Where does a story truly begin? In life, there are seldom clear-cut beginnings, those moments when we can, in looking back, say that everything started. Yet there are moments when fate intersects with our daily lives, setting in motion a sequence of events whose outcome we could never have foreseen.  It’s nearly twoA.M., and I’m wide awake. Earlier, after crawling into bed, I tossed and turned for almost an hour before I finally gave up. Now I’m sitting at my desk, pen in hand, wondering about my own intersection¹ with fate. This is not unusual for me. Lately, it seems it’s all I can think about.  Aside from the steady ticking of a clock that sits on the bookshelf, it’s quiet in the house. My wife is asleep upstairs, and as I stare at the lines on the yellow legal pad before me, I realize that I don’t know where to start. Not because I’m unsure of my story, but because I’m not sure why I feel compelled to tell it in the first place. What can be achieved by unearthing² the past? After all, the events I’m about to describe happened thirteen years ago, and I suppose a case can be made that they really began two long years before that. But as I sit, I know I must try to tell it, if for no other reason than to finally put this all behind me.

My memories of this period are aided by a few things: a diary I’ve kept since I was a boy, a folder³ of yellowed newspaper articles, my own investigation⁴, and, of course, public records. There’s also the fact that I’ve relived the events of this particular story hundreds of times in my mind; they are seared in my memory. But framed simply by those things, this story would be incomplete. There were others involved, and though I was a witness to some of the events, I was not present for all of them. I realize that it’s impossible to re-create every feeling or every thought in another person’s life, but for better or for worse, that’s what I will attempt to do.

? ? ?

This is, above all, a love story, and like so many love stories, the love story of Miles Ryan and Sarah Andrews is rooted in tragedy. At the same time, it is also a story of forgiveness, and when you’re finished, I hope you’ll understand the challenges that Miles Ryan and Sarah Andrews faced. I hope you’ll understand the decisions they made, both good and bad, just as I hope you will eventually understand mine.

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1 intersection
n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集
参考例句：
There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。 Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

2 unearthing
发掘或挖出某物( unearth的现在分词 )； 搜寻到某事物，发现并披露
参考例句：
And unearthing the past often means literally and studying the evidence. 通常，探寻往事在字面上即意味着——刨根究底。 The unearthing of "Peking Man" was a remarkable discovery. “北京人”的出土是个非凡的发现。

3 folder
n.纸夹，文件夹
参考例句：
Peter returned the plan and charts to their folder.彼得把这份计划和表格放回文件夹中。 He draws the document from its folder.他把文件从硬纸夹里抽出来。

4 investigation
n.调查，调查研究
参考例句：
In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。 He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 spoke
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
参考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 sophomore
n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的
参考例句：
He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。 I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。

7 scoff
n.嘲笑，笑柄，愚弄；v.嘲笑，嘲弄，愚弄，狼吞虎咽
参考例句：
You are not supposed to scoff at religion.你不该嘲弄宗教。 He was the scoff of the town.他成为全城的笑柄。

8 full-time
adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的
参考例句：
A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。 I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。