Life forces us to make difficult choices, and for me—Louisa, a 68-year-old retired grandmother—it was between my lifelong dream and my granddaughter’s medical treatment.

My late husband and I always longed to visit Paris, but life got in the way. Now, this trip was my last chance. But just as I was about to go, my daughter begged me for financial help. “I won’t give up my last chance of joy,” I told her. She left in tears.

When I returned home later, my door was open. Inside, my daughter was packing up my belongings.

“You don’t deserve any of this,” she said coldly.

I froze. “What are you doing?”

“You chose a vacation over your granddaughter’s life,” she snapped. “I’m selling everything to pay for her treatment.”

My heart pounded. “You can’t just take my things!”

“And you can’t abandon your family,” she shot back.

Silence fell between us. I wanted to explain, to defend myself—but what could I say?

“I love you,” I whispered. “I love her. But I have to do this for myself.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “And I have to do this for my daughter.”

With that, she left, suitcase in hand, leaving me in the hollow shell of my home.

Now, as I sit alone in this half-empty house, I wonder…