CHAPTER 18: A Stranger and a Revelation

Samantha was discharged that evening, her body still aching but her spirit heavier than any painkiller could numb.

As they stepped into the house, she let out a deep sigh. “It’s good to be home,” she murmured. “No place like home.”

But the words felt hollow.

Because even in the comfort of familiar walls, the sting of those nurses’ comments still clung to her skin like cold air. Their judgment echoed in her mind—about her generation, about their obsession with phones, about their disconnection from the real world.

And worst of all… it wasn’t just noise.

There was truth buried in it.

I could’ve lost my life, she thought, eyes fixed on the floor. All because I couldn’t look up for one second. I could have waited until I got to school...

Now, in her silence, she carried a new label—one of them. Another young person who let the world pass by while staring into a screen.

She lowered herself into the parlor chair, her movements slow, her thoughts heavier still.

“Yes, we’re finally home,” Glo