Shadows of Regret

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Imani Williams

It had been days since I moved into Ryujin’s home, and everything had been surprisingly smooth. I wasn’t sure what I expected—chaos, perhaps, or at least some discomfort—but so far, things had been calm. Ryujin had given me the guest room to sleep in, which was fine by me. Kai, on the other hand, had a room so large it made our old apartment look like a closet. He loved it, of course—what kid wouldn’t?

The mansion itself was a marvel, a sprawling estate with more rooms than I could count. Ryujin had always been mysterious about his work. I knew he was involved in some dangerous stuff, drugs and all that, but I had no idea he was this wealthy. The opulence of the place was overwhelming, and a part of me couldn’t quite believe that this was where I was living now.

Today, I decided to take Kai to the park. Ryujin insisted on sending two bodyguards with us, which I argued against, but as usual, he won. So here we were, me sitting on a bench while Kai played with some kids on the playground, two big guys hovering nearby like shadows.

As I watched Kai climb up the jungle gym, a beautiful Black woman sat down beside me on the bench. She was dressed stylishly in a light blue dress, her hair pulled back into a neat bun.

“That’s a lovely sundress,” she said with a warm smile, gesturing to my yellow dress.

“Thank you,” I replied, smiling back. “I got it on sale a while back. It’s one of my favorites.”

We fell into easy conversation, and I found out we had a lot in common. She had just moved into the neighborhood and was out getting some fresh air and trying to meet new people.

“What about you?” she asked, glancing over at the playground. “Is one of your kids playing over there?”

“Yeah, my son Kai,” I said, pointing him out. “He’s the one in the red shirt, climbing on the monkey bars.”

She nodded, watching him for a moment. “He looks just like you. Cute kid.”

“Thanks,” I said, a bit flattered. “He’s my world.”

We exchanged numbers, and she introduced herself as Amara. Just as quickly as our conversation had started, she suddenly excused herself.

“I should get going,” Amara said, standing up. “It was really nice meeting you, Imani. I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”

“Yeah, it was nice meeting you too,” I replied, a bit surprised by her abrupt departure. She gave me a small wave and walked away, leaving me alone on the bench.

I watched her go, a strange feeling gnawing at me. Something about her was… different. But I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Shaking off the thought, I turned my attention back to Kai, who was still playing happily with the other kids.