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.

He left the bathroom, flopped onto the hospital bed, and just lay there, staring at Jessica's photo.

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

faint smile vanished from

said she wanted to take wedding photos.

that now, his chest tightened

her up, he'd looked at their enlarged license photo

was finally ready to take those wedding photos, she ignored him— wouldn't answer his calls, blocked his number,

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

started

she'd wanted out

so certain their marriage was solid. He didn't bother apologizing properly, lost his temper, and dismissed her feelings as nothing more than e unreasonable complaints, thinking she

Now, looking back, he

years of stability, that supposedly unbreakable marriage,

drill were boring straight

saved some pictures from

found a photo

him, her

nine-photo grid, and his gaze

the

the director Yates had mentioned, the one

director was currently doing a press tour with Vince's

that was his name. And

bolt upright in

Jessica had only taken that group

invested