The following morning all of us were down early before the rush. We had a leisurely start to breakfast and it was about 8:45ish that David came in.

I joined him at his table still not quite sure what to say to him.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've got a 4am hangover." my brother told me, rubbing his eyes. "Either from the whisky or throwing up all night." He paused

"You don't sound very sympathetic by the way." he continued.

"You not only gate-crashed Hayley's wedding, got yourself drunk, but outed my wife in front of an entire bar, insulted her name and made her cry." I replied "Made us both cry actually, so you'll forgive me if I'm fresh out of sympathy."

David looked at me.

"I made one mistake, and it cost me everything." he said a trace of bitterness creeping into his voice. "Is that fair?"

He did kind of have a point, however I was reminded of Amanda, the girl at Claire and Jeremy's wedding that me and Daniela had befriended, who due to her asexuality couldn't have a meaningful relationship with anybody. She'd tried to have one with Jeremy's brother Ben, but it never got off the ground.

"You didn't make a mistake, you made a choice." I told him firmly. "A choice to cheat on Hayley for reasons unknown. And then you made another one. To tank your marriage because your mother-in-law said something nasty."

I let this sink in before continuing.

"I know me and Mrs Bridges didn't have the best relationship..."

"You didn't have any relationship with her Lynn!" David interrupted. "She wouldn't speak to you at all!!"

"Allright, I didn't have any relationship with her." I agreed. "But irrespective of my personal feelings, I never took it out on Cass or Evie."

"I still can't believe you sent flowers to her funeral." David countered. His voice was quieter now almost as if he wasn't up to arguing.

"I forgave her because I saw no reason to be angry at a ghost." I informed him quietly. "And so I could move on and start my new life without any baggage. And that's what you need to do. Find someone new, try and have a relationship with your daughter, if it's not too late."

David looked at me again, but I sensed the conversation was over. I heard a five year old boy call out 'Auntie Dan!!' and I knew that Vanessa had arrived bringing her son Damien with her.

"How's he doing?" she asked.

"Aside from the hangover, I'm not sure." I confessed. "Don't be too hard on him."

"I won't." Vanessa said going to sit with her brother.