“I didn’t expect you to find out like this,” he admitted quietly. “But yes, I can move my legs.”

The admission hung in the air, a truth that seemed almost too big for the room to contain. My mind was a whirlpool of confusion and anger. “Why?” I asked, the word heavy with every emotion I couldn’t yet articulate.

“There are things you don’t know, Lila,” he said, his voice low and almost apologetic. “Things none of you knows.”

“Then tell me,” I urged. “I deserve to know.”