, Grace understood her inside and out. 

Call it luck or fate, but that brief phone call had knocked Grace back on track. 

She knew exactly what Penny would do and say if she found out about Grace's condition. So, after that call, it wasn't that Grace tried to forget about her health issues—rather, it gave her the push to act as if nothing had happened. 

For months before Penny's arrival in Anteca, Grace reminded herself to behave as she always had. Meanwhile, she continued her regular hospital visits. This became her routine. At first, it was tough to visit the hospital in secret, only to hear that her condition was not improving—though at least it wasn't getting worse. 

Eventually, she got used to it.