Chapter 3 - The Crash and The Stranger
I slammed my foot down onto the brake pedal with all my remaining strength.
The pedal sank uselessly to the floorboards without offering any resistance at all.
My car was accelerating rapidly down a steep, icy road winding through the dense Nebraska forest.
Panic tightened my throat as the speedometer climbed past sixty miles per hour.
I looked in the rearview mirror and saw my beautiful newborn son sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of our impending death.
I knew I had to make a desperate choice before the sharp curve ahead sent us tumbling off a massive cliff.
I spotted a thick embankment of freshly plowed snow resting against a row of sturdy pine trees.
Bracing myself against the steering wheel, I jerked the car sharply to the right.
The vehicle violently smashed into the snowy barrier, launching a white cloud of ice over the windshield.
The airbags deployed with a deafening crack, striking my chest and knocking the wind out of my lungs.
For a long moment, the only sound was the hissing of the ruined radiator.
Then, a sharp wail came from the backseat, letting me know my son was still alive.
I unbuckled my seatbelt with trembling hands and forced my jammed door open with my shoulder.
I grabbed the baby from his car seat and wrapped him tightly inside my heavy winter coat.
The freezing wind immediately bit into my skin as I stumbled away from the wrecked vehicle.
I ran deep into the dark, snowy woods, terrified that whoever cut my brakes was coming to finish the job.
Suddenly, the blinding headlights of a massive black SUV cut through the trees.
The vehicle skidded to a halt, blocking my only path forward.
The rear door swung open, and a tall man wearing a dark tactical jacket stepped out into the blizzard.
I stumbled backward, fully prepared to fight him to the death to protect my child.
The man raised his hands in a peaceful gesture and slowly pulled off his dark aviator sunglasses.
My breath hitched in my throat as I stared into a face I recognized entirely.
May you like
He looked exactly like my husband, Damian, but with older, sharper, and much kinder features.
"My name is Alexander, Amelia, and I have been waiting a very long time to meet my son."
