I barely heard Skye's voice as it floated toward me from outside, concern lacing her tone. "Malia? It's me. Can I come in?"

Raw, ragged sobs tore from my throat, fueled by the betrayal, shock, and anger swirling around inside me. I looked at Will, but he was already nodding. "Come in, Skye." His voice was low and controlled—there was no hint of the anger that surely simmered under the surface in his tone or expression. He didn't let go of my hand as he sat down beside the bed.

The door creaked open as Skye stuck her head in. Her eyes zeroed in on my face, and I saw her own fall at my heartbroken expression. "Oh, Malia," she whispered as she came through the door and walked to my side. "I'm so sorry."

I clung to my dearest friend until every ounce of betrayal, shock, and anger had drained from my body, leaving a cold and hollow numbness in its place. When we finally broke apart, she squeezed my hand as I spoke, my voice barely a whisper. "What happens now?"

Liv and Julie had followed Skye inside, their teary faces pale and drawn. Everyone—Will and Julie especially—seemed surprised at my words.

The latter cleared her throat, swiping at her face before speaking. "Barring any complications, both of you will be released later this morning."

She looked at me, and my heart stumbled at the gravity in her eyes. "But both of you have a long road of recovery ahead—especially you, Malia. I spoke with the doctor, and he recommended that after being released, you begin physical therapy to help regain mobility on the left side of your body. Unfortunately, it took the brunt of the impact; almost all the bones and muscles in your left arm and leg were shattered by the truck door. If the paramedics hadn't gotten you out when they did, you would have faced paralyzation and amputation."

I shivered as her words echoed in the room—paralyzation and amputation. Will took my hand and squeezed gently. His voice soothed the panic and terror threatening to smother me. "We'll take it one step at a time."

My voice was small when I spoke. "What about school? And Photography Club?"

Julie exchanged a glance with Skye and Will; they both shook their heads in unison. The former took a breath before she spoke. "Malia, beginning physical therapy after such a traumatic accident will be grueling on your body—not to mention your mind. Get through the first few weeks of PT before deciding what to do next. Your physical and mental well-being are the top priority right now."

I tried to move my left arm and leg but couldn't so much as make either twitch. Thankfully, I could still use my right hand—moving my right leg took an enormous amount of concentration, and I was sweating and panting when I finished—but the mere thought of learning to walk again...

Panic and nausea, oily and sickening, clashed inside me; my heart began pounding as I frantically sought Will's eyes. His steady and grounding gaze allowed me to take a breath from a chest that felt like a boulder was sitting on top of it. "You will get through this," he said softly. "I'll be by your side every step of the way."

He kissed my cheek before pulling away. The doctor came in a few minutes later, giving us an abbreviated version of what Julie had said before, adding that my first session would be in a couple of days. Julie handled our discharge forms after the hospital had officially released us. Will and I were sore after being released; the doctor had told us both that we (me in particular) would have lingering soreness and discomfort for weeks, possibly even months, afterward.

Before she left, Skye promised to text and check up on me whenever she could. It was only when we had gotten back to Will's house, and Julie was getting me situated in the guest room, that the cover of Unknown Paradise caught my eye. With everything that had happened in the past week, I had all but forgotten about the book and the trauma it had caused me.

Sometimes, I still heard Dimitri's voice, hushed with disbelief, in my mind. "'She's your daughter?'"

"Get some rest, sweetie," Julie said, thankfully not noticing where my gaze had drifted. "Don't try to get up; Liv and I will be downstairs if you or Will need anything." She squeezed my arm before she left, shutting the door quietly behind her.

As mentally and physically exhausted as I was, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. I flinched when my phone buzzed on the bedside table beside me. Picking it up one-handed—and with my non-dominant hand, no less—was a challenge, but when I saw Will's name pop up on the screen, my heart clenched painfully.

How r u doing? Getting from the hospital to the car and from the car to the house was definitely the worst part for me. Other than a killer headache and lingering soreness, I feel fine. I keep trying to sleep, but whenever I close my eyes, I see u screaming as the truck flipped over.

I shuddered at his words, trying to tamp down the panic and terror they evoked. Same about the headache and soreness. I want to sleep, too, but every time I try, I see *him* running away from the crash scene. What I don't understand—at all—is why he ran away. Is he that much of a coward that he can't own up to his mistakes? Or was the prospect of seeing me too much to bear?

I let out a breath as I sent the text. I could all but feel Will's anger when his response popped up on the screen. Honestly, Lia, I think it was the latter. We will most likely never find out his true motive, but don't obsess over trying to figure out the 'whys' and 'hows'. If—and that's a big if—he actually shows up again, we'll deal with it. For now, just focus on healing. That's all we can do.

My fingers hovered over the screen for a few seconds before I typed out another message. Sometimes, I still hear Dimitri's voice, hushed with disbelief when I confronted Dad in Montgues. 'She's *your* daughter?' How and when did they meet? Was it just before we jumped in, or was it way before that? Why didn't he tell me about it? Did Mom know?

I hurriedly typed a follow-up message to my rambling. Sorry for the rapid-fire questions. I can't turn my brain off. I guess I should try to get some sleep. See u in the morning. Love u.

Will's response came through just after I'd turned off the light. Don't be sorry. I can't turn mine off either. If u wake up in the middle of the night, don't hesitate to text me. I'll probably be awake. Love u, too.

Heavy, wracking sobs shuddered through my body when I put my phone down, but I flipped onto my stomach and buried my face into the pillow as best I could to smother the sound. It felt like burning pins and needles—sharp pinpricks of pain—were attacking my arm and leg. The numbness thankfully deadened the worst of it, but I couldn't clamp down hard enough to muffle the cry that slipped free as I accidentally rolled onto my left side.

I wasn't surprised when Liv's soft voice floated toward me from the hallway outside the guest room. "Malia? Are you okay?" A pause, then, "Can I come in?"

I swallowed a muffled groan as I struggled to right myself and sit up. "Yeah, Liv," I managed to get out, gritting my teeth against the pain. "Come on in."

I tried to push myself up to a sitting position while simultaneously ignoring the shudders wracking my body. Sweat was pouring into my eyes when Liv opened the door, so all I glimpsed was a blur of long, golden-brown hair as she came inside. I heard her rushing footsteps as she ran towards the bed and lunged for me. She gripped my right shoulder, awkwardly easing me back against the pillows. "I've got you, Malia." I felt her grunt when she released me, panting, and leaned back.

I squeezed my eyes shut and blew out a tense breath as pained shudders wracked my body, trying to reorient myself around the agony. When Liv spoke again, I could hear the hesitancy in her voice. "Do you need anything?" She knew I was hurting—mentally, physically, and emotionally—and didn't want to bother me, but I knew she couldn't resist the urge to check on me.

When the shudders finally subsided, leaving me drained and dizzy, I tried to answer her. "N-no." My voice was barely audible, and I wasn't even sure she could hear me.

I didn't have the energy to flinch when she gently touched my arm. "Okay." A deeply-rooted instinct reared its head as she got up to leave, and I found myself opening my mouth to beg her to stay. Though Will was only in the next room, I hadn't been alone—truly alone—since leaving Daniela and Declan's house. After everything that had happened, I couldn't stomach the thought of calling him Dad ever again.

Even in the hospital, Julie had stayed with me while Liv had been with Will. The drive to the Callahans' after my fight with Daniela and Declan was the most isolated I'd felt in a long time. It rubbed against some nerve.

"W-wait." My voice was hoarse. "P-please..." Tears welled in my eyes as my voice broke, and I hated myself for it. "Please don't leave." I didn't want to be alone. Not again.

I sought Liv's gaze as she turned back around, letting her see the truth in my eyes. I knew—without a doubt—that I was safe in their house, but I wasn't ready for her to leave again. Alone meant solitude. Solitude meant being trapped with my thoughts. And I was enough of a coward to admit that I wasn't ready to face them yet.

Liv nodded as she walked back toward me. "Okay." She gently sat on the side of the bed, but didn't try to touch me.

I was just about to doze off when Julie stuck her head in. "Olivia, honey, would you and Malia like something to eat? I was going to make dinner for Will and wondered if you two were hungry."

Dinner? Was it nighttime already? I glanced out the nearest window, shocked to see darkness blanketing the sky outside. Almost as if in answer, my stomach grumbled—rather loudly. We all smiled at that. Liv nodded as she glanced at me. "Sounds good. Malia?"

I had just begun to nod my agreement when my phone buzzed again on the bedside table. Julie turned to speak to Liv, their whispered voices barely reaching my ears as I grabbed my phone. Tears filled my eyes as Skye's name popped up on the screen. Hey. Can u talk? Really miss u.

When I looked up again, Julie was gone. My throat tightened to the point of pain as I responded to Skye. Yeah. Call whenever.

No sooner had I put my phone down than it began to ring. I swiped at my face, swallowing hard as I answered it. "Hey." Despite my best attempts to maintain composure, I heard my voice break on the last syllable.

Skye's voice was worried when she replied. "How are you doing? Neither you nor Will have been back at school in a while. I was starting to get worried." Underneath her rambling, I detected the fear I knew lurked deep down.

I pulled in a deep breath before I responded, trying for humor I definitely didn't feel. "Aside from not being able to feel the left side of my body, I'm in one piece." I laughed, but it was half-hearted.

Her answering laugh ended in a sob. Silence fell, broken only when I heard Skye take a ragged breath. Her voice was thick with unshed tears when she spoke again. "I'll try to stop by there tomorrow after school to check on both of you. I love you, Malia. I just wanted you to know that."

My voice was strained as I responded, trying not to let the tears that were so close to escaping seep into my voice. "Love you, too, Skye. Talk to you soon." I hung up before the tears completely took over.

Alone in the guest room, I cried until I was limp and drained. It was only when I heard Liv and Julie's voices, muffled over the sounds of my sobs, that I tried to calm down. I felt more than saw Liv move back to the side of the bed and pull me close, mindful of my right side. "I'm here, Malia," she said softly. "I'll stay with you as long as you need."

I didn't know if either Will or Julie was aware of my fear that stemmed from being alone, but I just hoped I would be able to stomach leaving their house when it came time to start physical therapy and/or return to school. Will and/or Julie would stay by my side the whole time, but I was more worried about the mental aspect of healing than the physical.

I knew I would have to face some traumatic memories—I just didn't know if I was strong enough to handle them. Will would stick to me like glue, but he would have to face his own demons as well. Would both of us come out unscathed? Or would some scars be too deep to heal?