Before the accident, he had controlled a business empire worth nearly four billion dollars.
Afterward, everyone around him had begun speaking softly, making decisions for him, and treating him like a tragedy.
No wonder he was angry.
One evening, while stretching his left hand, I asked, “Why did you fire the other caregivers?”
“One stole medication.”
I paused.
“Another took pictures of me while I slept.”
I looked up.
“And the third?”
“She cried every time she bathed me.”
I winced.
“I would have fired her too.”
He looked surprised.
“Really?”
“Being paralyzed doesn’t mean you want someone mourning over your shampoo.”
Christopher laughed.
A real laugh.
It transformed his face.
For a moment, he looked younger.
Then the locket shifted against his chest.
And the mystery returned.
Two days later, everything changed.
Mrs. Alvarez was downstairs when I entered Christopher’s study carrying coffee.
He was on the phone.
“No,” he said sharply. “Rachel doesn’t know.”
I froze.
A man’s voice answered through the speaker.
I couldn’t make out every word.
Then I heard one sentence clearly.
“If she finds the file, she’ll know what happened to Ryan.”
My blood turned cold.
Christopher saw me.
