For five years, Rodrigo Zampayo had lived inside a cage.
Not one made of steel bars or locked doors — but one built from fear, memory, and loss.
After the car accident, doctors told him he would never walk again. The impact had crushed his spine, but what followed crushed something even deeper. Overnight, the life he knew disappeared. No more morning runs. No more spontaneous trips. No more standing at the window of his penthouse, feeling like the world was open and waiting.
Now, the world felt far away.
The wheelchair became part of him — not just physically, but emotionally. Every glance, every awkward silence, every forced smile from strangers reminded him of what he had lost.
Rodrigo was still wealthy. Still powerful. Still the CEO of one of the most successful real estate development firms in the city.
But at night, none of that mattered.
Luxury couldn’t keep him warm.
Money couldn’t silence the loneliness.
His apartment echoed with emptiness.
He had dated after the accident. Or at least, he had tried.
Every time was the same.
At first, the women laughed at his jokes, admired his intelligence, enjoyed the dinners. Then came the moment — the realization. The wheelchair. The hesitation. The pity in their eyes.
And eventually, the distance.
They always left.
So Rodrigo learned to protect himself. He stopped hoping. Stopped believing. He told himself that love was something that belonged to the man he used to be — not the one he was now.
Until one sleepless night, scrolling aimlessly, he did something reckless.
He downloaded a dating app.
The Messages That Made Him Feel Alive Again
Her name was Marina.
From the first message, she was different.
She didn’t ask about his money.
She didn’t flirt carelessly.
She talked about architecture, about how buildings reflected the souls of the people who lived in them. She loved old films, quiet cafés, philosophy books with dog-eared pages.
For the first time in years, Rodrigo found himself smiling at his phone.
They talked every night.
He felt alive again — terrified, but alive.
Still, one fear followed him like a shadow.
What happens when she finds out?
He hadn’t lied. But he hadn’t told her everything either.
When she suggested meeting in person, his hands trembled.
Three weeks of conversation. Three weeks of hope.
And one inevitable truth.
The Date He Expected to Fail
See more on the next page
Advertisement
See more on the next page
Advertisement
