Chapter 1: Tragedy Strikes

My name is Alex Turner, and I'm a fourth-year college student. After years of longing and hoping, my dream of having a girlfriend finally came true. Her name was Emily Bennett, a radiant and intelligent woman who made my heart race with every smile. But life's cruel twists had a way of turning dreams into nightmares.

One fateful afternoon, as Emily and I were crossing the street hand in hand, the world around us shattered into chaos. An out-of-control truck careened toward us, its brakes failing. Time seemed to slow down, and I vividly remember the panic that surged through me. Instinct kicked in, and I yanked Emily out of harm's way just in time. But then, the unimaginable happened—the cargo from the truck flew out, striking Emily in the head.

The shock paralyzed me as I watched the medics rush to the scene. I felt helpless, my mind struggling to grasp the reality of what had just transpired. They frantically worked to stabilize her, and I could do nothing but stand there, my heart pounding like a drum. As they loaded her onto the ambulance, I stumbled after them, tears streaming down my face. The ambulance ride was a blur of sobs and heartache, my own pain secondary to the overwhelming fear for Emily's life.

My body felt numb, as if I were detached from the world. The ambulance sped toward the hospital, the city's sounds fading into a distant hum. Despite the pain from my injuries—a result of colliding with a pole during the accident—I hardly noticed it. My thoughts were consumed by Emily's well-being, my mind replaying the horrifying scene on a loop.

As the ambulance drew closer to the hospital, my exhaustion and emotional turmoil finally caught up with me, and I slipped into unconsciousness. In that unconscious state, my mind conjured images of our happiest moments together—our laughter, our shared secrets, and stolen glances. The dream was painfully brief, a cruel reminder of what had been torn away from me. Amid the happiness of those memories, an overpowering sense of injustice gnawed at me. Why was life so unfair? Why had fate gifted me a love so beautiful, only to snatch it away with such brutality?

When I finally regained consciousness, the room was bathed in the soft glow of evening. My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw were my parents and Emily's parents locked in a heated argument. It was as if their voices were coming from a distance, the words a blur of accusations and anguish. None of them had noticed that I had woken up. I felt like an invisible spectator to their pain, a pain that I had unintentionally caused.

Listening to their heated exchange, the weight of guilt and regret settled heavily upon me. I had failed to protect Emily, the woman I loved. The pain of that realization was crushing, and I found myself torn between wanting to be part of the conversation and wanting to disappear entirely.

Time passed in a haze as their arguments continued, and I began to tune into their words. Emily's mother's voice, strained with grief and desperation, cut through the air: "Bring back my daughter! Bring her back!" Her words shattered the fragile calm that had settled over me, and tears welled up in my eyes once again. Could she be brought back? Was there any hope of undoing the irreversible?

In that moment, a storm of questions raged in my mind. Why had I survived when Emily hadn't? Did the gods  intend for me to suffer? As the darkness of the room closed in on me, one truth became painfully clear—I was living a nightmare that was all too real, one I couldn't escape from, no matter how much I wished to wake up.

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