At first, Larissa dismissed the changes in her body with the quiet practicality that had guided her through most of her life. At sixty-six, she believed she understood her body well enough to explain away discomfort without panic. A bit of bloating felt normal, especially after meals. Occasional cramps could be blamed on digestion, stress, or the simple wear and tear of aging. She told herself it was nothing serious, joking with friends that perhaps she had developed an intolerance to bread or had grown less active than she once was.

The slow, steady expansion of her abdomen felt strange, but not alarming enough to override her instinct to endure rather than investigate. She had lived through childbirth, illness, loss, and recovery; compared to those experiences, this seemed manageable. There was also a subtle fear beneath her rationalizations, a fear many people carry as they grow older—that doctors might uncover something frightening or irreversible. So she delayed. She adjusted her clothing, avoided mirrors, and laughed off concerned looks. In her private moments, however, she placed her hands on her stomach and felt an unfamiliar heaviness that unsettled her. Still, she pushed the thought aside, choosing familiarity over uncertainty.