17. Past Shadow's

In this moment, Brian stood outside the gates of Henry and Athalia's house, watching Ricky playing in the yard. Occasionally, Brian smiled as he saw Ricky's joyful laughter while running around. Ricky was playing in the yard under the watchful eye of his grandmother, Athalia. Unbeknownst to her, Brian had been observing them for almost an hour.

Brian loosened his tie, which suddenly felt constricting. His mind wandered back to his recent encounter with Dave at the office three days ago. If he could turn back time, Brian would choose to have a healthy relationship with Nadine. Not like now, burdened with the consequences of their forbidden relationship. Regret constantly disturbed his peace of mind. He leaned his head against the car seat, massaging his temples. For some reason, his head always throbbed painfully whenever he imagined Nadine and Ricky being together with Dave. He should be the one in that position, not someone else.

If Nadine hadn't left back then. If Brian had known ab