1 The crash
The rain poured relentlessly against the windshield, transforming the road ahead into a blur. Evan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. He was already late, and Sam was not going to forgive him. It was their third wedding anniversary—how could he have forgotten? Of all days, he had to choose this one to be late. And to think, this wasn’t even the worst thing he had done recently.
He pressed the gas pedal harder, trying to beat the clock. The restaurant reservation was about to expire, and knowing Sam, she would already be there, waiting impatiently. She would never enter alone, though. Sam reveled in the admiring glances people cast as she walked in arm-in-arm with her handsome husband. The thought made him smile despite his anxiety; they did make a striking couple. Their friends often joked they looked like models in luxury hotel ads—perfect smiles, perfect bodies, the perfect marriage.
Fate seemed to conspire against him, throwing red light after red light his way. A gnawing feeling crept over him, and it wasn’t just the forgotten date. Something else was wrong. Then he noticed his wedding ring was missing from its usual place. Panic surged through him. Had he left it in the room? No, he couldn’t have been that careless. He began patting his front pockets frantically. His cell phone buzzed with a message. He glanced at the sender and smiled briefly but couldn’t read the message now. He had more urgent concerns and tossed the phone into the car’s cup holder. The honk from the car behind jolted him; the traffic light had turned green.
He scanned everywhere for the ring, shifting his eyes between the road and his seat. Maybe it was in his back pocket? He lifted slightly from the seat to check. “There you are!” he exclaimed, pulling the ring out. Just then, the car jolted as it hit a pothole, and the ring slipped from his grasp. Now, Evan was trying to retrieve it while keeping his car in the lane.
He needed more room to reach it, so he unfastened his seatbelt. His cell phone rang, drawing his eyes to the screen. It was Sam. Now he was in real trouble. As he reached for the phone, a loud crash shook his world.
The car spun wildly, glass shattering in every direction. The airbags deployed with a violent thud, hitting him squarely in the head. Pain exploded in his skull, and then, everything went dark.
