This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

The sound of rain against the hospital window had become Marcus Chen's only companion during the endless nights. Each droplet that traced its path down the glass seemed to mirror the tears he could no longer shed. Three months had passed since the accident, three months since his world had collapsed beneath the weight of twisted metal and broken dreams.

Dr. Sarah Morrison had been patient with him, more patient than he deserved. Her gentle voice echoed in his mind as he stared into the darkness of his room. "Depression isn't a weakness, Marcus. It's an illness, and like any illness, it requires treatment and time to heal." But Marcus couldn't shake the feeling that he was drowning in an ocean of his own making, each wave of despair pulling him deeper into an abyss from which there seemed no escape.

The accident had taken everything from him. His career as a marine biologist, his mobility, his sense of purpose. The irony wasn't lost on him that someone who had spent his life studying the depths of the ocean now found himself lost in depths of a different kind. The titanium rods in his spine served as a constant reminder that some things, once broken, could never be fully restored.

His sister Elena visited every Tuesday and Friday, bringing fresh flowers and forced cheerfulness that made Marcus want to disappear entirely. She meant well, but her attempts to lift his spirits only highlighted how far he had fallen. Today was Tuesday, which meant she would arrive soon with her bright smile and gentle prodding about his therapy sessions.