That night, I told Mike we were taking her to the doctor.
He shut it down immediately.
“Let’s not turn this into a whole thing,” he said. “She’s under pressure. This is the biggest season of her career.”
“So we help her,” I replied.
“We are helping her.”
Something in the way he said that made me pause. “What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “It means we support her goals.”
A chill ran through me. “What are you not telling me?”
He let out a short, sharp laugh. “You hear yourself right now?”
I wanted to push further. I should have.
But Lily was upstairs, and I didn’t want another argument she could hear through the walls.
Then came the night that shattered whatever denial I had left.
I woke up sometime after midnight to a faint noise coming from Lily’s room.
I walked down the hall and gently pushed her door open.
She was curled up on her bed, knees pulled to her chest, breathing in short, uneven bursts. Her face looked gray.
“Lily?” I rushed to her. “What’s wrong?”
She looked at me, her eyes glassy. “Mom… I can’t keep hiding this from you anymore.”
Every muscle in my body tensed. “Hiding what?”
“Mark and I…” She looked away. “Tomorrow… I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.”
“No. Tell me now.”
She shook her head weakly.
I stayed with her for nearly an hour, rubbing her back as she drifted in and out of sleep.
Fear and anger twisted together inside me.
Every worst-case scenario ran through my mind. And I hated myself for every moment I had ignored my instincts.
At first light, I made the decision.
“Get your jacket,” I told her. “We’re going to see a doctor.”
I didn’t tell Mike.
At the hospital, they took Lily in for tests — blood work, vitals, questions.
I sat in the waiting area, shredding a tissue in my hands as the past month replayed in my mind. Her saying she felt weird. Mike telling me not to overreact. The closed-door talks.
It all pointed to something I wasn’t sure I could face.
When the doctor finally came in, his expression was careful.
He sat across from us. Lily sat beside me, trembling.
“Mrs. R., we need to talk. The test results showed some… unexpected findings.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mom, this is what I wanted to tell you last night…” Lily said softly. “Please… don’t be mad at me.”
The doctor handed me a folder.
The moment I read the first lines, I covered my mouth in shock.
“Severe dehydration?” I read. “A significant electrolyte imbalance?”
The doctor nodded slightly. “We also found evidence that she’s been taking a strong supplement typically marketed for weight control.”
For a moment, I didn’t understand.
“What supplements?” I asked.
Lily stared down at her hands. “It’s just a herbal thing. He said they were safe.”
“He? Lily, where did you get them?”
She lowered her head. “Mike gave them to me.”
I froze. “What?”
“He knew I wanted to get back into shape for the season… and he said they’d help.”
I looked at the doctor. He gave a slow, confirming nod.
“These products can be dangerous,” he explained. “Especially when combined with intense training. That likely caused the dizziness and dehydration.”
I turned back to Lily. “How long?”
“A few weeks. He told me not to tell you… said you’d overreact because you didn’t understand how important the competition season is.”
Something inside me hardened instantly.
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