Chapter 19

These days, Hunter dared not allow himself a single moment of idle time. Whenever he paused, images of Nadine's corpse, her living face, the torn divorce papers, and Serena's dying accusations came flooding back—all replaying endlessly in his mind. He kept tormenting himself. Why hadn't he said "I love you" to her just once? They were three simple words that could have brought Nadine back. But he hadn't! Worse, he'd hurled cruel words every time Nadine needed him, wounding her repeatedly. Night after night, the same dream haunted him. Time rewound itself in these visions. Nadine was standing there, still asking for those three simple words. And this time, he gave them freely. "I love you," he'd say without hesitation. The dream-Nadine would always look astonished, as if bewildered by this unexpected salvation granted so easily. But then dawn would break. The empty bedroom would mock him with its silence, screaming the cruel truth that Nadine was gone forever. That chance was fore