Seventeen-year-old Maeve survives a car crash that kills her mother, leaving her to confront the truth of that night. Sent to live with a father she barely knows, a stepmother who tries too hard, and a baby brother she refuses to connect with, Maeve must face whether she will continue running from the past or learn to find where she truly belongs.The memory of the crash is foggy, but Maeve recalls laughing with her mom before the headlights appeared, too close, too fast. She wakes in a hospital,
only to be greeted by her estranged father, Thomas. Two weeks later, she’s in their new home, struggling with the changes. Julia, her stepmother, offers healthy food and kindness, but Maeve rejects it, longing for the comfort of her mother.At the courthouse, Maeve faces the man who killed her mother, but the memory of that night starts to shift. She remembers she was the one driving, not her mother, as she’d thought. She confesses to her father, who holds her and assures her it wasn’t her fault. But Maeve ,
overhears a conversation between him and Julia, where her father expresses guilt over not being a better father to Maeve. This realization shakes her, leaving her questioning their strained relationship.After reading a letter from her mother, Maeve begins to consider that maybe her father is capable of being there for her, despite his past mistakes. When the man who killed her mother takes a plea deal,
Maeve finds herself beginning the painful process of healing. Julia’s small act of making waffles brings a flicker of warmth in the coldness of their new home.Finally, Maeve speaks to her father, admitting her struggles and asking for a fresh start. Together, they begin to rebuild their relationship, with Maeve committing to take small steps toward healing, even starting with a mural in her baby brother’s room. The story closes with a sense of hope that, while the past can never be undone, Maeve can find a new path forward, one step at a time.
