Rain. It was the first thing Abby noticed.
Soft patters against the windshield, delicate at first. They looked like tiny diamonds splashing against the glass, rolling down in crooked, uneven paths. She was mesmerized by the rhythm, the way each drop seemed to chase the other, blurring together in an endless stream. But something felt wrong.
The wipers—they weren't keeping up.
Her eyes darted to the side, where the wiper blades sluggishly dragged across the glass, leaving streaks behind, smearing the world outside into a hazy blur. Panic fluttered in her chest, just a flicker at first, barely noticeable. But then, the rain came harder, heavier. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles white as she leaned forward, squinting through the mess of water distorting her view.
"Why aren't they working?" she muttered under her breath, feeling a strange knot of anxiety twist in her stomach.
Her heart started to pound, beating in time with the relentless drumming of rain on metal. The road ahead, once clear, now looked like a smudged painting—lights from oncoming cars stretching and bending unnaturally in the downpour. She blinked, trying to focus, but the darkness and rain swallowed everything, leaving her feeling small and lost inside the car.
The sound of tires slipping against wet asphalt echoed in her ears. Her breath hitched.
A flash—too bright. Headlights, too close.
Her foot slammed on the brake. She heard the screech, the desperate sound of tires trying to grip the road. For a split second, she felt weightless, like everything was suspended in the air, her mind trying to make sense of the chaos unraveling around her.
Then came the noise.
Metal crunching, glass shattering, the impact jarring her body like she was a ragdoll, thrown without care. The sound of everything colliding at once filled her ears, drowning out her own scream as everything spun out of control.
And then, nothing.
Blackness. Quiet. A silence so thick it felt suffocating.
For a long moment, there was no sound, no light, nothing at all. Just the emptiness.
She tried to open her eyes, but everything was too heavy, too far away. Her body felt distant, like it wasn't hers anymore. She could feel the cold seeping in, the dull ache spreading across her chest, but it was the stillness that terrified her the most.
Where was she?
What had happened?
And why... couldn't she remember?
YOU ARE READING
The Second Time Around
RomanceAbigail "Abby" Mercer had it all-an idyllic love story with her husband, Andrew "Drew" Mercer, the man who made every day feel like a dream come true. They shared a life built on deep love and devotion, with Drew surprising her with the car of her d...
