The accident
1147 Words
The drive home was quiet.
Rain continued to fall heavily against the windshield as Ethan guided his car through the nearly empty streets.
Beside him, Mia stared out the window.
Her thoughts were a mess.
The revelations about Olivia had changed everything.
She finally understood why Ethan carried so much pain behind his confident smile.
For years, he had blamed himself for losing someone he loved.
And now she understood why he constantly tried to protect her.
He wasn’t controlling.
He was afraid.
Afraid history would repeat itself.
Ethan glanced at her.
“Are you okay?”
Mia turned toward him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she smiled softly.
“I think so.”
A look of relief crossed Ethan’s face.
“You scared me tonight.”
She laughed quietly.
“You scared me too.”
Ethan reached for her hand.
“I meant what I said.”
“What?”
“I love you.”
The sincerity in his voice made her heart skip.
Mia looked away shyly.
After everything they had been through, hearing those words still affected her.
“I know.”
Ethan squeezed her hand gently.
“No.”
His voice grew serious.
“I don’t think you do.”
Mia looked back at him.
His eyes never left the road.
“I’ve spent years trying not to lose anyone again.”
The sadness in his voice was unmistakable.
“But losing you would destroy me.”
Mia’s chest tightened.
For the first time, she believed every word.
Not because Ethan was rich.
Not because of grand gestures.
But because she could hear the truth in his voice.
The silence that followed was peaceful.
Comfortable.
Until headlights suddenly appeared behind them.
Bright.
Blinding.
Ethan frowned.
The vehicle behind them was moving unusually fast.
Far too fast for the weather conditions.
Mia noticed it too.
“That car…”
Ethan checked his mirror.
The black SUV continued accelerating.
A strange feeling settled in his stomach.
Something wasn’t right.
The SUV moved closer.
And closer.
Its headlights filled the entire rear window.
“Ethan?”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel.
“Hold on.”
The SUV suddenly sped forward.
CRASH!
The impact slammed into the back of Ethan’s car.
Mia screamed.
The vehicle skidded across the wet road.
Ethan fought to regain control.
The tires screeched.
The car spun violently.
Everything happened in seconds.
Glass shattered.
Metal twisted.
The world became a blur of noise and motion.
Then—
BOOM!
The car crashed into a roadside barrier.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Rain tapped softly against the damaged vehicle.
Blood trickled from Ethan’s forehead.
His vision blurred.
“Mia.”
No response.
Fear exploded inside him.
“Mia!”
He turned toward her.
She was unconscious.
A thin line of blood ran down her temple.
Panic unlike anything he had ever known gripped him.
“Mia, wake up.”
Nothing.
His hands shook.
For years he had feared losing someone again.
Now that nightmare seemed to be unfolding before his eyes.
Outside, the black SUV slowed briefly.
The driver looked toward the wreckage.
Then sped away into the darkness.
⸻
One Hour Later
The emergency room was chaos.
Doctors rushed through the hallways.
Nurses moved from patient to patient.
Ethan sat outside the operating room.
Blood stained his shirt.
A bandage covered his forehead.
Yet he barely noticed his own injuries.
His entire focus was on one thing.
Mia.
The doors remained closed.
Every passing second felt like torture.
Finally, footsteps approached.
A doctor emerged.
Ethan jumped to his feet.
“How is she?”
The doctor’s expression softened.
“She’s stable.”
Relief nearly made Ethan collapse.
“Can I see her?”
“She hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”
The doctor’s tone grew serious.
“There was a significant head injury.”
Ethan’s heart sank again.
“What does that mean?”
“We need to monitor her carefully.”
Fear returned immediately.
The doctor hesitated.
“There may be complications.”
The words echoed in Ethan’s mind.
Complications.
The same word doctors had used years ago before Olivia died.
Ethan clenched his fists.
Not again.
Not this time.
⸻
Across town, a man sat inside a luxury penthouse.
The television displayed news footage of the accident.
A smile appeared on his face.
His phone rang.
He answered immediately.
“It’s done,” he said.
The caller’s voice was calm.
“Is the girl dead?”
“No.”
A pause followed.
Then the caller spoke again.
“That’s unfortunate.”
The man chuckled.
“Should I finish the job?”
“No.”
The voice became cold.
“Not yet.”
The call ended.
The man stared at Mia’s picture displayed on his tablet.
“Let’s see how long you survive.”
⸻
The following morning, Ethan had not left the hospital once.
He remained beside Mia’s bed.
Watching.
Waiting.
Praying.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains.
The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of medical equipment.
Ethan gently held her hand.
“You promised me no more running away.”
His voice cracked.
“So wake up.”
Nothing.
Hours passed.
Then suddenly—
A finger moved.
Ethan froze.
“Mia?”
Her eyelids fluttered.
Slowly.
Weakly.
Then opened.
Relief flooded through him.
“Mia.”
She blinked several times.
Confused.
Disoriented.
Ethan smiled for the first time in hours.
“Thank God.”
Mia looked at him.
Then frowned.
Her expression changed.
Confusion filled her eyes.
“Who are you?”
The smile disappeared from Ethan’s face.
The room suddenly felt cold.
“What?”
Mia stared at him.
Fearfully.
As though she had never seen him before.
“Who are you?” she repeated.
Ethan’s heart stopped.
A nurse immediately rushed into the room.
Moments later, doctors arrived.
They began asking Mia questions.
Questions she answered easily.
Her name.
Her age.
The current year.
Everything seemed normal.
Except for one thing.
She didn’t remember Ethan.
Not at all.
The doctor eventually led Ethan into the hallway.
His expression was grim.
“What happened?”
The doctor sighed.
“The head trauma likely caused memory loss.”
Ethan felt the ground disappear beneath him.
“What kind of memory loss?”
The doctor’s answer shattered him.
“It appears she remembers her life.”
A pause.
“But she doesn’t remember you.”
Ethan stared at him in disbelief.
“No.”
“I’m sorry.”
The doctor’s words barely registered.
Inside the room, Mia sat confused and frightened.
And the woman who had become Ethan’s entire world now looked at him like a complete stranger.
As Ethan stared through the glass window, a terrible realization hit him.
The accident hadn’t taken Mia’s life.
It had taken something else.
Every memory of him.
And somewhere in the shadows, the person responsible smiled.
Because their plan was only beginning.
- Writer
