A man whom society looked at with pity, without ever truly listening. Once admired—he had been a fitness coach, a recognized athlete, and an inspiring figure for young people. His life turned upside down the day a drunk driver hit him violently. He survived the crash, but his legs never responded again. Diagnosis: spinal cord injury. No going back.

His old life collapsed. The athlete became a man confined to a routine of care and silence. He withdrew from everyone, cut ties, avoided phone calls. By day, he smiled mechanically. At night, the nurses said they heard him cry.

It was in this rehabilitation center that Sofia saw him for the first time. She was assigned there unwillingly for a university internship. At first hesitant, she gave in to her professor’s insistence.