Chapter 3Rebirth: I'm Not Taking the Blame

A wave of despair crushed me.

Why? The brakes had been working perfectly just moments ago. Why were they failing again? Was I really destined to suffer this fate?

The steering wheel was damp from my sweaty palms.

Seeing the traffic stream past me on every side, I even had an impulse to swerve into the divider.

Just then, a new message from Mom appeared on the car's infotainment screen.

"Gigi, are you on your way home?"

"Your dad went grocery shopping. We're making your favorite pot roast for dinner tonight. Cheer up."

No, I couldn't give up just like that! My parents were still waiting for me at home.

I couldn't imagine how devastated they would be if they learned that I died on the interstate.

My vision blurred with tears, but I quickly wiped them away.

It was going to be fine. Since I realized the problem before another crash, there was still a chance.

The brakes had failed earlier too, but I managed to get the car onto the shoulder.

I could do the same thing again.

This time, no matter what the roadside technician said, I wasn't going to drive again.

I could wait. I would stay there until the Thanksgiving holiday was over if that was what it took to stay safe.

Forcing myself to calm down, I took my foot off the gas and switched on my hazard lights. Once the car slowed down enough, I planned to ease over onto the shoulder just as I had done before.

I focused entirely on the traffic around me, waiting for the car to slow down on its own.

But just as I reached a speed at which I could safely move right, another wave of despair hit me.

Another convoy of semis had appeared ahead of me. The right lane was completely blocked!

I stared at the seemingly endless line of trucks, my heart pounding out of my chest. What should I do? What was I supposed to do?

Cars continued passing me one after another, and the traffic around me grew heavier.

Drivers behind me kept honking, urging me to move. The constant blaring hammered against my already fraying nerves.

Then, the cars ahead began to slow down. Traffic was backing up.

Soon, vehicles surrounded me on every side. Even if I wanted to crash by myself to save the others, there was nowhere for me to go.

Everything seemed to unfold in slow motion. What should have happened in an instant stretched endlessly in my mind.

My entire body stiffened, and my thoughts seemed to shut down.

The sound of the crash rang out like a gunshot.

I could only watch helplessly as my car slammed into the vehicle ahead.

Just like in my previous life, the collision triggered the airbags. Before I could recover, another powerful impact struck from behind.

I immediately knew what had happened—the car behind me had crashed into a mine. The pileup happened after all.

Chaos erupted across the interstate. I could vaguely feel blood dripping from somewhere on my body, but I felt no pain. My body curled forward over the steering wheel.

The driver of the car ahead climbed out, blood oozing from his head, and stormed toward me, his face twisted with anger.

He pounded on my window, his eyes bloodshot as he cussed me out. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Don't you know how to use the brakes? Get out here!"

I was terrified. Even though I had already lived through this once, I still couldn't bring myself to face the nightmarish reality.

Gradually, more drivers approached my car and began pounding on the windows.

When the state troopers arrived, they saw me still inside the vehicle and assumed I was trapped. They quickly forced open the driver's door to get me out.

"Ma'am, are you all right?"