MacBook stuck on Recovery Mode with a Cracked Screen

I have a 2018 MacBook Pro with a display issue, so I’ve been using it with an external monitor for months since the repair cost is over $900. Despite the display problem, everything has worked fine by simply plugging in an HDMI cable to the monitor.

However, a week ago, I created a second user account on my Mac to separate my school work from my main account. It worked perfectly for a day. The next day, when I tried to use it, something felt off. Normally, after powering it on, I would wait 20-30 seconds, tap the trackpad, and then log in. The Mac doesn’t mirror to the monitor until after logging in.

But this time, after powering on, my monitor turned dark grey, similar to when the Mac enters Recovery Mode—and that’s exactly what happened. The Mac booted into Recovery Mode, and instead of mirroring the screen, it extended the display. Since I couldn’t see anything useful on the monitor, I used “VoiceOver” to guide me as I blindly navigated. Unplugging and re-plugging the HDMI cable gave me brief flashes of information, but it still didn’t mirror properly.

Eventually, I managed to access the “Startup Disk” option and selected my disk. After unlocking it, the Mac asked if I wanted to restart or enter Target Disk Mode. I chose restart, but now the Mac keeps booting into Recovery Mode no matter what I do—it’s stuck in this loop.

I’ve tried using “Command + Option + R” on startup, but nothing appears on the monitor since it won’t extend or mirror the display.

I really need help. I don’t want to lose any files on my disk, as I have important data stored on it.