The Day Everything Came to a Halt
Two years earlier, Miles had been driving home on a rainy night outside Lake Forest, Illinois, thinking about nothing more serious than dinner and a message he still hadn’t replied to.
Then came the impact. Blinding headlights. The sound of metal collapsing in on itself.
After that, life became ceilings. Hospital lights. The steady beeping of machines. Doctors speaking with practiced calm.
They chose careful words. Professional words. Words meant to shield him from the sharp edge of hope.
Miles heard only one truth beneath them all.
This is your life now.
When he finally returned home, the house felt like a prize from a life he no longer recognized. Marble countertops. Glass walls. Wide hallways that suddenly felt too narrow. A view of trees changing with the seasons while he remained frozen.
He stopped returning calls. Stopped opening invitations. Stopped replying to messages from people who said they missed him but had no idea what to say anymore.
His money could summon specialists from Chicago, from New York, from anywhere impressive on paper.
None of it gave him back the feeling of grass beneath his feet.
