The drive felt too quiet. Not peaceful. Not calm. Just… controlled. Like everything inside the car was being held together by force.
Sophie sat beside Ethan, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The city lights blurred past the window, but she didn’t really see them.
Her mind was somewhere else. Ten years ago. That hallway. That fall. That gap.
“You’re overthinking it.” Ethan’s voice broke through her thoughts.
Sophie didn’t look at him. “I’m thinking just enough.”
Silence. Then—
“You’re trying to remember,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Don’t force it.”
Her jaw tightened slightly.
“I don’t think I have a choice.”
Another silence.
Then the car slowed. Sophie’s heart skipped. She looked up. The hospital stood ahead. Exactly the same. White. Still. Unchanged.
And somehow— That made it worse
