I thought Mark would always be there for me. I thought he’d stand by me, no matter what. But the night I walked in on him and my best friend Sarah, everything I believed in shattered. I ran, tears blurring my vision, my heart pounding in my chest. I never saw the sharp turn ahead.
For years, my life had seemed perfect. I had Mark, my husband, who always knew how to make me laugh, even on my darkest days. Our daughter, Sophie, was the joy of my life. The three of us were a team. We laughed at dinner, kissed goodnight before bed, and I believed nothing could ever break us.
“Kate, don’t stress,” Mark would always say. “What’s the worst that can happen? Dinner burns? We order pizza. Problem solved.”
I would laugh, feeling so lucky. And Sophie? She was six, full of life and wonder. She loved bedtime stories and caramel ice cream. Every evening, we had spontaneous dance parties in the living room, and she’d giggle, “Mom, twirl me! Higher!”
I’d smile and reply, “Okay, but if I fall, you’re carrying me to bed.”
She’d laugh so hard I thought she might burst, and Mark would shake his head with a grin. “Two troublemakers. I don’t stand a chance in this house.”
But then, everything changed. I never imagined it would be Sarah who would betray me.
It started when Sarah said she didn’t want to celebrate her birthday. She wasn’t usually like that, so I decided to surprise her. I bought her favorite chocolate cherry cake, smiling to myself, thinking, She’s going to roll her eyes and say, “Kate, you’re ridiculous.”
I pulled up to her house, but something felt off. The door was slightly open.
“Sarah?” I called out, stepping inside.
It was silent. I took a few steps and froze.
Mark was sitting on the couch. His hand rested on Sarah’s lower back, their fingers intertwined. His face was close to hers—too close. The air left my lungs in a rush.
“Kate…” Mark’s voice was a whisper as he stood up, his face pale.
Sarah’s eyes widened, and she stammered, “Wait, just…”
But their words blurred into nothing. The cake slipped from my fingers, landing with a soft thud.
I turned and ran, my breath ragged as the storm lashed against my skin. My hands were shaking as I fumbled with my car keys. I barely managed to start the engine.
“Breathe, Kate. Just breathe,” I whispered to myself, my vision blurring as I slammed my foot on the gas. The streetlights streaked into smears of gold.
The sharp turn came too fast. The tires screamed as they skidded, and then came the crash. A violent, crushing force.
Then, darkness.
I woke up in a hospital bed. My body felt alien, broken. I tried to move, but something was wrong. I couldn’t feel my legs.
“Kate,” a calm voice said. It was the doctor. “You need to know… You have paralysis of the lower body. A wheelchair. There’s a chance for recovery, but no guarantees.”
His words burned like fire. How could I not walk anymore? Panic rose in my throat.
But then I saw her. Sophie. She stood by the door, her eyes wide with fear. She ran to me, throwing her arms around me, burying her face in my shoulder.
“Mommy…” she whispered.
I held her as tightly as I could, but inside, I was falling apart.
Mark stood there, cold, distant. No remorse in his eyes, just emptiness.
“We’ll get through this,” I whispered, trying to believe it, to force myself to believe it.
Mark exhaled, long and heavy. “Kate…”
I turned to Sophie, asking her to go play with her teddy bear in the hallway. A nurse kindly stayed with her for a moment.
Then Mark said it—his words hitting me like a slap.
“I can’t do this anymore.”
I froze. “What?”
“I’m leaving.”
There were no apologies, no regrets, just those three words. He might as well have been talking about the weather.
“Are you leaving for her?” I asked, my voice trembling, my grip tightening on the sheets.
He didn’t answer.
“I’ll take Sophie for now,” he added, his tone dry. “We’ll figure out the rest later.”
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out. I was left alone, my tears falling silently.
I had to get back on my feet. For Sophie.
Rehabilitation was hell. Every day felt like a battle. That’s when Alex, my physical therapist, came into my life. He was kind and patient, but he didn’t let me give up.
“Again, Kate. You can do this,” he said every day, his voice encouraging.
But I couldn’t. I was angry. Angry at myself. Angry at Mark. Even angry at Alex, who kept pushing me to focus on my legs when all I could think about was the betrayal.
A week passed in a haze of failed attempts. Then Sophie came back. She was glowing with excitement.
“Mom, you won’t believe it! We went to the amusement park!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. “Dad let me ride the biggest roller coaster, and Aunt Sarah bought me the biggest cotton candy!”
Aunt Sarah. Those words hit me like a hammer to the chest. I forced a smile.
“That sounds wonderful, sweetheart.”
“Mom, can we go together next time?” she asked, grabbing my hand eagerly.
I wanted to say yes. I wanted to run beside her, laugh with her, hold her hand as she screamed with joy on the rides. But my legs didn’t move. They didn’t exist in the world she was living in.
I looked away. “I don’t know, sweetheart.”
Her face fell. “Oh… well, maybe some other time,” she whispered.
That night, Mark called.
“Sophie’s doing great with me,” he said, his voice too calm. “I think she should live here.”
I gripped the phone. “You didn’t even ask me.”
“Kate, be honest. It’s hard for you. Sophie deserves a normal childhood.”
The words cut like knives. “And you think I can’t give that to her?”
He sighed, like he was explaining something simple to a child. “You see it yourself. I’ll pick her up tomorrow. Dentist appointment, then a birthday party. Or do you want to take her yourself?”
I didn’t get the chance to respond. He hung up.
The next morning, Sophie left. When Alex arrived, I met him with a cold stare.
“I’m done,” I said, my voice brittle.
Alex was surprised, but not shaken. “Kate, it’s normal to be exhausted. But not now. You’ve come so far.”
“And for what?” My voice cracked. “To watch my daughter have the time of her life with my ex and his mistress? To know she’d rather be with them than me? To keep staring at my legs, waiting for them to magically start working again?”
Alex’s face softened. “Sophie loves you. But you need time.”
“She needs a mother who can walk.”
He sighed deeply. “She needs a mother who doesn’t give up.”
“I can’t do this anymore,” I whispered.
Alex’s eyes were full of understanding as he studied me. He paused for a long moment.
“Okay,” he said softly. “If you want to give up, I can’t stop you. But if you ever need my help again, you know where to find me.”
And then he left.
I sat by the window, watching the rain fall.
The next day, my mother arrived. I hadn’t invited her. I hadn’t told her what was happening. But I suspected Alex had called her.
She walked into my room, sat down beside me, and gently took my hand, just like when I was a little girl. “My sweet girl. Everything will be alright.”
I didn’t respond.
“The doctors say you need to believe in yourself.”
I let out a dry laugh. “I don’t believe in anything anymore, Mom.”
She sighed, brushed a strand of hair from my face, and opened her laptop.
On the screen, I saw myself as a child, running on a beach, laughing, falling into the sand, then getting up and running toward my mother, who lifted me into the air and spun me around.
I stared in shock. “What is this?”
Mom smiled gently. “Your childhood. This was the time when I didn’t have the strength to lift you. I had cancer. I was recovering from chemotherapy.”
I shivered. “I never knew.”
She met my eyes, her gaze steady. “When your father died, I got sick. The doctors said my chances were fifty-fifty.”
“But you recovered.”
“Because I saw your eyes,” she said, squeezing my hand. “I didn’t want to betray your happiness.”
I had never known. She brushed my hair back and smiled softly. “And Sophie… he wants to take her from me.”
“Honey, I’ll take care of Sophie. Until you’re back on your feet. And you will be. I believe it.”
She winked. “And Alex… I think he believes in you too.”
In that moment, I realized if my mother could survive, if she could overcome all of that, so could I. That night, I called Alex.
“I’m coming back to rehab.”
“I knew you would,” he said.
The days that followed were brutal, but Sophie and my mom were there, helping me push forward. I fell. Alex caught me. I tried again and again.
“If you need me outside of this, I can help with Sophie,” he said. “Your mom deserves a break too.”
I looked up at him, warmth stirring inside me.
“Is this your way of asking me out?” I teased.
He chuckled.
A month later, I threw Sophie a birthday party. I stood beside her, without a wheelchair. Alex took my hand. Mark watched from a distance. But I never looked back.
