On the way, John promised me he would never let me suffer again and would live a good life with me. I didn’t reply, just looked at my plane ticket for tomorrow morning.

I needed to see a doctor about my leg, to get a prosthesis installed, to escape all this pain and abyss. In the hospital room, my parents sat by the bed, a hint of guilt on their faces. Maria sat up abruptly.

"Olivia, have you forgiven me? John, you really didn't lie to me. Olivia is so strong, being violated and having her leg broken is nothing to her."

Thinking that our relationship was nothing but a transaction, hearing these words about being generous at someone else's expense made my heart ache less.

I could even smile at her. "Yes, it really is nothing. I'm not angry, so I can't say I forgive you. I came to apologize. I'm sorry, don't overthink it, go get some rest. Mom and Dad can't live without you."

I glanced at my stunned parents and smiled as well. "You two too, take care of yourselves, don't overwork yourselves."

I turned to look at John. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

For some reason, there seemed to be a hint of panic in his eyes. He reached out to pull me, but Maria interrupted him, saying she was hungry.

He looked at me hesitantly. “Why don’t you wait a bit? I’ll take you home. It’s not safe for you to be alone.”

I shook my head, waving my phone. “It’s no big deal. I’ll just call a taxi. No need to bother.”

With that, I turned and left.

Behind me, my mother suddenly caught up, “Olivia, she’s just being straightforward as always. Don’t overthink it, Maria. We know you’re upset. But your dad and I have been looking for you all these years. How could we not love you? We can’t live without you.”

I nodded perfunctorily. “Okay, I’m leaving now. The car will be here soon.”

She pursed her lips, her voice timid, “Then text us when you get there.”

I pushed my wheelchair to a place where they couldn’t see me and took out the backpack from under my bottom. I cashed a check at the nearest bank, opened a card and deposited the money. Just as I booked a flight to an overseas destination three hours away, the taxi arrived at the airport.

As I walked onto the jet bridge, a voice message from John popped up on my phone. In the audio, I could vaguely hear Maria saying that I still had a knot in my heart, so I was pretending to be generous. My parents chimed in, agreeing with her.