Chapter 3 – Alone
1328 Words
Darkness.
It wasn't the peaceful darkness of sleep.
It was heavy.
Endless.
A place where time had no meaning.
Somewhere beyond it, voices drifted in and out, muffled as though they were underwater.
"...blood pressure is stabilizing..."
"...three fractured ribs..."
"...possible concussion..."
"...he's waking up..."
A sharp, rhythmic beep cut through the haze.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Adrian tried to move.
Pain exploded through his chest.
A groan escaped his lips before he even realized he was awake.
"Mr. Morgan?"
The voice was calm.
Gentle.
"Can you hear me?"
His eyelids felt as though someone had glued them shut.
With great effort, he forced them open.
Everything was painfully bright.
White ceiling.
White walls.
White curtains.
The smell of antiseptic filled the air.
Hospital.
He blinked several times, trying to focus.
A nurse stood beside his bed, shining a small flashlight into his eyes.
"There you are," she said with a relieved smile. "Welcome back."
His throat burned.
He swallowed.
It felt like sandpaper.
"W... water..."
"Of course."
She lifted a cup with a straw to his lips.
He took a small sip.
Even swallowing hurt.
"Easy," she warned.
"You've been through a serious accident."
The accident.
The rain.
The headlights.
The crash.
Memory returned in violent fragments.
Evelyn screaming.
The spinning car.
Broken glass.
Sirens.
His eyes widened.
He tried to sit up.
A stabbing pain shot through his ribs.
"Don't!" the nurse said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You have multiple fractures."
He ignored her.
"Where's Evelyn?"
The nurse frowned.
"I'm sorry?"
"My wife."
His breathing quickened.
"She was with me."
The nurse hesitated.
"I'll get the doctor."
She left before he could stop her.
Adrian lay back against the pillows, his heart pounding so hard it hurt more than his injuries.
She was probably in another room.
Maybe surgery.
Maybe unconscious.
But alive.
She had to be alive.
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
A man in a white coat entered, followed by the same nurse.
"Good morning, Mr. Morgan," the doctor said.
"I'm Dr. Hassan."
Adrian barely looked at him.
"My wife."
"I need to know where she is."
The doctor pulled a chair beside the bed.
"First, I need to ask you a few questions."
"What day is it?"
"I don't care."
"My wife—"
"What is your full name?"
"Adrian Morgan."
"And today's date?"
He thought for a moment.
"Our anniversary..."
His voice caught.
"Yesterday."
The doctor nodded.
"You've suffered a concussion."
"Some memory gaps are normal."
"I don't have memory gaps."
Adrian's voice became firmer.
"I remember everything."
The doctor exchanged a quick glance with the nurse.
"What is the last thing you remember?"
"Dinner."
"The rain."
"We were driving home."
"There were headlights..."
His breathing became uneven.
"The crash."
Then he looked directly at the doctor.
"Now tell me where Evelyn is."
Silence.
The doctor's expression changed.
Not sadness.
Confusion.
"I'm afraid," he said carefully, "we don't know who Evelyn is."
Adrian stared.
"What?"
"You were brought in alone."
"No."
His answer came instantly.
"No."
"You were the only occupant recovered from the vehicle."
"No!"
He tried to push himself upright again.
Pain shot through his chest.
"I wasn't alone!"
His voice echoed through the room.
"My wife was in the passenger seat!"
The heart monitor began beeping faster.
The nurse moved toward him.
"Mr. Morgan—"
"There were two of us!"
"There had to be!"
The doctor remained calm.
"The emergency responders found only you."
"They're wrong."
"They checked thoroughly."
"They missed her!"
"They didn't."
Adrian shook his head over and over.
"No..."
"I held her hand."
"We left the restaurant together."
"I heard her scream."
His voice cracked.
"She was there."
The doctor leaned forward.
"Mr. Morgan..."
"I'm not mistaken."
"I know my wife."
The doctor sighed quietly.
"I'm going to ask the police officers handling the accident to come speak with you."
"Good."
"They'll explain."
"They'll tell you."
"They'll find her."
"They already investigated the scene."
Adrian's stomach tightened.
A cold feeling settled over him.
The doctor stood.
"We'll give you some time."
As soon as they left, Adrian reached for the bedside table.
His movements were slow and painful.
His phone.
Where was his phone?
He found it inside a clear plastic bag containing his wallet, watch, wedding ring, and car keys.
His hands trembled as he switched it on.
The screen lit up.
He ignored dozens of missed calls from work.
His thumb immediately opened his contacts.
Evelyn ❤️
He pressed the call button.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then—
"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable..."
He hung up.
Called again.
Unavailable.
Again.
Unavailable.
His breathing became shallow.
He opened their message thread.
Months of conversations.
Good morning texts.
Heart emojis.
Shopping lists.
Anniversary plans.
Photos they'd sent each other.
Proof.
She existed.
Relief washed over him.
When the police arrived, he'd simply show them.
Everything would be fine.
Half an hour later, two officers entered the room.
One was middle-aged with graying hair.
The other looked much younger.
"Mr. Morgan," the older officer said.
"I'm Detective Collins."
"This is Officer Reed."
Adrian nodded impatiently.
"My wife is missing."
"We understand you believe someone else was in the vehicle."
"Believe?"
His voice sharpened.
"I know she was."
The detective opened a folder.
"We've reviewed the accident."
"There was only one victim."
"That's impossible."
"Mr. Morgan..."
"I have texts."
"I have pictures."
"I have everything."
He unlocked his phone.
His fingers moved quickly.
Gallery.
He smiled with relief.
Until he opened it.
His smile faded.
His gallery contained thousands of photographs.
Business trips.
Landscapes.
Food.
Selfies.
His apartment.
Friends.
Work events.
But—
No Evelyn.
He frowned.
"No..."
He searched again.
Nothing.
His heart lurched.
He opened the favorites album.
Empty of her.
He searched her name.
No results.
Impossible.
"This..."
His voice faltered.
"This can't be right."
The detective watched silently.
"My phone..."
"It was damaged in the crash."
"Things disappear."
Adrian shook his head violently.
"No."
"It wasn't damaged like this."
He opened social media.
His profile showed hundreds of posts.
Travel.
Birthdays.
Graduation.
Work promotions.
Not one wedding picture.
Not one anniversary post.
Not one photograph of Evelyn.
His mouth went dry.
"No..."
His fingers flew to his email.
Search.
"Evelyn."
Nothing.
He searched "wife."
Nothing.
He searched "anniversary."
Only promotional emails from restaurants.
His pulse thundered.
The detective spoke carefully.
"Mr. Morgan..."
Adrian looked up, panic spreading across his face.
"This is wrong."
"It has to be."
"I've been married for two years."
"My wife exists."
"I know she does."
The detective closed the folder.
"We're not saying you're lying."
"But as of now..."
"There is no evidence anyone named Evelyn Morgan was involved in the accident."
The words landed like a physical blow.
Adrian stared at him.
Unable to breathe.
Unable to think.
The detective stood.
"If you remember anything else, let us know."
They walked toward the door.
"Wait."
Both officers stopped.
Adrian's voice was barely above a whisper.
"If... if she wasn't there..."
He swallowed hard.
"...then whose anniversary was I celebrating last night?"
Neither officer answered.
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
The heart monitor continued its steady rhythm.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
For the first time since waking up, Adrian wasn't just afraid for Evelyn.
He was afraid of his own mind.
Because everyone around him was telling the same story.
The doctors.
The nurses.
The police.
They all insisted he had arrived alone.
But Adrian could still feel the warmth of Evelyn's hand in his.
He could still hear her laughter over dinner.
He could still remember the letter she had pressed against her chest.
Those memories felt too vivid to be dreams.
Too real to be imagined.
He closed his eyes, clinging desperately to the sound of her voice before it, too, could slip away.
Somewhere deep inside him, one certainty remained.
Evelyn had been in that car.
And somehow...
she had vanished.
- Writer
