Madeline dropped to her knees in front of the homeless man while cold wind moved between the skyscrapers and traffic reflected across the wet pavement.
Her hands trembled violently as she held up the diamond ring.
“Marry me… please.”
The homeless man stared at her in disbelief.
Dirty beard.
Torn coat.
Rain stains across his sleeves.
“…Why me?”
Madeline’s lips shook as tears filled her eyes.
“Because it’s you.”
Something changed inside him the moment she said it.
Pain.
Recognition.
Fragments of something buried.
He stared at her face like he had seen her somewhere impossible before.
The entire street slowly fell silent.
Then suddenly—
SUV tires screeched violently at the curb.
A black luxury SUV stopped beside them as the rear window dropped sharply.
An older man leaned out, panic written across his face.
“Madeline, stop!”
But she never looked away from the homeless man.
Slowly, carefully, he reached toward the ring.
His dirty fingers touched the band—
and froze.
Inside the ring was an engraved name.
His eyes widened instantly.
“…this name…”
The older man’s voice cracked with fear from inside the SUV.
“Don’t let him remember!”
And suddenly—
flashes exploded through the homeless man’s mind.
Wedding lights.
Madeline crying.
Broken glass.
Blood.
The crowd gasped as he whispered something under his breath—
right before the screen cut to black.
Part 2 in the comments.
