Every day at exactly four in the afternoon, my grandmother followed the same ritual, settling into her recliner as if the chair itself knew her shape. Coco, her elderly Chihuahua, curled against her chest, while Max, the Shih Tzu, guarded her feet like a loyal watchman. She always said the dogs loved the rhythm of her breathing, and I believed her—until the day that rhythm nearly disappeared. I walked in with her mail expecting her familiar hum, but the house felt unnaturally still. She sat with her eyes closed, a faint smile on her lips, Coco pressed tightly against her neck as if holding her there. When I called her name, she didn’t answer. Her skin was warm, her breathing shallow, and her hand trembled almost imperceptibly. Coco growled softly when I moved closer, protective in a way that sent a chill through me, and that’s when I noticed the empty pill bottle beside her glasses and felt the floor drop out from under me.
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