At 78, Evelyn no longer expected anything. No surprises. No tenderness. Just an empty room, cold walls, and an imposed routine.

For weeks now, she had noticed the looks her children exchanged, the meaningful silences, the sighs of exasperation when she asked for help.

So she had prepared herself. Inwardly. To say goodbye to her home. To her freedom. To her life as she knew it.

But that morning, when she arrived and got out of the car, she was shocked. A lot of questions arose in her head.