Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Being the "brother-in-law" was never an easy road.

Forget it. He'd just have to rely on himself.

By the time they reached the hospital, Yates went to collect all sorts of samples. The process dragged on, and it was already late when they finished.

"Vince, let's take Jessy out for dinner tonight-and maybe a walk. She's been cooped up at home for days; it's getting stifling."

"Sure," Vince agreed, thinking it was about time Jessica got some fresh air too. Night fell.

Dawn was breaking in Riverside City.

Timothy opened his eyes and realized he was in a hospital room.

Suddenly, he remembered his phone.

His blood had gotten on Jessy's face he needed to clean it up.

He reached for his phone and only then noticed his upper body was bare-his shirt must've been taken off. Sitting up, he spotted the phone on the bedside table. He grabbed it and lit up the screen.

There, on the screen, was a photo of Jessica. The dried blood had turned black, staining her face in the picture.

He pulled a few tissues from the box, went into the bathroom, and dampened them under the tap. Carefully, he wiped the caked blood from the phone's screen.

Jessica's smiling face emerged again, bright and clear. Timothy's lips curved unconsciously into a faint, wistful smile.

hospital bed, and just lay there, staring

of her. But as he scrolled through his phone, it hit him: in seven years of marriage, they'd never taken a single picture together. He'd never taken any candid shots of her. Not even after their son

vanished

got their marriage license, she'd said she wanted

that now, his

cheer her up, he'd looked at their enlarged license photo hanging on the wall and, feeling

those wedding photos, she ignored him— wouldn't answer his calls, blocked his

been long since she'd first talked about moving out, but even then, he hadn't realized: she

it started even

out for

their marriage was solid. He didn't bother apologizing properly, lost his temper, and

Now, looking back, he

of stability, that supposedly unbreakable marriage, had been

if a power drill were boring straight through

pictures

found a

him, her

grid, and his gaze stopped

the

was the director Yates had mentioned, the one behind that

was currently doing a

his name. And he was

sat bolt upright in

had only taken