After I was paralyzed from the waist down, my boyfriend, Julian, and my best friend, Chloe, dragged me out of the house, claiming I needed some fresh air. Julian pushed my wheelchair right in front of a huge box of fireworks. Before I could even react, he lit the fuse. The explosions erupted instantly. Sparks showered down, burning my hands. I screamed in terror, "Julian, help me!" But he didn't move. I desperately tried to roll my wheelchair away, but the wheels just spun in place. Panic consumed me. Suddenly, Chloe's voice drifted through the noise: "Sera, look at the camera! Let's capture your first trip outside since your accident!" I looked up instinctively. Julian was holding his phone, pointing the camera right at my terrified, tear-streaked face. Once the fireworks ended, I collapsed in my wheelchair, gasping for air. My palms were covered in painful blisters, and my entire body was shaking uncontrollably. Julian knelt in front of me and gently rubbed my hair. "Did we scare you?" I didn't say a word. He sighed, wiping the ash off my face. "The doctor said there's still hope for your legs. He said a high-stress environment can trigger your survival instinct. It stimulates the nerves. It's for your own good, Sera." My fingernails dug deep into my palms. I suddenly remembered last week when Chloe purposely moved my dinner plate six feet away, forcing me to roll my wheelchair over to reach it. She had said the exact same thing. I closed my eyes. I was so tired. This relationship I didn't want it anymore.
The sharp, acrid smell of burnt gunpowder filled the air. The blisters on my palms burned like fire. Julian simply patted my head, stood up, and pulled a pack of sparklers from his pocket. He handed them to Chloe. A warm smile touched his lips. "You've been wanting to light these, right? I bought them just for you." Chloe's eyes lit up. She grabbed his sleeve. "Oh my god, thank you! Let's go over there. We don't want to accidentally burn Sera again." "Yeah, Sera can just watch from here." Julian let her drag him away, waving back at me over his shoulder. Chloe twirled around with the sparklers. Julian knelt down, patiently adjusting his phone camera to take the perfect shot of her. I froze. My nails dug deeper into my palms. I suddenly remembered six months ago, when the three of us had watched fireworks together. Julian had taken photos of me back then, whispering, "Sera, you're more beautiful than any firework." That memory felt like a slap in the face. I gripped the armrests of my wheelchair. My chest tightened so much I could barely breathe. Just then, the sky darkened, and a heavy downpour began. Chloe shrieked. Julian immediately took off his designer jacket, draped it over her head, and pulled her close as they ran toward the parking lot. Not once did he look back. Panic seized me. I screamed with all the strength left in my lungs, "Julian, wait for me!" But the thunder was too loud. My voice was drowned out by the rain. They didn't hear me. Or they chose not to. "Wait for me!" I pushed my wheelchair forward, desperately trying to catch up. But the wheels kept slipping on the wet, muddy gravel. Ignoring the stinging pain in my blistered hands, I pushed the wheels again and again, moving forward inch by painful inch. Their figures blurred in the distance. Sheltered under a single jacket, they vanished into the parking lot. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. A wave of cold despair washed over me. I stopped. I couldn't feel my legs, my clothes were soaked, and rain mixed with hot tears streamed down my face. My wheelchair tipped over in the mud several times. By the time I finally dragged myself back to our apartment door, my body was shivering and stiff. It had taken me an hour. I raised my trembling hand and knocked. Julian opened the door. He was wearing dry, cozy loungewear. Chloe was sitting on the couch, laughing at a reality show on TV. Seeing me, she smirked. "Julian, I won! I told you Sera wouldn't call you for help!"
My entire body went rigid. I stared at them, unable to believe my ears. "What do you mean?" "We made a bet," Chloe said, tilting her head with a playful smile. "We left you out there on purpose to see if you'd call Julian when it started raining. I bet you wouldn't, and he bet you would." She held out her hand to Julian, wiggling her fingers. "That's five hundred bucks." Julian pulled out his phone, transferred the money, and sighed with a helpless smile. "Alright, you win." My blood ran cold. Rage flared in my chest. "You used me for a bet?" Chloe walked over, wrapping her arm around mine coaxingly. "Oh, don't be mad, Sera! We did it to push you to be independent. We thought if we left, the shock of the rain would force you to stand up." I violently yanked my arm away from her, glaring at her with pure hatred. Chloe gasped, taking a step back in mock fear. Julian walked over with a dry towel and began gently drying my hair. He had a soft smile on his face, as if he were soothing a throwing-a-tantrum toddler. "Alright, I promise we won't do it again. But seriously, Sera, why didn't you just call me? If you had called, I would've come to get you." That was the final straw. I clenched my fists, forcing back the tears. "My phone... was in your pocket." Julian froze. He saw the sheer disappointment in my eyes, and a flash of guilt crossed his face. He lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry. Let me make you some hot medicine so you don't catch a cold." With that, he turned and went into the kitchen. I didn't drink the medicine. I rolled myself straight into my bedroom. That night, the coldness in my heart turned into a raging fever. As I lay shivering in bed, the happy laughter of Julian and Chloe drifted through the crack of the door. It sounded so warm, so lively. But I was completely alone, shivering in the dark. I remembered how we used to be. Before I was paralyzed, we were an inseparable trio. Chloe had been my best friend since childhood. When I lost the use of my legs, she was the first to move in, helping me dress, tying my shoes, and cooking for me. And Julian had stayed by my side day and night, hiring the best therapists and holding me gently whenever I took my anger out on him. But now, everything had changed. In my feverish state, I fell into a nightmare. I saw Chloe kneeling to tie my shoes. Halfway through, she looked up and sneered, "Sera, you can't even tie your own shoes anymore, can you?" Then I saw Julian pushing my wheelchair. Ahead of us was a steep flight of stairs. He let go. I gasped and woke up. My heart was pounding wildly against my ribs. I grabbed my phone and sent a message to my mom. "Mom, I heard about a revolutionary rehab specialist in Zurich. Can you take me there?" My mom replied instantly. "Sera? I thought you wanted to stay home for treatment? Is Julian not taking good care of you?" A bitter taste filled my mouth. I slowly typed back: "I'm leaving him, Mom. I want to go to Switzerland. The sooner, the better."
I put my phone down and looked out the window. The sun was rising. Sometime during the night, someone had changed me into dry pajamas and applied burn ointment to my hands. The bedroom door swung open. "Sera, wake up!" Chloe bounced over to my bed, grabbing my hand excitedly. "We're going to the amusement park today! It's been forever since we went out." Julian followed her in, looking at her with an indulgent smile. My body felt like it was on fire, and my throat was too raw to speak. After a long pause, I rasped, "I have a fever." Julian immediately touched my forehead. Concern flashed in his eyes. "Oh my god, you're burning up." He turned to grab some fever reducers. Beside him, Chloe pouted, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. "Sera, it's just a mild cold. You'll be fine once you take the pills." "I checked online. The theme park has wheelchair access. If we bring you, we can use the priority lane. We won't even have to buy Fast Passes! It's such a good deal. Let's go, please?" Her words unleashed the anger I had bottled up all night. To her, my high fever and physical pain were nothing compared to skipping a line at an amusement park. "Get out," I spat, my voice freezing cold. "If you want to go, go by yourselves." Chloe, unused to me snapping at her, was stunned. Tears welled in her eyes. "Sera... I just wanted to make you happy." Julian's heart clearly ached for her. He sighed, bringing the medicine to my lips while supporting the back of my head. "Come on, Sera. Take the medicine. You'll feel better." When I ignored him, he ignored my struggles, lifted me out of bed, placed me in the wheelchair, and wheeled me out of the apartment anyway. I wrapped myself in a blanket, my head throbbing. Julian pushed me from behind as they excitedly chatted about which rides to go on first. The wheelchair access did mean we skipped the lines. Chloe cheered as she ran ahead, and Julian pushed me close behind. The roller coasters, the drop towers, the carousel... Chloe dragged Julian onto every single ride. I was left parked alone by the exit gates. I watched them plunge from the peak of a roller coaster. Chloe screamed, throwing her hands in the air, while Julian laughed and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. After every ride, they would run back to me. "Sera, that was amazing!" "What's next? Let me check the map." "Julian, let's go to the Ferris wheel next!" My body shivered with fever, and my eyes shut. I felt entirely dead inside. Just then, a little boy ran over, staring at my wheelchair. "Hey, lady, what is that chair?" Before I could speak, Chloe knelt down and smiled sweetly at the boy. "Hey there! This is a wheelchair. This lady's legs don't work anymore. She's disabled, so she can't stand up."
My brain short-circuited. For a moment, all the noise of the park vanished. Those words felt like a dagger plunged straight into my heart. I could accept my disability. But I could not tolerate my best friend using my tragedy to entertain a stranger. The little boy nodded slowly. "I want to ride in a wheelchair too!" Chloe patted his head. "Sure!" She turned to me. "Sera, why don't you get down and let him sit for a bit? Kids are just curious." I trembled with rage, staring death at Chloe. "You have crossed the line." Chloe pouted. "It's just a joke, Sera. Why are you being so sensitive?" Julian returned just then, holding two iced drinks. He looked at me, then at Chloe. "Sera, just let the kid sit for a second. It's no big deal." Looking at Julian's blatant favoritism, I let out a dry, bitter laugh. I threw off my blanket and raised my voice. "My legs are useless, Julian! How do you expect me to get down? Should I crawl? Should I roll on the ground?" Startled by my sudden outburst, Chloe's eyes brimmed with tears, and she began to sob. Julian wiped Chloe's tears before turning to me. His eyes held a mixture of pity and annoyance. "Sera, Chloe didn't mean it like that. She's always been sweet and clueless. Don't take it out on her." I mocked. "Clueless? Julian, was leaving me in the middle of exploding fireworks clueless? Was leaving me alone in the pouring rain clueless?" He fell silent for a moment. Then he stood up and sighed, stroking my hair. "You have a fever. You're not thinking straight. Let's go home." He pushed me toward the exit. Chloe followed beside us, still whimpering. Julian turned and patted her back, whispering softly, "Don't be upset. Sera's sick, so she's moody. I know you've been holding back a lot of tears today." Chloe smiled through her tears. "Only you understand me, Julian." I sat in the wheelchair as we headed toward the exit. My heart was a frozen wasteland. When we got home, my mom called me. "Sera, I've booked the specialist in Switzerland. I'm coming with you." I nodded. "I'm booking my ticket to Zurich now." That night, Julian seemed to notice my unusual silence. He walked into my room carrying a cup of warm water and sat on the edge of my bed. "Still mad at me?" I didn't look at him. He sighed, leaning down to kiss my forehead. In the past, this gesture would make my heart flutter. Now, it made my stomach turn. He looked at me tenderly. "Sera, Chloe's just a kid at heart. It's her birthday tomorrow. Don't ruin her special day, okay?" I said nothing. Taking my silence as agreement, Julian patted my head. The next day, Julian cancelled all his plans. He drove across the city to buy Chloe's favorite flowers and order her favorite cake. I was treated like a ghost. Nobody asked how I was. That evening, Chloe's birthday venue was packed with guests. Julian pushed me to the entrance of the banquet hall. Suddenly, he let go of the wheelchair handles. "Sera, try walking up the steps on your own." I froze, looking down at the steps. There wasn't a single wheelchair ramp in sight. Julian looked at me with encouraging eyes. "A little struggle stimulates the nerves. Everyone is here to cheer you on. It will build your resolve. It's the best rehab." Whispers began to ripple through the crowd. "How is she supposed to climb that?" "Why would they bring a disabled person to a birthday party anyway? It's so awkward." "So tragic, paralyzed at such a young age." Every whisper felt like a needle stabbing into my skin. I gripped my armrests, my knuckles turning white under the glaring lights. Then, Chloe walked out from the crowd, wearing a beautiful dress and a sweet smile. "Sera, I asked Julian not to put a ramp here. I want you to push yourself. Just try to stand up, even if it's just for a second." She looked back at the guests. "We're all cheering for you! I genuinely want you to walk again, Sera." I raised my head to look at Chloe. My voice was deadly quiet. "You just want to humiliate me." Chloe's smile faltered. Tears welled up in her eyes again. "Sera... how could you say that?" Julian frowned, kneeling in front of me. "Sera, Chloe's doing this out of love." I took a deep breath, looking at them with absolute finality. "Then you can spend the rest of your life with her 'love,' Julian." I grabbed the wheels and spun my wheelchair around, heading straight for the exit. Julian froze. For the first time, he saw absolute abandonment in my eyes. A sudden, overwhelming panic gripped his chest. He instinctively moved to chase after me. "Julian!" Chloe grabbed his sleeve. "The party is starting. Sera's just throwing another tantrum. Let's not let her ruin my birthday." Julian hesitated. Looking at Chloe's tearful face, his heart softened once more. "Okay. Let's get through your party first. I'll go coax Sera afterward." In the end, he chose her. Again. I went to the airport alone. The moment the plane took off, a wave of profound relief washed over me. I was finally free. Meanwhile, back at the party venue, the guests had left. The feeling of dread in Julian's chest grew stronger. He pulled out his phone, but there were no messages. He rushed back to the apartment, only to find it completely empty. A terrible premonition seized him. With trembling fingers, he dialed my number. The phone you are trying to reach is switched off. Panic setting in, he began calling everyone who had attended the party. "Have you seen Sera?" They all said no. Chloe stood beside him, frowning. "Did the crowd upset her? Maybe she went to see her physical therapist? She's been talking about a new rehab program lately." Julian immediately called my therapist. "Dr. Evans, is Sera with you?" "Sera came and took all her medical files two days ago," the doctor replied calmly. "She said she booked a specialized clinic in Zurich and left today. Did you guys not know?"
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