Chapter 2 · The Crash That Set Me Free

Chapter 2

"The driver was knocked unconscious at the scene and is in critical condition. He's being rushed to the hospital right now. We found your number in his phone, listed as 'wife'. Please get to the hospital immediately."

The cop's voice slammed into me like a sledgehammer, not just straight to my heart, but right into the memories from when I traveled through time.

My mind spun out of control.

It happened so much earlier.

I kept my eyes glued to the time on my phone. It was 9:25 AM.

Last time, the accident happened at 10:03.

And the place was all wrong, too. Back then, it was out on the highway beyond the city. But now, it was right at the crossroads outside the city hall.

My time travel messed things up this much.

I think something was wrong.

I abruptly snapped back to reality, my mind a whirlwind of confusion, but one thought stood out with absolute clarity. No matter how the car accident had been altered, the most important thing hadn't changed. Yael and I had never gotten married.

I was not his wife.

That realization instantly shattered all her panic and confusion.

I let out a long, deep breath, finally feeling alive again.

"Hello? Ms. Lane? Are you still there?" The cop on the other end asked, getting impatient after my silence.

"I'm here," I replied, cool and collected. "Officer, thanks for letting me know. But I need to set the record straight. I'm not Yael's wife.

"We were supposed to get our marriage certificate today, but it didn't happen. So legally, we're not connected at all."

There was a brief silence on the other end, like the cop was stunned by how blunt she was.

"But Ms. Lane, he's in critical condition. The doctors need a family member to authorize his treatment." The cop pressed.

"Then get in touch with his parents. His mother's name is Linda," I interrupted. Then I provided them with her contact information. That was all.

I ended the call without hesitation.

The world went silent in an instant.

I stood there, watching the police lights flash at the crossroads and the crowd gathering nearby. I felt completely numb. Maybe even found it almost funny.

Yael, this was your fate.

Even after I traveled through time, he still couldn't dodge his fate.

The only difference was, this time, I was not going to be the idiot who jumped into his disaster and went down with him.

Her phone started buzzing like crazy. Linda was calling.

I hit mute and blocked Linda's number without a second thought.

Next up, it was my mom calling.

I hesitated for a second, but picked up anyway.

"Whitney. Where the heck are you and Yael? Why aren't you home yet? Linda just called, freaking out. She said Yael got into a car crash. What the hell is going on?

"Did you two get the papers done or not?" My mom's voice was sharp and frantic, but it was clear the last question was all she really cared about.

"No," I said, totally deadpan.

"What? You didn't?" My mom practically screeched. "Why not? Didn't you promise you'd go get the papers at nine this morning? Whitney, if you screw this up now, I swear I'll break your legs myself."

I listened to my mom's furious rant on the other end, and honestly, all I could do was laugh at how messed up it all was.

This was my mom.

I was about to dive headfirst into a disaster with no way out, but all my mom cared about was whether her golden ticket to wealth and status was still safely in hand.

"We had a fight. He didn't want to get married anymore, so he just drove off," I said, keeping it casual.

"A fight? At all times, you had to pick the moment you were supposed to get the papers to fight? Was this on purpose?" My mom's voice dripped with suspicion and blame.

"Get yourself to the hospital, right now. Go apologize to Yael and Linda. Just say it was a little spat, and you'll get the papers done this afternoon."

"I'm not going," I said, my voice icy.

"You wouldn't dare," my mom screamed.

"Just watch me," I shot back, then hung up and blocked my mom's number right away.

After all that, I felt lighter than ever.

It felt like two mountains that had been weighing me down for over twenty years were finally lifted off my shoulders by me.

I flagged down a cab, and instead of going home, headed straight to the single apartment she'd already picked out.

I used my own savings to pay six months' rent up front.

I'd secretly saved up that money over three years of hard work, scrimping and saving, all while my mom and Sophia squeezed me dry. Last time around, every cent ended up paying for Yael's hospital bills.

This time, it was the seed money for my brand-new life.

When I turned the key and walked into her fresh new apartment, the sunlight was just right, pouring in through the big windows and spilling gold all over the floor.

I stood right in the middle of that sunlight and took a deep breath.

The air smelled like freedom.

I barely got to enjoy my peace before it was shattered.

On the third day, there was a knock at my door.

I checked the peephole, and her heart dropped.

My mom and Sophia were right outside, and behind them, Linda sat in a wheelchair, her face dark as thunder.

They actually found me here.

She instinctively backed away from the door, but Sophia had already seen the shadow behind the peephole and immediately started yelling, "Whitney. I know you're in there.

"Open the door. Why are you hiding from us? Yael's lying in the hospital. How can you be so cold?"

Her voice was choked with tears, sounding so pitiful and helpless that anyone who didn't know the truth would think I was some heartless monster.

Linda was banging her cane against my door, making a huge scene and hurling curses. "Whitney. You little bitch. Get out of here. My son's in this state because of you, and you think you can just hide?

"No way. If you don't give me an answer today, I'll die right here on your doorstep."

My mom backed her up. "Whitney, come on, open the door. Let's talk face-to-face. Hiding out like this isn't going to solve anything."

One played the good cop, one played the bad cop, and the last was throwing a full-blown tantrum. They had their routine down like they'd rehearsed it a thousand times.

I leaned against the door and snorted coldly.

Last time around, I never stood a chance against their triple-team ambush.

This time, she wasn't going to let them push her around.

Chapter 2

The cop's voice slammed into me like a sledgehammer, not just straight to my heart, but right into the memories from when I traveled through time.

My mind spun out of control.

It happened so much earlier.

I kept my eyes glued to the time on my phone. It was 9:25 AM.

Last time, the accident happened at 10:03.

And the place was all wrong, too. Back then, it was out on the highway beyond the city. But now, it was right at the crossroads outside the city hall.

My time travel messed things up this much.

I think something was wrong.

I was not his wife.

That realization instantly shattered all her panic and confusion.

I let out a long, deep breath, finally feeling alive again.

"Hello? Ms. Lane? Are you still there?" The cop on the other end asked, getting impatient after my silence.

"I'm here," I replied, cool and collected. "Officer, thanks for letting me know. But I need to set the record straight. I'm not Yael's wife.

"We were supposed to get our marriage certificate today, but it didn't happen. So legally, we're not connected at all."

There was a brief silence on the other end, like the cop was stunned by how blunt she was.

"But Ms. Lane, he's in critical condition. The doctors need a family member to authorize his treatment." The cop pressed.

"Then get in touch with his parents. His mother's name is Linda," I interrupted. Then I provided them with her contact information. That was all.

I ended the call without hesitation.

The world went silent in an instant.

I stood there, watching the police lights flash at the crossroads and the crowd gathering nearby. I felt completely numb. Maybe even found it almost funny.

Yael, this was your fate.

Even after I traveled through time, he still couldn't dodge his fate.

The only difference was, this time, I was not going to be the idiot who jumped into his disaster and went down with him.

Her phone started buzzing like crazy. Linda was calling.

I hit mute and blocked Linda's number without a second thought.

Next up, it was my mom calling.

I hesitated for a second, but picked up anyway.

"Whitney. Where the heck are you and Yael? Why aren't you home yet? Linda just called, freaking out. She said Yael got into a car crash. What the hell is going on?

"Did you two get the papers done or not?" My mom's voice was sharp and frantic, but it was clear the last question was all she really cared about.

"No," I said, totally deadpan.

"What? You didn't?" My mom practically screeched. "Why not? Didn't you promise you'd go get the papers at nine this morning? Whitney, if you screw this up now, I swear I'll break your legs myself."

I listened to my mom's furious rant on the other end, and honestly, all I could do was laugh at how messed up it all was.

This was my mom.

I was about to dive headfirst into a disaster with no way out, but all my mom cared about was whether her golden ticket to wealth and status was still safely in hand.

"We had a fight. He didn't want to get married anymore, so he just drove off," I said, keeping it casual.

"A fight? At all times, you had to pick the moment you were supposed to get the papers to fight? Was this on purpose?" My mom's voice dripped with suspicion and blame.

"Get yourself to the hospital, right now. Go apologize to Yael and Linda. Just say it was a little spat, and you'll get the papers done this afternoon."

"I'm not going," I said, my voice icy.

"You wouldn't dare," my mom screamed.

"Just watch me," I shot back, then hung up and blocked my mom's number right away.

After all that, I felt lighter than ever.

It felt like two mountains that had been weighing me down for over twenty years were finally lifted off my shoulders by me.

I flagged down a cab, and instead of going home, headed straight to the single apartment she'd already picked out.

I used my own savings to pay six months' rent up front.

This time, it was the seed money for my brand-new life.

When I turned the key and walked into her fresh new apartment, the sunlight was just right, pouring in through the big windows and spilling gold all over the floor.

I stood right in the middle of that sunlight and took a deep breath.

The air smelled like freedom.

I barely got to enjoy my peace before it was shattered.

On the third day, there was a knock at my door.

I checked the peephole, and her heart dropped.

My mom and Sophia were right outside, and behind them, Linda sat in a wheelchair, her face dark as thunder.

They actually found me here.

She instinctively backed away from the door, but Sophia had already seen the shadow behind the peephole and immediately started yelling, "Whitney. I know you're in there.

"Open the door. Why are you hiding from us? Yael's lying in the hospital. How can you be so cold?"

Her voice was choked with tears, sounding so pitiful and helpless that anyone who didn't know the truth would think I was some heartless monster.

"No way. If you don't give me an answer today, I'll die right here on your doorstep."

My mom backed her up. "Whitney, come on, open the door. Let's talk face-to-face. Hiding out like this isn't going to solve anything."

One played the good cop, one played the bad cop, and the last was throwing a full-blown tantrum. They had their routine down like they'd rehearsed it a thousand times.

I leaned against the door and snorted coldly.

Last time around, I never stood a chance against their triple-team ambush.

This time, she wasn't going to let them push her around.