When I woke up, a dull, pervasive ache throbbed through every single bone in my body. I instinctively tried to shoot upright, but my dad gently but firmly pressed me back down onto the mattress.
"Stay still, Chloe," he said, his voice raw. "You broke several bones."
I didn't even have time to worry about my own body and asked, "Where's Mom? How is she?"
My dad nodded, a wave of exhaustion washing over his face. "Thankfully, Doctor Miller got to her in time. She's stable now. Let's not talk about that right now…"
He paused, and his eyes filled with immense, crushing guilt as he looked down at me. "I let my temper get the better of me back then. I actually believed you'd done something that horrible. Chloe… Dad is so incredibly sorry for what he did to you."
I shook my head slightly aga
