Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, the nurse beside me let out a breath of relief.

"Thank God, you're awake. How are you feeling? Let me page the doctor."

From her tone alone, I could tell I had been just steps away from death.

The doctor arrived quickly. After checking my vitals, a relieved expression appeared on his face.

My whole body felt incredibly weak. I tried to push myself up, wanting to stand, only to realize I had absolutely no feeling in my legs.

"Doc... my legs. What's wrong with my legs?"

I had already prepared myself mentally.

Surviving such a catastrophic crash was a miracle in itself.

I knew I might be bedridden for a long time, or even left with lifelong complications.

But the doctor let out a heavy sigh.

"It's a miracle you survived at all. But you suffered a severe spinal cord injury. You might be paralyzed from the waist down."

The words slammed into me like a sledgehammer.

I couldn't process it. From today on, I was a cripple.

Before the crash, I was a fully functional man. I could run, jump, live.

Tears uncontrollably streamed down my face.

Seeing me break down, the doctor quickly tried to soften the blow.

"Don't give up hope just yet. The paralysis might be temporary. With a good recovery and long-term physical therapy, there's a chance you could regain mobility."

He paused for a moment before adding, "But the rehab will be grueling, and we can't guarantee a full recovery."

"Also... we haven't been able to reach your wife for days. Do you have another emergency contact for her?"

Hearing that, my chest hollowed out.

I had never felt so hopeless in my entire life.

On the day of the crash, Claire refused to take me to the hospital, claiming she was too busy with work.

I knew she was going to Julian's birthday party, so I pressed the issue.

She lost her temper, slammed the door in my face, and blocked my number.

And now, I had been lying in the hospital for three days, and Claire hadn't tried to contact me once.

Whether Claire still loved me or not was written plainly on her face.

When I proposed to her, she was so nervous she could barely speak. She told me she was the luckiest woman in the world and that it all felt like a dream.

But ever since Julian came back into the picture, she became a completely different person.

She said Julian reminded her of me when I was younger, which was why she found herself naturally drawn to him.

She started complaining that I was middle-aged and lacked my youthful energy. She blamed me for focusing too much on work and losing the romance we had when we were dating.

When I pointed out that she only started finding faults with me after Julian showed up, she completely lost it.

"What do you know? Julian stayed single all these years for me! He had his pick of incredible women!"

"I chose to marry you, Ethan. Why are you so ungrateful?"