Chapter 1:: What The World Called Broken.

“I have reviewed the scans again, Miss Whitemere,” the doctor said, then paused.

His eyes stayed on the young woman in front of him, noticing how she held her breath, as if afraid even the air might disappoint her.

“There is a possibility,” he continued slowly, carefully, “that you will walk again after surgery.”

The words fell into the room like something fragile.

Elowen sat frozen in her wheelchair, her fingers curling tightly around the armrest until her knuckles turned pale. For a moment, she wondered if she had heard him wrong. Eight months in a wheelchair had taught her one painful lesson—never expect hope.

Hope was dangerous.

It hurt more when it failed.

“Doctor…” Her voice came out hoarse, barely steady. “Please don’t say that just to make me feel better.”

She said it firmly, but deep down, a small part of her clung desperately to his words. Even though she had forced herself, again and again, to bury hope, she couldn’t blame herself for feeling it.

She had once been healthy.

She had once walked on her own two legs.

Life had already been hard enough before the accident—before she fell from the third floor of a building, just one day after her graduation. One moment had stolen everything.

The doctor sighed softly and pulled his chair closer, lowering himself to her level. His eyes were kind—the kind that had seen too many broken bodies and too many broken dreams.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said gently.

Elowen swallowed the painful lump in her throat. Her gaze slowly dropped to her legs—legs that now felt like they belonged to someone else.

“You suffered a severe pelvic fracture and a compression injury to your lower spine,” the doctor explained. “The fall caused swelling around the nerves that control your legs. For months, that swelling made it impossible for those nerves to function.”

“So…” Elowen asked quietly, her voice trembling, “I can’t walk because of the swelling?”

“Yes,” the doctor nodded. “Not because the nerves were destroyed.”

Her heart skipped.

“But I was told that—” She stopped herself, the memory cutting too deep. She had been told she might never walk again.

“At that time, we couldn’t be sure,” the doctor said honestly. “Your condition was unstable. Surgery then would have been too risky. But now—” He turned the screen toward her, showing her the new scans. “The swelling has reduced. Your spine has stabilized. The nerves are responding.”

Her lips parted.

“Meaning?” she whispered.

“Meaning,” he said carefully, “that if we perform decompression surgery and realign the affected area, there is a real chance your legs will regain strength.”

A real chance.

Elowen’s heart raced painfully in her chest. She nodded slowly, afraid that if she spoke too much, the moment would shatter.

“Alright,” she said softly. “Thank you, Doctor.”

She messaged her caregiver to let her know the appointment was over.

The door opened, and Cecilia walked in.

After saying goodbye to the doctor, Cecilia pushed Elowen out of the office.

“Mr. Jones hasn’t come yet,” Cecilia said quietly, noticing Elowen’s searching gaze. She knew exactly who Elowen was looking for.

Elowen frowned slightly.

Adrian Jones—her boyfriend.

He had promised to come with her today. Earlier that morning, he had sent her a message, telling her to go ahead first, that he would meet her at the hospital after handling something important at the company.

As the CEO of Jones Holdings, Adrian was always busy. Elowen understood that. She had always understood.

She dialed his number.

It rang.

And rang.

No answer.

Her heart sank.

He must be busy, she told herself, even as doubt quietly crept into her chest.

“Let’s go home, Cecilia,” she said gently, brushing the feeling aside.

Adrian was the only reason she still wanted to live.

He was her anchor.

She had no reason to doubt him.

Cecilia helped her into the car, and the driver drove them away from the hospital.

........

The Whitemere Mansion wasn’t far. They arrived quickly.

As always, Cecilia helped Elowen out of the car—an act that made Elowen’s chest tighten painfully every single time. Being unable to move on her own never got easier.

“Isn’t that Mr. Jones’ car?” Cecilia asked suddenly, pointing toward the parking area.

Elowen’s heart skipped.

It was Adrian’s car.

He was here.

Happiness bloomed instantly in her chest. He must have come to see her after all.

She also noticed another unfamiliar car parked nearby, but she didn’t think much of it.

She wheeled herself inside hurriedly, eager to see him.

Inside the mansion—

“What can I say? Since Adrian has decided that he wants Scarlett, then they have my blessing.”

Elowen froze.

The voice belonged to her father, Felix Whitemere. He sounded amused—happy.

Her breath caught.

What… did he just say?

“Love is unpredictable, Felix,” Mr. David Jones, Adrian’s father, replied with a pleased laugh.

Elowen slowly moved toward the living room.

Her heart shattered the moment she saw them.

Adrian was sitting beside Scarlett.

His hand rested intimately on her shoulder.

“Yes, Dad,” Adrian said calmly. “I never thought I would come to love Scarlett so deeply.”

He looked at Scarlett with affection. She lowered her head shyly, a sweet smile on her lips.

Elowen’s body began to shake violently.

She could barely breathe.

“I told you Scarlett was the right woman for you,” Mrs. Janet Jones said coldly. “I never understood why you were with that cripple in the first place.”

“It’s good that he finally realized it,” Felix Whitemere chuckled, as though his daughter being called a cripple meant nothing.

They laughed.

Everyone except Mrs. Henrietta Whitemere—Scarlett’s mother and Elowen’s stepmother. Her expression remained unreadable.

“I hope Elowen won’t cause trouble,” Mrs. Whitemere said quietly.

“What trouble can she cause from a wheelchair?” Felix scoffed. “Adrian has made his choice.”

They were too engrossed in their conversation to notice Elowen sitting there, trembling, tears blurring her vision.

Her eyes locked onto Adrian.

He gently brushed Scarlett’s hair aside and kissed her.

Her chest felt like it was being crushed.

“Adrian…” Elowen called softly, her voice shaking.

She was still in denial. They had never argued. He had even texted her earlier.

Everyone turned to her.

Felix Whitemere looked away in irritation. Adrian’s parents followed.

Mrs. Whitemere stared at her with a complicated expression.

Scarlett smirked faintly, her hand rubbing Adrian’s chest possessively.

Adrian shifted uneasily.

Elowen took in all their expressions, holding herself together with every ounce of strength she had left.

“Adrian,” she asked, wiping her tears, “what’s going on?”

She needed an answer.

Only him.

Scarlett laughed softly.

“From your expression, I suppose you heard everything,” she said mockingly. “But I’ll say it again, so you hear it clearly and back off.”

She leaned closer to Adrian.

“Adrian and I are together now.”