I didn't close my eyes at all that night. If I had, all I would have heard was Will shouting my name and the echo of my own scream ringing in my ears as his truck flipped over. All I would have seen was my hair whipping wildly around my face, flashes of our surroundings blurring past my vision in a dizzying rush.

Before I could even try to reorient myself, the scene shifted. It changed from the chaos of the crash to a vaguely familiar living room bathed in dim, warm light, where a pale, tear-streaked Noemi was trembling as she told Will and me that Dimitri had died unexpectedly in an accident. No foul play was suspected at this point, but I already knew deep down who had killed him. What I couldn't understand was why.

Only when exhaustion forced my eyelids shut did I finally doze off, jerking awake moments later, soaked in cold sweat and crying out for Dimitri. I sat upright with a jolt, my body trembling as pins and needles stabbed every muscle on the right side of my body. Liv woke suddenly, her eyes darting to my face with concern. "Malia?"

Instinctively reaching for Will, I panicked when I didn't find him beside me. Instead, I heard him shoot up in bed in his room next door, his voice hoarse and rough from sleep, muffled through the wall. "Malia?" After a brief pause, he added, "I'm—I'm coming, Lia."

No sooner than his words finished echoing did I hear him groan as he struggled to sit up. He walked to my door, taking a breath before knocking gently. "Will!" Panic filled my voice as my heart pounded fiercely in my chest. When I saw his face in the doorway, I couldn't suppress the cry that escaped. He slowly crossed the room and perched on the edge of the bed, his movements cautious as my eyes tracked every step. My gaze softened, and my hands instinctively cupped his cheeks.

Julie's muffled footsteps reached my ears as she approached the doorway. Without turning around, I could tell she was frozen on the threshold, her face a mask of fear and confusion as she asked, "Malia? What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Tears burned at the back of my throat as I took trembling, ragged breaths. Will gently pulled me into his arms, mindful of my numb left side. One hand rested protectively on my back, while the other cradled the back of my head. "Shh, Lia," he whispered, his voice soothing just for me. "I'm okay. I'm right here. Breathe, my love. Just breathe."

I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching him tightly, tears spilling from beneath my lids and streaking down my cheeks. "He... he's... He's..." As I swallowed hard, the words caught in my throat, and more tears threatened to overwhelm me. He's dead.

Julie's voice broke through then, and I flinched involuntarily. I hadn't even realized she had entered the room. "Will, you really shouldn't be out of bed." Her words were gentle but firm. When I saw her move toward the bed, I began to shake my head vehemently, burying my face into Will's neck and holding on tighter.

Only when Julie's words registered—"you really shouldn't be out of bed"—did I pull back slightly to look at his face. Dark circles under his eyes accentuated the exhaustion etched into his features. His cheeks appeared hollow, giving his complexion a sickly, pale hue. The cuts from the windshield glass had mainly faded, but I noticed his unfocused eyes narrowing slightly when he looked at me.

He raised a trembling hand to my cheek, and I leaned into his touch instinctively. Liv watched us from her seat at the side of the bed, her expression calm but concerned. "Who, Malia? Who are you talking about?" she asked softly.

I heard Will suck in a sharp breath, but he stayed silent. Whether injured or not, it took all my self-control not to leap into Unknown Paradise—and search tirelessly for Dimitri.

Will's voice was steady as he finally answered, "Dimitri." He had only met the young man—and his sister—for a few minutes during our last visit to Montgues. I didn't think he even knew about the complicated relationship between Dimitri and Declan. "Don't jump to conclusions. I'm sure he's fine, Lia. Besides, neither of us is in any shape to jump into Montgues just yet. Not now."

Faintly shaking my head, I stared into Will's eyes, silently pleading for him to understand. My voice rose in hysteria, every other word trembling. "N-no, you d-don't understand. H-he—he's d-dead," I sniffled, wiping at my face as more tears spilled down my cheeks. "D-Declan killed h-him."

A heavy silence, like a suffocating blanket, settled over us. Will's jaw tightened, his fists curling as he clenched his hands. Liv and Julie looked between him and me, confusion clouding their faces. Julie extended her hand toward me gently. "Malia, you're not making any sense."

Will grasped my hands, his grip gentle but firm. "Unknown Paradise has been in the guest room since before the wreck. Neither of us has even hinted at jumping back in. Even if we did, we might not end up in Montgues. I'd bet everything I have that Declan is prepared for that. And we don't even know if he's still there. For all we know, he might be here. He hasn't tried to contact you yet, so let's take this one step at a time. If—or when—he reaches out, we'll deal with it."

A broken laugh escaped my lips as I wiped at my eyes again. "T-that's what D-Declan wants. H-he wants m-me to b-be worried s-sick about D-Dimitri, so I-I'll jump b-back in a-and stay t-there with h-him." I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it earlier.

I jolted when Liv suddenly spoke, my entire body tightening as if in protest. "Who's Declan?" I bit down sharply on a cry of pain, tasting blood in my mouth. Julie's eyes widened as she pulled Liv aside to whisper.

"He's m-my father," I replied softly, tears thick in my voice. I hadn't even considered calling him Dad since overhearing his and Mom's world-changing conversation.

"I hate him," I whispered as if saying it aloud made it more real. "I hate him so much. One minute, it's all I can do to hold back from confronting him; the next, I can't even imagine doing it."

When Julie looked at me, I saw a flicker of anxiety cross her face. "Malia, you start physical therapy later this morning. I'll drive you and Will there after breakfast. I was able to get you in to see one of the best in the city."

I blinked as the words sank in. The thought of learning to walk again made me shudder as nausea swirled inside me. Will squeezed my hand, grounding me. "One step at a time, remember?" His voice was soft and reassuring, but it couldn't quell the panic inside me.

Liv stepped closer as a knot of fear formed in my gut. "You control this, Malia. If you want to stop, you stop. Will won't leave your side. If you want Mom and me to be there with you and Will, we will."

I nodded before she finished speaking, even if it made me look vulnerable. I knew I couldn't do this alone. "Please," I whispered. The mere thought of leaving the bed or the house was enough to make me panic.

Julie silently moved to stand behind me. Will and Liv flanked me, ready to assist me should I need it. Taking a deep breath, I curled my left hand—the one I could still feel—into a fist and pressed it against the mattress. I pushed myself up, hearing Liv grunt softly as she wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

I awkwardly hopped on my left foot as Will steadied me, pulling my other arm over his shoulder. Sweat broke out the moment I rose from the bed, and I shuddered as pins and needles (dull pinpricks of pain) shot through the right side of my body. I couldn't feel either limb, only the numbness and the sensation that they were asleep.

Julie's hand on my back gave me the strength and confidence to proceed. When Will softly asked, "Ready?" I nodded, focusing on his face and not the sight of my limp and lifeless right side.

Step by painful step, we walked out of the guest room. Each step was agony, but we didn't stop. I hesitated at the stairs, but Will nodded at Julie and Liv. Carefully—so carefully—he lifted me into his arms, tucking my right arm close to my chest while I clung to his neck with my left. "You okay?" he asked softly, his breath soft against my ear.

"Y-Yeah," I managed to whisper despite the sweat streaming down my face. My breathing was ragged, but I wasn't going to ask them to stop. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, he gently set me down, pulling my right arm over his shoulder as I slowly regained my balance. Focusing only on the feel of Will's hand in mine, I made my way to the car. Liv rushed ahead to open the car door while Julie and Will helped me ease into the backseat.

By the time I had finally buckled my seatbelt, I was blowing out tense, pained breaths as tremors wracked my body. "You okay, Malia?" Julie asked, glancing at me from the rearview mirror.

At Julie's question, both Will and Liv turned to look at me. Both scanned me from my head to my toes, but didn't say anything. Tears burned the back of my throat, eliciting a sharp sting behind my eyes as I nodded.

Will handed me a breakfast bar, having grabbed two from the kitchen. The ride from their house to the hospital was mostly silent, but I could feel Will, Julie, and Liv's gaze slide to me every time we hit a bump or turned sharply. I bit back a pained cry each time but didn't say a word.

Upon our arrival at the hospital, as soon as we reached the entrance, Julie was already shifting the car into park and getting out. "I'll go get a wheelchair and tell them you're here, Malia," she said. Her smile didn't reach her eyes when she looked at me.

Will turned to look at me, his eyes flicking from my face down to my feet. "How are you doing?" He asked.

I froze as I looked at him. My surroundings melted away, images from the crash slicing through my head as painfully as the seatbelt had cut into my neck.

I saw my head slam into the roof and collide with the headrest; I heard my pained cry as the impact forced the right side of my body against the passenger side door. I dimly felt myself biting back a pained cry now as the phantom feeling of the seatbelt slicing into my neck while the leather strangled my midsection.

Will's voice floated toward me, indistinct and muffled. "Malia. Listen to the sound of my voice. You are not there anymore. We are not there anymore. We are safe. I am right here." I clung to his words as I fought to break the surface of the sea of memories that held me under.

Liv didn't say anything, but I felt her move closer to me, mindful of the numb left side of my body. When I opened my eyes (not even realizing I had closed them), pained, gasping sobs shuddered through me. Will slowly got out of the car and walked over to the backseat, steadying himself before he opened the door and bent down. "Look at me." His voice was firm, yet gentle as he spoke, and I didn't hesitate as I reached for his hand.

"This is a flashback." I concentrated on the sound of his voice—soothing and gentle—not the memories threatening to drag me back under. "It is not real." He squeezed my hand, the motion soothing and familiar.

I flinched when Julie's voice sounded from outside the car, concern and confusion lacing her tone. "Will? What's going on? Are you okay, Malia?"

Taking slow, calming breaths, I cracked my eyes open. Will's eyes scanned my own, but I didn't let myself dwell on the fear I saw on his face—the fear I knew lurked in my gaze. "Look at me. Don't look at them; look at me."

My shaking breath echoed in my ears as tears blurred my vision. Will's voice drifted in and out of my ears, nearly drowned out by my shaky inhales. "Take a breath, Lia. I'm not going anywhere. Focus on the sound of my voice."

Slowly, the panic and fear subsided, leaving a hollow emptiness in their place. I knew what the trigger was: arriving at the hospital. "I—I'm okay," I whispered, my voice small and scared. "I'm okay."

Will gripped my good hand as he lifted me out of the car and transferred me to the wheelchair. Liv and Julie said in unison from behind me, "We're right here, Malia. We're not going anywhere." The sound of their voices, plus Will's hand in mine, gave me the strength I needed to take a steadying breath and blow it out.

Julie wheeled me into the hospital, got me checked in, then Will and Liv flanked us as we entered the waiting room. Some time later, a pretty woman a few years younger than Julie came into the waiting room. She stopped in the doorway and consulted a chart in her hands before calling my name. "Malia Abbott?"

Despite myself, I flinched. Wordlessly, Julie began to wheel me to the door, Will and Liv following her. The woman smiled at us, her gray eyes meeting all of our gazes before she spoke. "Hello. My name is Carissa Alvarez." I swallowed when her gaze settled on me.

"H-hello. I'm M-Malia." My voice was halting and small, every other word a stutter.

Her gaze was warm and friendly as she glanced at Will, Liv, and Julie. Will introduced himself first, mustering a weak smile as he shook her hand. "Hello. I'm Will Callahan. I'm Malia's boyfriend."

Liv and Julie introduced themselves before Carissa focused on me. "Let's go to the back, then we can get started." With Julie pushing the wheelchair and Will gripping my hand, Liv flanked us as we all followed Carissa. "Now, Malia, Julie told me a bit about what happened, but I want to hear it from you. How did the injury happen?"

Just as they had in the car, my surroundings melted away as I opened my mouth. "Will and I were driving to school one morning. We were talking, and I had just begun to respond when—"

I faltered, my breath hitching as the images slammed into me once again. I saw my head slam into the roof and collide with the headrest; I heard my pained cry as the impact forced the right side of my body against the passenger side door. I dimly felt myself biting back a pained cry now as the phantom feeling of the seatbelt slicing into my neck, while the leather strangled my midsection, crawled over me.

I took a trembling breath. "When I heard Will shout my name before jerking the wheel sharply to the left." Tears filled my eyes, spilling down my cheeks as I exhaled, but I didn't stop. "My head slammed into the roof and collided with the headrest. The impact forced the right side of my body against the passenger side door. The seatbelt sliced into my neck while the leather strangled my midsection. My throbbing head was cockeyed, my neck bent just enough to make it painful."

Even as my voice broke—angry and pained tears filling my eyes and spilling down my cheeks—I never faltered. By the time I finished, I was openly sobbing. Carissa offered me a sympathetic glance before looking at Will and Julie. "So, Malia, describe to me where the injury begins."

Will and Julie came beside me to grip my hands as I took a steadying breath, sniffing the tears back. "The entire left side of my body was crushed against the passenger side door. J-Julie said that if the paramedics hadn't gotten me out when they did, I would have faced possible paralyzation and amputation." My voice hitched, but didn't break.

Carissa nodded. "If you don't mind, let's get you onto the table. I'd like to take a look at your left arm and leg." Her voice was soothing, a balm to my rattled nerves.

I swallowed my fear and nodded. With gentle, careful hands, Will and Julie came around and helped me out of the wheelchair. Hopping awkwardly on my good leg, I gripped Will and Julie's hands as they eased me onto the padded table.

Carissa leaned forward and gently took my arm into her hands, rotating it before carefully spider-walking her fingers down my shoulder to my wrist. I swallowed, but didn't make a sound as pins and needles (dull prickling) crawled up and down my arm. She set my arm down in my lap before speaking. "Can you feel that?"

Squeezing my eyes shut, I nodded. "Pins and needles—dull prickling. But other than the fact that I see you holding my arm, I can't feel it."

She did the same to my leg before going through a few exercises that I could do at home, all to get my arm and leg nerves working again. By the time she was done, I was sweating and trembling.

I glanced up to where Will was gripping my hand, but froze as I saw his jaw was clenched, and he was trembling. Looking over at Liv and Julie, my heart clenched as I glimpsed the pain and sympathy on their faces. The sheer anger radiating from Will made a shiver slide down my spine. We had just checked out and were getting ready to leave when I heard a commotion at the entrance.

A man was at the front desk, speaking frantically to the receptionist. "Please. I—I need to see her. S-she's my daughter."

I tensed, gripping Will's hand so tightly it had to be painful. The man hadn't turned around, so he hadn't seen me yet, but I knew who he was. I'd recognized him the moment he'd spoken. The receptionist's voice was calm and unruffled, a direct contrast to the man's desperate words. "Sir, I can't help you if you don't calm down. What is your daughter's name?"

No sooner had he opened his mouth to respond than I spoke, my voice trembling with barely-restrained rage and pain. "What are you doing here?"