1 Prologue

Alyx Stavros was like many around us, he didn't have any grand dream or goal in life and led an uneventful but happy life. His motto was to just go with the flow. He did not have any special talent or redeeming qualities and is a bit of an introvert. He hated to socialize, as he considered it a pain in the ass, but maintained cordial relations with everyone he met. He spent most of his life in a dull routine indulging in his hobbies. His favorite hobby is reading as it helps him relax and escape reality. He had other hobbies but left them to spend more time with his family.

He was a common middle age man content with what he had and was leading a happy life with his family. His wife Kristen and daughter Arya are the sunshine of his world and he would not hesitate to do anything for them. He was an orphan so his family is all the more precious to him. He considers confessing to his wife during his university days as his only achievement in his life and is not ashamed of it. He brags about it so much that his colleagues at work start teasing him by referring to him as Kristen's husband and never use his given name.

Alyx was content with what he had and did not put much effort into any work. After graduation he got into a regular 8-5, low paying job and did not try to change or succeed in it. Many of his peers at work surpassed him but he was not bothered by it. He was diligent in his work and did not demand promotion or pay hike. He would be an ideal employee any company would like but he never worked overtime and nobody could pressure him. He was not willing to be exploited by his company and was satisfied with what he earned. His wife earned a small fortune as she worked as a high level management for a MNC and he did not like the additional burden of work due to promotion.

He was a procrastinator and indecisive person in life before his marriage but it all changed with their daughter's birth. Even his wife was shocked with his transformation. She always loved him regardless of his short-comings. She was a strong willed and independent women from a young age and married him full well knowing about him after dating him for a few years. She liked the way he treats and takes care of her. She had dated many men who are just attracted to her and want to control her. With Alyx she felt different, one thing led to another and they got married. She was not a damsel looking for a knight, who would look after her, she was confident in her capabilities and never regretted her decision.

During Kristen's maternity leave, Alyx with a renewed determination, to be the best dad, took on a more demanding job with better pay and worked very hard at it. He wanted to be a role model to his daughter and impress her. But even during this period he always made time for his daughter and spent time with her. Kristen can only laugh at seeing his antics with their daughter.

But it all came to an abrupt end.

When returning from work one evening he met with an accident and passed away. Kristen was heartbroken and devastated after hearing about the news but she stayed strong for their daughter, who was just born. Although Alyx was dead, his family got his insurance and the company, to which the vehicle belonged to, paid a huge compensation to his family for their negligence which let the accident. It helped his wife to start her own business later in her life after leaving her former job.

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After the accident Alex was in a strange state for an unknown period of time. On that day he wanted to reach home early, play with his daughter and prepare for her first birthday even though it was a few months away. He wanted to make it as grand as possible, he wanted to start discussing about it with his wife and start preparations.

'Huh, where am I?' Alyx found himself in a strange state unable to move, feel and even see his own body. He felt constricted only able to think, he was unable to do anything else.

'Wait, why is it so dark? ....I can't open my eyes. I can't feel my body.' He was still groggy and unable to think properly. He was having a hard time trying to recall what he was doing prior to this.

'What happened to me?' Alyx started to struggle.

'Right that fucking truck came onto me.' Upon recalling it he came to a grim conclusion but he was not ready to accept it.

'Right! I should be at the hospital and maybe I'm under anesthesia.' He started deluding himself with lies and coming up with explanation to those excuses.

'Yes I read about it somewhere people sometime have lucid dreams under anesthesia. This must be a nightmare, there is no other explanation to this.' But a long time passed but there was no change in his surroundings. He started to fear and his mind was only amplifying those thoughts. He did not know how much time has passed and he was becoming more and more delusional.

'Maybe I'm in a coma. Yes that should be it. DAMN. This can't be happening. Why? Why me? Aaaaaah.' He was ready to accept any explanation other than the obvious.

Alyx was mortified by the realization and struggled relentlessly to move the body, to do anything. But no matter how much he tried he was unable to do anything other than just scream in his mind.

'I have to do something and let them know I'm alive. I'm not ready to die.'

'I should not stop struggling. What if they think I'm brain dead if I stop struggling? I'm not in a vegetative state I'm alive.' The previous Alyx would have given up at this point of time but the present Alyx similar to an insane and ferocious beast was howling and struggling. He was not ready to just give up yet.

After an indeterminate time period there was a slight movement of his body.

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"Mom, where is dad? Take me to him." Arya frequently asked her mother such question after his death. Arya was still too young to understand death and it would always bring back sad memories to Kristen. She would always evade the question giving some excuse. This deteriorated the relationship between them and as time passed it only widened. She ignored her daughter drowning in work.

After Alyx's death Kristen was frequently forced by her parents and relatives to remarry. Her parents did not want her to live as a widow at such young age.

"Arya needs a father figure in her life and you can't just ignore her forever. She'll get to know about it sooner or later and will start to hate you. You can't manage both work and family alone."

Even without her parents saying she knew the importance of a complete family in a child's life. But she was unable to get over her dead husband and due to her stubborn personality she decided to raise her daughter on her own.