Second Chances (Schaffer)

Captain Kayla Mueller commanded the USS Horizon through the impossible-first contact with an alien species, a devastating attack, and a desperate evacuation that saved every soul aboard. But the ship didn't survive, and neither did the woman she used to be.Waking in a medical bay three weeks after the crash, Kayla discovers the true cost of her sacrifice: her right arm gone, both legs amputated, her face scarred Advanced biosynthetic technology offers her a second chance-limbs that exceed human capability, strength she must constantly hide, and abilities that set her apart from everyone she loves.As Kayla struggles to reclaim her identity and reconcile the superhuman capabilities hidden beneath her carefully controlled movements, she must also navigate the delicate terrain of motherhood to her young daughter Abby, reconnect with the family she left behind three years ago, and confront the possibility of love she thought was lost forever.From the sterile corridors of Sol Station to public press conferences where she must pretend to be merely human, from painful rehabilitation to rediscovered hope, Kayla's journey is one of resilience, transformation, and the fierce determination to build a life worth living-no matter how different that life has become.But healing isn't linear, and the ghosts of the Horizon's final moments still haunt her. When the universe she helped save demands she return to the stars, Kayla must decide: Will she hide what she's become, or embrace the extraordinary woman she's fought so hard to be?THE AFTERMATH is a powerful story of survival, identity, and the unbreakable bonds of family-perfect for readers who believe that our greatest strength lies not in what we've lost, but in what we choose to become.