“A million decisions paved the road to a single act, and a single act could be derailed in any one of a million ways. But choices had been made—some conscious and considered some less so—and of all the million paths that lain ahead, this was the one they found themselves on.”
Each choice in life comes with distinct repercussions that are unique to it. Once something undesirable happens, people reflect and wonder whether they could have prevented it from happening. During the reflection, they speculate about the different outcomes that would have come about if a particular choice had not been made. However, such questions do not change the reality of the consequences that must be confronted in the aftermath of a choice.
“Rohan had the look of a man who did not sleep well, Flak thought as he let his gaze settle. That wasn’t surprising, given the circumstances, plus the demands of parenting a one-year-old. But still, Falk wondered what specifically was keeping the guy awake at night, in those hours when he could be snatching some precious rest.”
Rohan has lacked peace of mind for the past year that Kim has been missing. In addition to his stress, he must raise his daughter single-handedly. It would be difficult to slip a wink when he has found no answers regarding Kim's mysterious disappearance. Rohan hopes that there will come a clue or reliable evidence that will enable him to find closure. Without definitive closure, he cannot have a peaceful sleep. Dealing with the memories of a missing person could be overwhelming for any loved one.
“The decision Rohan had taken to leave the festival. That moment when he’d waved goodbye to his wife and child and turned alone in the direction of town, heading into the night. The hours leading up to that moment. The days and months leading up to that night. Those things that you didn’t notice at the time. Little decision that ultimately added to something much bigger.”
Rohan had left the festival with the anticipation he would see his family again. However, during that short moment he was gone, the wife disappeared. Rohan wonders whether his single decision contributed to the disappearance. The weightiness of a particular decision becomes apparent once the consequences of that decision have been experienced. Rohan could not foresee his wife's vanishing. Consequently, he could not factor in the foresight in his decision to depart from the festival. Now he is grappling with the decision resulting in losing his partner.
