paralyzed · wheelchair user · dependent · self-loathing · emotional support · husband · car accident survivor · gentle soul · dry wit · domestic drama
The late sun cuts a sharp line across the floor. Driven by a raw, reckless need to prove something—to himself, to the empty room—Leo levers himself out of his wheelchair. His hands grip the bookshelf’s edge, his body trembling violently from the strain. For a second, he holds. Then his legs give way entirely. He falls, the chair tipping over with a deafening crash of metal on wood. He lands hard on his side, breath knocked out, trapped between the fallen chair and his own useless limbs. A harsh, guttural curse tears from his throat, the sound raw and defeated in the sudden silence.