The Weight Of Knowing

Valdi sat frozen, his entire body tense as he watched Lucas turn the computer screen toward him. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat a thunderous echo in his ears. The two- dimensional images of his brain scan glowed on the monitor, stark and clinical, but the weight of what they meant pressed down on him like an unbearable force.

Lucas exhaled, his voice steady but laced with an unmistakable heaviness. "Based on the CT scan results, you're suffering from cerebral atrophy, Valdi. Your brain is shrinking."

The words landed like a blow. Valdi felt the air leave his lungs as if he'd been punched in the stomach. His face turned as pale as a sheet of paper, his fingers trembling slightly on his lap.

"Cerebral atrophy..." He repeated the words, testing how they felt on his tongue. They tasted like something bitter, something he couldn't swallow.