Prologue
‘You’re going to kill us!’
‘I don’t care!’
The wind howled through the open windows of Scarlett’s car as she sped along the winding road. They were dangerously close to the edge, she knew it. But she couldn’t bring herself to stop the car. She tried to ignore Damien’s terrified voice and scrambling hands trying to get her to stop.
A few minutes ago, she’d been offered an ultimatum, and she had to make a decision fast. But how could she do it? Whatever decision she made would end with her losing the man she’d grown to love so much. But it was all her fault, she was the one who had gone and messed it all up.
Her mind was a clouded mess and her heart raced, pounding crazily in her chest as guilt and regret consumed her. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision as she tried to block out Damien’s voice beside her. The weight of their broken relationship lay thick in the air, it had been simple at first, he just wanted to know why he had seen her kissing someone else at the party. But as accusations began to fly, she realized she was just digging herself deeper and deeper and she foolishly started the car and began to drive, trying to forget the look of betrayal and pain in his eyes.
And he didn’t even know the full story yet.
“Scarlett stop the car!”
“Please!!”
Damien reached towards her to take control of the wheel again, but she swerved and he was thrown back against his seat. She took a quick look at him. Even in the frenzy, she wanted to make sure he was okay. He had a wild look on his face and her heart squeezed again. It was almost like he didn’t know who she was anymore, all recognition gone from his face. There was definitely no way he would forgive her if he knew the whole story.
The rain pattered down heavily on the car, a constant reminder that she shouldn’t be doing this. The windscreen wipers worked tirelessly this way and that. She could barely see anything in front of her, it was all black. She squinted her eyes and tried to peer into the darkness and that memontary lapse of focus was all it took for the tires to veer off course. Panic gripped her as she tried to stay in control but it was all in vain, the car lurched over the edge, plunging into the abyss below.
Time seemed to slow as the car tumbled, twisting and turning. Scarlett kept her hands on the wheel like she could somehow salvage the situation, Damien’s piercing scream tore through her ears. They could no longer tell the difference between the pouring rain and the shattering glass. Gravity seemed to be pulling them further and further into the darkness.
Finally, the vehicle came to a jarring halt, settling in an upturned position. The impact had left Scarlett battered and disoriented. Shards of glass stuck in her skin and dug into her as she attempted to detangle herself from the seatbelt that was almost sucking the life out of her. She called out for Damien but there was no answer. Gritting her teeth in pain, she finally unbuckled her seatbelt and found a way to scramble out of the car. The back of her head hammered painfully and she stood for a moment to control her breathing. Her whole body protested in pain as she staggered over to the other side of the car, calling out for Damien again, but still, there was no answer.
Her heart plummeted as she thought the worst. Damien’s eyes were closed as he lay there unmoving, he didn’t look like he was breathing and she was too terrified to check. She looked around her surroundings and realized that any attempt to seek help would be futile. She called out for Damien again— still no answer.
The voice in her head crept in like an uninvited stranger, whispering scenarios she couldn’t imagine. She had killed someone, the realization washed over her, ice cold. It would only be a moment of time before they found her, locked her behind bars for life or worse. She wondered if someone else might have seen them, but she knew no one was driving on that road in that weather.
She didn’t mean to make the decisions she made next, but somehow, instinct and fear overtook her whole being and before she knew it, she was limping away, each step taking her further away from the scene, from Damien, the guy who had come into her life just months ago but had managed to take up a place so big in her heart that she couldn’t breathe.
She swallowed back a sob, shivering as the cold pierced through her bones. She kept walking, and she didn’t look back.
