Chapter 5: The Awakening
Chapter 5: The Awakening
I woke up on my third day in the hospital, the heavy fog of the sedatives Linda had fed me finally clearing from my brain. The sunlight streaming through the window felt different—it felt like a promise.
A military chaplain and a trauma counselor sat by my bed, talking me through the realities of what was to come. They warned me that the legal battle would be grueling, that Ryan would try to drag my name through the mud.
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For a brief moment, the old fear crept in. I looked at my hands, trembling against the white sheets. But then I felt a sharp, sudden kick from inside my womb. My daughter was reminding me why I had to fight. I looked up at my father, who was watching me closely.
"Tell the lawyers to prepare," I said, my voice steady for the first time in a year. "I'm ready."
