That screech of brakes…
felt like time itself had stopped.
Riya's hand trembled in mine…
and my breathing felt frozen.
"Let's go…" I said softly.
We ran toward the sound.
With every step…
my heart pounded harder.
A crowd had already gathered.
People were talking…
but I couldn't hear anything clearly.
Just one fear echoed inside me—
what if it's Riya…?
I pushed through the crowd…
and what I saw—
changed everything.
On the road…
a boy was lying there.
Blood was flowing from his head…
and in his hand…
was an old wristwatch.
Riya suddenly stopped.
Her eyes fixed on that watch.
"This… this is…" her voice trembled.
I looked closely at it…
and something inside me shattered.
That watch… was mine.
My mind went blank.
"How is this possible…?" I whispered.
Riya slowly stepped back…
as if she was starting to understand everything.
"What we were seeing…
it wasn't my accident… it was yours…" she said in fear.
My breath stopped.
"What…?"
Tears filled her eyes...
"You… you were the one in that dream…
not me…"
In that moment…
everything became clear.
I was trying to save her…
when I was supposed to save myself.
My legs weakened…
and just then—
the boy lying on the road moved slightly.
His eyes slowly opened…
and he looked straight at me.
I froze.
Because…
that face… was mine.