To tell my father the truth.

To make him see I wasn’t the monster Matteo was painting me into.

My hands shook as I signed the papers. My lawyer kept talking—something about staying silent, about truth eventually coming out—but it all blurred together.

All I could hear was my heartbeat and the dull hum of the world outside the station.

When I finally stepped into the car, I exGrantd shakily for the first time in what felt like days.

I was free.

Or so I believed.

Halfway through the ride, headlights suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Everything happened too fast.

Tires screamed against asphalt. A horn blared. The world tilted violently as if it had been ripped off its axis.

Then came the crash.

Metal screamed. Glass shattered. Everything went white—then black.

When I came to, pain was everywhere.

My neck. My ribs. My legs. I tried to move, but nothing responded the way it should have.

Panic rose instantly.

“What—what’s wrong with me?” I gasped.

A nurse rushed in, her voice trying to stay calm. “Ma’am, please try not to panic.”

“My legs,” I whispered, voice shaking. “I can’t feel my legs.”

She hesitated before answering. “You were in a severe accident. You’re lucky to be alive.”