During the journey, the atmosphere remained calm and peaceful. The inside of the car felt comfortable, with gentle breezes coming in through the open windows. Petrus, sitting in the driver's seat, kept the car at a steady speed according to the instructions given by Elio earlier. Petrus's eyes remained focused on the road, occasionally checking the speedometer to ensure they stayed within the safe speed limits.
Vera, who had now moved to the front seat alongside Petrus, appeared to be sound asleep. Motion sickness from the long journey and her pregnancy had prompted her to rest for a while. In her sleep, her face looked serene, but she occasionally flinched as the car negotiated turns or uneven roads.
In the back seat, Elio sat relaxed, but his eyes began to feel heavy due to the music playing from his phone. The soothing voice and gentle rhythm almost lulled him into a dreamland. Emma, seated beside him, held baby Mia tightly in her arms. However, her eyelids also began to droop, indicating she too was about to fall asleep.
Suddenly, the silence was disturbed by Mia's sudden cries, which pierced through the peaceful ambiance. Emma quickly embraced Mia, who began to cry loudly.
Emma, who was nearly dozing off before, immediately focused on her baby.
"Mia, darling, what's wrong?"
She murmured, trying to calm her increasingly agitated baby.
Vera, who seemed to be fast asleep before, was awakened by the cries. She blinked in confusion, trying to understand what was happening.
"Oh, what's wrong with Mia?"
Vera muttered with concern.
"I don't know, Madam. Mia rarely gets fussy like this,"
Emma tried to soothe her baby, but this time, Mia seemed unwilling to stay quiet.
Elio, who was almost dozing off while listening to music with his headset, was now disturbed by the commotion inside the car. Elio removed his headset, his eyes filled with confusion.
"What's wrong with Mia? Is she sick?"
Emma shook her head, her face full of worry.
"I don't know either, Sir. Mia won't stop crying at all."
Mia continued to cry loudly, her cries adding to their growing anxiety. They all felt worried and puzzled by the baby's unusual behavior. With no clear answer, Mia's cries only grew louder.
"She might be thirsty, Emma."
Vera said with a worried tone, her eyes full of concern for the increasingly restless baby.
"Perhaps, Madam. She might be thirsty."
Emma replied cautiously, trying to calm her increasingly agitated baby.
Emma then opened her blouse slightly to reach her very large breasts, preparing herself for breastfeeding Mia.
However, when she tried to offer her breast to Mia, the baby vehemently refused. Confusion was evident on Emma's face as she attempted again to offer her breast, but Mia continued to reject it.
"Come on, sweetie, breastfeed! Why doesn't Mia want to breastfeed?!"
Emma felt frustrated that she couldn't soothe Mia as usual.
"Why is Mia suddenly being so fussy, Emma?"
Petrus, who was driving, also felt anxious as his baby, in Emma's lap, continued to squirm and cry, refusing to be breastfed by Emma.
"Petrus, please, stay focused on driving carefully. Let Vera and I help Emma calm Mia down,"
Elio said understandingly, trying to reassure Petrus.
"Alright, Mr. Elio."
Petrus nodded briefly, but worry still emanated from his expression.
Mia's crying continued, and Emma appeared even more anxious.
"Oh, why is this happening? Mia never behaves like this."
Emma said with a trembling voice, trying to find a solution.
But disaster struck when suddenly, a black luxury car zoomed past in the opposite direction. Petrus felt his heart race as he saw the car approaching at terrifying speed.
With sharp reflexes, Petrus turned the steering wheel, trying to steer away from the out-of-control luxury car. However, the maneuvering space grew narrower, and in an instant, the inevitable collision occurred.
The sound of metal colliding with terrifying force shattered the silence, followed by the sound of shattering glass. Their bodies were violently shaken by the impact inside the car. Elio, Vera, Emma, and Mia were trapped in a series of violent movements.
Their car was thrown to the side, spinning before finally crashing into the road barrier and coming to a stop amidst a row of terrifying sounds.
As both cars collided in a horrific condition, a tense atmosphere momentarily engulfed the deserted road. Shards of glass littered the asphalt, black smoke began to billow from the damaged engine hood, the sharp smell of gasoline stung the nose, creating a disturbing nausea in the stomach.
***
As Elio slowly opened his eyes, he felt the gentle touch of dazzling light from the ceiling illuminating the room. His eyes felt heavy and blurry from the remnants of anesthesia still lingering in his body.
In an instant, Elio was startled as he opened his eyes, realizing that he was lying in a hospital bed. He felt pain all over his body, and as his memory returned, worries about the condition of Vera, his wife, haunted him. With haste, he tried to get up, ignoring the stabbing pain.
A nurse beside him tried to calm Elio.
"Please, sir, you're still in the recovery process. You need to rest."
However, those words seemed unheard by Elio. With escalating panic, he refused to rest. With great effort, he tried to get up from the bed, feeling the pain with every movement.
"Sir, you must not get up! You're still in a vulnerable condition."
The nurse said with a slightly tense tone, trying to prevent him.
But Elio didn't listen. His eyes were still searching desperately for Vera.
"I need to find my wife, I need to make sure she's okay."
The nurse tried to alleviate Elio's panic.
"We will inform you as soon as we get information about your wife, sir. You must remain calm and rest."
However, Elio's determination was unwavering. With unsteady steps, he forced himself to stand, ignoring the pain gripping his body. In a chaotic state and unbearable worry, he walked out of the room, entering the hospital corridor filled with uncertainty.
"Sir, please stop, sir! Your condition is still not good."
Despite the nurse's continued efforts to prevent him, Elio remained undeterred.
With a determined gaze, he called out to two passing nurses,
"Excuse me, I'm a victim of the accident this afternoon. Where are my other family members? Please show me!"
The nurses looked at each other, hesitant to give information to Elio. However, after some tense moments, one of them dared to provide directions.
"All right, sir. Follow us!"
One of the nurses said with a worried tone.