Shattered Reality

Ashley's phone rang, shrill and insistent, piercing the calm afternoon air. She was in her home studio, strumming a gentle melody on her guitar, with Ender sleeping peacefully in his crib nearby. She hesitated for a moment, her fingers hovering over the strings, before getting up to answer the call. The ringtone seemed to grow louder, more urgent, as she approached the phone. "Hello?" she said, her voice tentative. The voice on the other end was somber, and Ashley's heart sank even before she heard the words. "Ashley, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this," the voice said. "There's been an accident. Dave was involved in a car crash on his way home from a meeting with his music producer. The police just arrived on the scene, and... I'm afraid he's not going to make it." Ashley's world came crashing down around her. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut, her breath knocked out of her. She couldn't process what she was hearing. Dave couldn't be gone. Not now, not when they were finally building a life together. The room began to spin, and Ashley felt herself collapsing onto the couch, her hand still clutching the phone. She heard the voice on the other end continuing to talk, but it was like he was speaking from a distance, his words muffled and unclear. Ender, sensing her distress, began to stir in his crib, his tiny wails piercing the air. Ashley's heart shattered into a million pieces as she thought about facing the future without Dave by her side. She was going to have to raise their child alone, navigate the world without the love and support of the man she cherished. She slowly got up from the couch, her legs trembling beneath her. She walked over to Ender's crib, her eyes filling with tears as she gazed at her tiny, helpless child. What was she going to do now? How was she going to protect him, provide for him, without Dave's love and support? The phone was still clutched in her hand, and Ashley realized she needed to answer the caller, to confirm that she had heard the news. But her voice caught in her throat, and all that came out was a strangled whisper. "Dave...no...please..." The caller tried to comfort her, offering words of condolence, but Ashley couldn't hear them. All she could think about was the man she loved, the father of her child, gone in an instant. The grief that had threatened to overwhelm her six years ago came flooding back, and Ashley felt herself drowning in a sea of sorrow.