Chapter 8: The Regret.

A week had gone by since Lydia's death, but for Adex, time meant nothing. His life felt empty; day after day, time lost its significance. He stood there, staring blankly at the wall, unable to recall how he had gotten there. He was overwhelmed by regret, sadness, and pain.

Adex stood by the mirror, observing himself. The reflection that greeted him was unfamiliar. His eyes had a hollow and vacant look, filled with sorrow. His complexion was pale, his hair was untidy, and his overall appearance was disheveled, as he had not slept for hours. His attire consisted of crumpled pyjamas, mismatched trousers, and a loose shirt that hung out. The man appeared lost, almost as if he was fading.

He took a deep breath and examined his reflection in the mirror. The coldness of the room appeared to seep into his bones, a reminder of how far he had fallen. His hands shook as he reached up to touch the mirror, hoping that by doing so, he could reconnect with the man he used to be. The day he lost Lydia marked the beginning of losing the man he once was.

"I'm sorry, Lydia," he whispered, his chest tightening. "You would be here now if I hadn't listened to my friends." He sobbed softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

He shook and screamed as his legs weakened, causing him to fall to the floor. He cried while grasping his chest, sorrowfully trying to conceal the heart that had been shattered within, as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"I miss you," he exclaimed, his voice trembling. "I miss you so much. I don't—" He struggled to catch his breath, his body shaking. "I can't survive without you, my love. I don't know what to do anymore."

With tears in his eyes, he gazed at the wooden side table where her picture rested. He crawled to the side, reaching out, hoping to turn the frame around. As his fingers brushed against the glass, he felt only anguish. He ran his thumb along the curve of her smile, believing he would see that smile again.

He was flooded with memories. He recalled the voices of his friends who had warned him to leave the slab alone and not to move it. But he wished he hadn't taken their advice. He wished he had fought harder for Lydia and taken some action to alter the course of that night. He was consumed by regret, a force that refused to let go.

The room's silence, which was only interrupted by his breathing, felt heavy. He wished he could turn back time to bring Lydia back from the depths of his aching heart. He wanted to convey his love and admiration for her once more. He was left with the echoes of her laughter in his mind and the sharp, unbearable pain of her absence.

Outside his door, his friends—Seun, John, and Neyo—pounded on the door desperately, calling his name in fear. Adex heard them, but he didn't answer. He didn't want to open the door. What was the point? They wouldn't understand the depth of his suffering. No one could.

John looked disappointed as he cast a weary glance at Seun and Neyo. "He's not going to open the door. That man is drowning in regret."

"Why is he being so stubborn?" Seun exclaimed, pounding on the door with frustration. "Open the door, Adex!" he yelled and looked more frustrated.

Neyo stood with his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a worried expression. "If we had moved the slab that night, perhaps our friend wouldn't regret it so much, and Lydia would still be alive."

Seun breathed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose, his expression clouded with doubt. "I can't believe you're saying this, Neyo. Suppose something went wrong while attempting to move the slab?" He exhaled sharply and shook his head. "We were doing it at midnight, and we're all frightened that something terrible could happen to us."

Neyo crossed his arms, his gaze steady. "You were fast asleep at that moment; you have no idea what happened that night."

"I may have been asleep, but I heard every word spoken that night," he said, narrowing his eyes. "And don't forget, you guys told me everything that happened."

John took a deep breath and looked down. He rubbed his palms together anxiously before meeting their gaze. "We all made this decision. Blaming each other won't bring her back." He sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Adex is our friend, and he needs us now more than ever." He rubbed his hair with his hand, his voice heavy with concern. "The only thing we can do is stand by him. He isn't feeling well."

Neyo tightened his fists. "That doesn't alter the fact that we let him down."

Seun shook his head and averted his gaze from Neyo. The burden of what had happened weighed on them all, but there were no answers or solutions to mend the shattered pieces of their past.

"What can we do to help Adex overcome his misery? This is what we should be discussing," said John, glancing at Seun and Neyo.

Their decisions weighed heavily on them, and they could hardly bear the pressure of the unanswered questions. Meanwhile, Adex sat in silence, feeling hopeless. He did not want others to make decisions for him anymore. The grief was his own, the burden he alone had to carry.

Adex remained on the floor, staring at Lydia's picture as the night deepened. He recalled the last time he had held her hand. The warmth, voice, and love that she once had are now gone, causing him to shudder.

The wind outside was causing the windowpane to shake. The storm was preparing, indicating the turmoil he was experiencing. Although he had the desire to scream and release the pain, he opted to remain silent, with the ache still lingering in his heart.

His friends remained outside, knocking with a desperate cry for him to open the door. Adex was still motionless. He was aware of their concern, but nothing they said or did could reverse what had happened. Lydia was gone, and he was left in a world without her—a world that became meaningless.

As the hours went by, he began to feel exhausted. The weight of his sorrow had taken its toll on his body, leading him to fall asleep. There was no peace in his dreams, either. He saw Lydia standing before him, reaching out. Despite her lips moving, he was unable to hear her words. He rushed towards her, but she disappeared into the darkness before he could get ahold of her.

His breath was ragged and uneven as he spun around and searched. The darkness stretched out indefinitely, mocking his efforts. Every direction he turned, there was nothing but the void, empty, cold, and merciless. He ran, calling out for her, and his feet hit the ground with urgency. He was surrounded by shadows that twisted and stretched around him, forming and dissolving in the distance.

As he wandered through the endless hallway, his heart pounding. He was in a hurry when his foot hit something hard, causing a sharp pain to shoot up his leg. He collapsed to the cold ground and clutched his throbbing shin with a cry. His eyes closed as he gasped for air, the pain mixing with the overwhelming fear inside him.

He lay there for a moment, his body shaking. Then, through the aching, he heard a faint whisper. His eyes widened. The voice was soft, as if it were like the wind, but he recognised it.

"Lydia?" he called out the name, his voice hoarse. He turned his attention and searched through the endless darkness. The whisper came back, this time with a bit more clarity. It was her.

He ignored the pain and forced himself up, wobbling slightly while putting weight on his injured leg. He staggered ahead, following the sound, his heart clinging to the fragile hope that she was close by. He noticed that the shadows around him shifted, revealing a faint glow in the distance.

He made his way towards it, each step fueled by desperation. Lydia appeared in the form of a glow as he got closer. As she stood there, her expression was quiet and distant, and her figure was lit up with a soft light.

Then, he saw her. Lydia stood a few feet away, her back facing him. He saw her wearing the same dress he had seen her wear the last time, and his heart raced.

"Lydia?" His voice cracked as he spoke.

She turned slowly, and when their eyes met, he felt something inside him break all over again. She smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes.

"You're here," she said softly.

He took a step forward, afraid that if he moved too quickly, she would disappear. "I've missed you," he whispered. I... I wish I could go back. I wish I could fix everything."

Lydia shook her head. "Some things can't be fixed, Adex."

He felt tears burn his eyes again. "But I can't live like this. It hurts too much."

She sighed, stepping closer. "You have to let go. Holding onto the past won't bring me back."

"I don't want to forget you," he said, his voice breaking.

She reached out, touching his cheek gently. "You don't have to forget me. Just don't let my absence destroy you."

He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch, but when he opened them again, she was fading. "No, please don't go!" He reached out to grab her hand, but his fingers met nothing but air. She disappeared.

The world around him began to change as she disappeared. The room became blurred, and everything became white and cloudy. A strange wind started to blow and rushed against his face, causing him to close his eyes for a moment. Although the cool air stung him, it cleared his vision as it passed. When he opened his eyes again, the darkness was gone. A bright, endless space replaced it.

Right in front of him was a door painted white. Although it seemed out of place standing alone in the vast emptiness, something about it caught his attention. He ran towards it; his heart pounded with desperation, fueling his every step. He immediately grabbed the handle and opened it without any hesitation.

The moment the door opened wide, everything changed. In a moment, the light shattered like broken glass, and the darkness returned. This time, it wasn't empty. It was filled with memories, memories he had tried so hard to bury.

The darkness cracked, revealing another scene, and a cruel flashback brought him back to the moment that had changed everything.

The scene shifted back to when Adex and his friends had just left the bar. As they made their way home, their car cut through the quiet night. As they navigated the dimly lit road, their headlights revealed an unexpected obstacle: a cement slab that jutted out and blocked half of their path. He narrowed his eyes and slowed the vehicle. The large slab that was obstructing the middle of the road caught his attention. The car slowed further as he felt a heaviness fill his heart.

Neyo frowned, shifting in his seat. "Why are you stopping the car?" His voice carried a mix of confusion and impatience.

Adex exhaled slowly. "This slab is dangerous. Someone could hit it and get into a serious accident." His voice was calm, but there was a quiet urgency beneath it.

John scoffed and crossed his arms. "So what? Do you think it's our problem?" His tone was dismissive, as if the thought of getting involved was ridiculous.

Adex took a deep breath, pressing his lips together. "Let's move it off the road," he said, his voice steady but firm. "There aren't any cars behind us. If we just leave it, someone could get hurt—maybe even killed."

Neyo groaned and rubbed his face. "This is a terrible idea," he muttered. "It's dark, that thing looks heavy, and what if someone's waiting to ambush us? You ever think about that?"

John nodded quickly. "Yeah, man, Neyo's right. We should just go. It's not our problem." His voice had an edge of nervousness, like he wanted to get as far away from the situation as possible.

Adex hesitated, his fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel. His mind raced. Were they right? Was he overthinking? His stomach twisted uncomfortably.

Neyo leaned closer, lowering his voice. "C'mon, man," he said, watching Adex's conflicted expression. "Let it go. We don't need to be heroes tonight."

The tension in the car was thick, wrapping around them like a tight coil. Just then, Seun, who had been fast asleep in the back seat, snorted loudly in his sleep. The sound was so unexpected that Adex burst into laughter, the momentary break snapping him out of his thoughts.

The others looked at each other, and even Neyo smiled.

The heavy mood lifted for a moment, but the slab remained, a silent challenge in the middle of the road.

Adex sighed in relief as he edged slowly around the massive concrete block taking up half the road. He gripped the steering wheel hard and didn't dare scrape the car on it. Having evaded the obstruction, he pressed on the accelerator and carried on. Neyo and John, not bothered by what had just happened, immediately returned to singing a tune at the top of their lungs in the rear seat. The remainder of the evening peacefully passed.

The memory shifted—

Lydia travelled home under the same dark cover, her body's pulse a little more complex than the car's engine. She grasped the wheel as the world outside merged into blurs of shadow and illumination. The phone buzzed against her palm while she held it, and her voice was husky and urgent.

"Hi, baby," Lydia's voice came through a gentle and cheerful tone

A smile spread across his face as he reached for the wine bottle. "Where are you?" he asked, pouring the wine carefully.

"I'll be home in about twenty minutes," she said, her voice slightly muffled as if she were adjusting her phone.

Adex chuckled, leaning against the door. "I miss you."

"I know," she said with a soft laugh. "I'm close by."

He sighed happily, his voice warm and full of affection. "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied softly.

Lydia was about to hang up when the phone slipped from her hand. She bent down to retrieve it. Her attention drifted away from the road. She picked up the phone and was about to resume to the steering wheel when the powerful headlights of a speeding vehicle approaching her blurred her vision. She couldn't see anything, transforming the road ahead into a white blur. She didn't notice the concrete slab in her lane. She was speeding, her foot pressed down on the accelerator. The car hit the concrete with incredible force. The impact was terrible. The car's hood crushed into the unforgiving earth, and a tremendous jolt shot through Lydia's body. The collision slammed her forward, and the world rotated around her. The vehicle rolled over once, twice, and a third time. Metal crushed, glass broke, and sparks flew as it landed on its side with an earsplitting crash.

There was a moment of silence. The silence of the night was broken by the piercing sound of a horn echoing through the dark, empty road.

Lydia was unable to move within the car. She had a cut on her forehead, and blood was flowing from it. There was more blood underneath her, dampening her clothing. She took shallow breaths, and her chest barely moved. Her fingers moved slowly and then stopped.

As the smoke drifted from the twisted hood, a bitter smell filled the air. The engine screamed loudly in protest as if it were about to blow up. But Lydia did not see any of it; she had already lapsed into unconsciousness. Strange shadows were cast upon the broken road by the flickering streetlights.

The dream began to disintegrate, the memory slipping away as if they were grains of sand through his fingers. The darkness returned, devouring everything and drawing him deeper into its depths.

He woke up suddenly, just as it had started.

He stood up, his breath coming in gasps and his chest heaving. He couldn't escape the weight of the past, which clung to him, suffocating and inescapable. As he washed the sweat from his brow, his fingers dipped into the damp sheets. No amount of awakening would alter what had already been done.

Lydia was gone. And no dream, no memory, could ever bring her back.

At this hour, his friends had stopped knocking, as darkness had settled outside, and there was silence everywhere. He lay down with his eyes filled with sorrow, repeatedly wishing that he could reverse the hands of time. He mumbled this until the flashes took him to sleep while still on the floor. The tears and sorrows that filled his heart made him weak, and he whispered Lydia's name until he passed out again.