"...!"
The world tilted on its axis. The triumphant glow of his twin victories—the league win and the first paycheck—was instantly extinguished, replaced by the icy grip of pure, unadulterated fear.
The words "your mother" and "accident" echoed in the sudden, deafening silence of his room.
For a split second, Ethan was frozen, his mind unable to bridge the gap between the virtual world he had just left and the horrifying reality that had crashed into his home.
Then, adrenaline took over.
He scrambled out of the pod, his heart hammering against his ribs so hard it felt like it might break free.
"Where is she?" he choked out, his voice a raw whisper.
"The kitchen," his father managed to say, his face a mess of tears and terror.
"She was standing on a chair... trying to reach the top shelf... she fell."
They thundered down the stairs as a single, panicked unit.
The scene in the kitchen would be seared into Ethan's memory forever.
