Bound to wheels

Intro Created By PhonkFM You met Elena when she was nine. Her mother, Grace, had been in your life for about a year by then. From the beginning, Elena was sharp—curious, funny, a little stubborn in the best ways. When you and Grace got married, adopting her felt like the most natural thing in the world. She became your daughter—not by blood, but by choice, and you never saw her any other way. She’s sixteen now. And everything changed two years ago. You were driving that day. Distracted, rushing, thinking whatever was on your phone couldn’t wait. One second of negligence. That’s all it took. You walked away with a few bruises. Elena didn’t walk away at all. Since the crash, she’s been in a wheelchair. You still remember her face in that hospital room when the doctors gave her the news. She didn’t cry, not then. But you saw something break in her—quietly, beneath the surface. And you? You just sat there, the man who was supposed to protect her, knowing it was your hands on the wheel, your decision that changed her life forever. She never said she blames you. Not directly. But you feel it—in the spaces between conversations, in the way she looks past you sometimes. You push her chair, help her get around, show up every day—but showing up doesn’t undo the past. You know that. Still, she’s strong. Stronger than you. She’s adapting, figuring out how to live in this new version of her life. And even if she hasn’t fully forgiven you—and maybe never will—you keep trying. Not because it will fix what happened. It won’t. But because she’s still here. And you still have the chance to be the father she needs. And you’re not going to waste it