Alex's hands gripped the steering wheel with practiced steadiness, his eyes fixed on the road ahead as the city lights blurred past.
The countdown pulsed in his peripheral vision... a relentless reminder that time was running out.
[4 hours, 52 minutes remaining.]
He'd made this drive dozens of times before. To family dinners, holiday gatherings, casual Sunday visits. The route was so familiar he could navigate it blindfolded.
But tonight, everything felt different.
Tonight, he knew exactly what he was driving toward. What Linda expected. What would happen when he stepped through that door.
And despite the guilt still churning in his stomach, despite the voice screaming that this was wrong... he was going anyway.
The engine hummed beneath him, steady and sure. The world outside continued its normal rhythm... traffic lights changing, other cars passing, people living their ordinary lives.
While he drove toward a choice that would probably shatter everything.
