Be careful what you read
Tony was in his office, staring at the photo of Peter's mother that he had recently discovered. The image evoked a series of memories that had been buried deep in the recesses of his mind.
In the blink of an eye, Tony flashed back to those days when his youth and excesses were intertwined in a maelstrom of parties and casual encounters. It was on a tumultuous and unbridled night that he encountered Peter's mother, a beautiful woman full of life.
The memory of that night was fuzzy and fragmented, but there was something about the way she looked at him, her infectious laughter and boundless energy that left an indelible mark on Tony. It was an instant and fleeting connection that left a sense of melancholy and longing in his heart.
Now, with the image of Peter's mother in front of him, Tony wondered what would have happened if they had had the opportunity to deepen that fleeting relationship. He questioned whether he had made the right choices back then, whether he had missed the chance to meet someone special.
The weight of that memory and the unanswered questions filled him with a mixture of nostalgia and regret. He wished he'd had the chance to get to know her better, to find out what would have happened if their paths had crossed again. But Tony also knew that living in the past was pointless. Even if that fleeting encounter and the night they shared were a cherished memory, life had taken them their separate ways and something even more special had emerged: her relationship with Peter.
With a resigned sigh, Tony put the photo away and promised himself that, instead of clinging to the "what ifs," he would focus on what he had in the present. Peter was his priority, his protégé, and he would do everything he could to provide him with support and love as his father figure.
Only it wasn't just that