Axel didn't wait another second.
The moment the pain gripped his chest like a vice, he jumped on his bike and sped off. He had no destination in mind—just the aching need to get away, to outrun the overwhelming weight sitting on his chest.
The city blurred around him in streaks of light and shadow, but nothing could distract him from the image burned into his mind—Jayvaughn holding that child, smiling gently, with a woman beside him who looked at him like he was her whole world. His family.
Eventually, he found himself in a quiet neighborhood on the edge of town, the streets mostly empty, the shops long closed. He turned down a narrow path that led to a secluded park surrounded by tall hedges. There, away from the world, Axel finally allowed himself to stop. He killed the engine and staggered off the bike, pulling off his helmet as if it were suffocating him.
The tears started even before he could sit down.
