Chapter 13
A family was having a picnic – a father lifting his child in the air with laughter, while a heavily bundled mother arranged plates on their blanket.
Such happiness, Issac thought, If Sophia had lived, if he and Evelyn had stayed together, their child would be about that age now.
A large lake dominated the park. Since Evelyn’s death, Issac had avoided water, but today he felt inexplicably drawn to it. The wind rippled the surface, the overlapping waves threatening to pull him in.
“Hey! What are you doing?” A concerned voice called from behind.
Issac turned to find a face he never expected to see again.
Stepping back, he realized he’d been leaning dangerously far over the railing. No wonder Lucas thought he was contemplating suicide.
They stood in tense silence until the little girl in Lucas’s arms tilted her head curiously. “Mister, what are you doing?”
“I’m…” Issac’s voice caught, unpracticed. “Just looking at the view.”
“Stand back from the edge. The water’s very cold.”
The little girl was remarkably perceptive. Lucas remained silent – this was their first encounter since he’d beaten Issac after Evelyn’s apparent death three years ago.
“What a coincidence.” Lucas’s smile was ice–cold. “It’s been a while, Mr. Hernandez.”
“Indeed it has.”
Issac felt disconnected from his body as he noticed Lucas’s clenched fist and the child’s innocent face. “You’re married now? Congratulations.”
“He’s my uncle, not my dad,” the girl giggled. “Everyone says we look alike. Do you think so too, mister?”
“That’s enough, sweetheart,” Lucas cut in sharply, clearly wanting to end the interaction. “Don’t talk to strangers.”
The girl stuck out her tongue at Issac before waving goodbye from Lucas’s shoulder. Issac found himself
It’s Too Late for Your Expired Regrets
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Chapter 13
waving back reflexively,
So Lucas was back. After Evelyn’s “death,” he’d resigned from the hospital and moved to another state.
Issac never expected to see him again.
As a doctor, Lucas hadn’t been a physical match for Issac. But three years ago, it wasn’t really a fight – Lucas had simply pinned him down and kept hitting him, knocking out a tooth while Issac offered no
resistance.
Sometimes when his tongue found that missing molar, his jaw and head would throb with phantom pain. His body was permanently incomplete, just like his life without Evelyn.
A pain impossible to forget.
But seeing Lucas with another woman and child surprised him. He’d assumed Lucas, like himself, would never love again.
Yet it made sense. Issac alone had chosen to be the living widower at an empty grave. Everything was the consequence of his own cruelty. If he hadn’t tormented Evelyn so relentlessly, she would never have sought death in those cold waters.
She’d always been sensitive to cold – traveling so far from the warm south to study here, shivering even in thick scarves and down jackets, like a bird fighting its instinct to seek warmth.
Issac knew she’d stayed for him.
This realization only highlighted his extreme coldness and cruelty. As Sophia’s friend, Evelyn had grieved no less than anyone else. Yet his family had driven away this heartbroken bird seeking rest, with sharp spears of blame.
Issac could forgive neither his family nor himself.
When Lucas carried Eva back to the car, he found the heater running high. Evelyn had fallen asleep in the back seat. He gestured for Eva to be quiet, and the little girl obediently covered her mouth.
The car door still woke her. Evelyn rubbed her eyes, voice fuzzy with sleep. “How did it go? Any trouble? Let me hold Eva.”
“Nothing,” Lucas hated himself for interfering – if he’d known it was Issac by the water, he would have ignored it completely. “Just someone fishing.”
Eva snuggled into Evelyn’s arms, looking up sweetly. “Mommy, thank you for taking me out today.”
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Chapter 13
“You’re welcome, sweetie.” Evelyn smiled, kissing her rosy cheek. “Did you thank your uncle?”
“Uncle wanted to come out more than I did!” Eva pouted before turning sweet again. “Mommy, when you go back, I won’t see you for days. What if I miss you?”
“Not this time. I came back so Eva can see Mommy every day.”
Three years ago, Evelyn had nearly died underwater. Lucas had risked his own life to save her. Her cancer had been critical without Lucas, she wouldn’t have survived.
After three years of recovery, she was finally strong enough for surgery.
Southern hospitals had deemed it too risky. Bringing Evelyn back to the city was their last resort. Lucas had carefully staged her death, and seeing Issac just now had made him break into a cold sweat.
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