Chapter 2

The doctor said her legs had sustained severe trauma and nerve damage. To put it simply, she was permanently paralyzed.

For a girl as beautiful and vibrant as Maya, a lifetime of paralysis was a fate worse than death.

When my wife, Chloe, heard the news, she fell silent for a long moment. Finally, she asked hesitantly over the phone:

"Jason, can you do me a favor and take care of Maya for a while?"

I didn't understand why she was asking me to do this. Shouldn't Maya's family be the ones looking after her?

But I got my answer soon enough from the voice message Chloe sent next.

It turned out Maya was an orphan. Her parents divorced when she was a toddler, her mother ran away, and her father passed away before she was three. She had no memory of either of them.

The grandmother who had raised her single-handedly had also passed away a few years ago.

Now, tragedy had struck her again.

In this city, I was the only friend Maya had.

She was a sweet, kind girl who had helped me so much since I arrived. How could I just abandon her?

No matter what, I had to support her through this nightmare.

When I returned to the ward, Maya was awake. She was staring blankly at the ceiling, tears pooling in her eyes.

She didn't even react when I walked in.

Her spirit was completely broken.

Thinking about her tragic past, a wave of sorrow washed over me.

Why did such a beautiful, kind-hearted girl have to suffer all of this alone?

I knew the doctor had already told her the truth. There was no hiding it from her, and even if I tried, a lie would eventually fall apart.

It was better to be honest and tackle it head-on.

I gathered my thoughts, stood by her bedside, and said softly, "The doctor said the nerves in your legs are damaged, so you've temporarily lost sensation. But that doesn't mean there's absolutely no hope for recovery in the future."

"Jason, you don't have to comfort me."

"Maybe I shouldn't have been in this world in the first place. Dying would be a release."

For Maya, death wasn't scary. It was the only way she could return to her grandmother's arms.

She was in a dangerous state of mind. I started to panic.

"If you give up, what about the people who care about you?"

Maya gave a bitter, tragic smile. "Who in this world actually cares about me?"

"I do! I care about you!"

"If you want to die, you have to get my permission first. From now on, I will take care of you."

Desperate times called for desperate measures. I didn't care if my words sounded too intense or suggestive.

All I wanted was to spark her desire to live.