- 9.
The fall wasn’t high enough. I didn’t die. I woke
く
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to a gentle face, gold–rimmed glasses hiding his emotions. My doctor was Julian, my college
senior. I opened my mouth, unsure what to say, then looked down, ashamed. I’d lost my voice. I couldn’t speak. I remembered the
disappointment in his eyes when I’d chosen
Ethan over studying medicine abroad with him. His last words still made me cringe with shame: “Amelia, may your love be worth the sacrifice of your dreams.” Yes, I’d once had dreams. To be a doctor, to heal the wounded. Now, I was broken, and no one could save me. Julian studied me, his usually calm gaze clouded. “Amelia, what happened to you?” Before I
could respond, Ethan burst in, kneeling beside
my bed, eyes red–rimmed, choked with sobs.
“Amelia, your leg… what happened to your leg? You said it was just a twist.” Nothing. Just
broken. After three years in that place, a broken
leg was lucky. I watched Ethan’s anguished
cries, my heart numb. He’d only glimpsed a
fraction of my pain.
