Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Long, slender fingers danced across the keyboard. After a moment, he handed her the phone.

"Give it a try. This ring can speak too."

Jessica glanced at the screen. It was the same app Herbert had helped her download that night.

She froze, caught off guard.

Timothy pressed the phone into her hand, then bent down to gather up the fabric

on the table, stuffing it into his suitcase.

She stood abruptly and placed her hand firmly over his, stopping him.

With careful, practiced gestures, she signed, *I'm not going back.*

Timothy's face darkened at once, a flash of anger in his eyes. "I came all this way

to bring you home myself. What more do you want?"

The words had barely left his lips when his phone rang.

Fishing it out of his suit pocket, he saw Sheila's name on the screen and

answered immediately.

"This is Sheila's attending physician. Am I speaking to Timothy?" The voice on the other end was urgent.

Timothy's brows knitted together. "What happened to Sheila?"

"Miss Howard had a fall just now. Her wound reopened, and she's lost a lot of blood. The last unit you arranged wasn't enough. Could you please send over another bag as soon as possible?"

"I understand. I'll take care of it right away."

He ended the call and quickly dialed another number as he strode for the door. Moments later, the door closed behind him, shutting Jessica out completely.

The sharp click of the door jarred Jessica from her thoughts. She looked down at the ring on her finger.

She slipped it off and placed it in the velvet box Timothy had left behind.

A bitter smile tugged at her lips. How foolish she was.

For the first time, Timothy had spoken to her almost gently. For one fleeting second, she'd almost believed he was sincere. She'd almost convinced herself that he bought her the voice-emitting ring because it bothered him to see another man give her a voice-emitting necklace.

She shook her head, pulling the fabric from the suitcase and hunching over her sketches once more.

***

Timothy made arrangements for the blood to be delivered as he sped through the city. By the time he reached the hospital, Sheila was already out of the emergency room, looking frail and exhausted.

He sat beside her, immediately reaching for her hand, his voice soft with concern. "How did you fall?"

"I was just going to the bathroom and slipped. Timothy, I'm so useless. I keep causing you trouble."

Sheila's eyes brimmed with guilt.

Timothy looked at her freshly bandaged wound, his voice trembling. "Does it hurt?"

Sheila bit her lip, tears welling up instantly. She nodded.

He reached out, brushing away her tears. "It's my fault. I should have come sooner. I'm not leaving tonight—I'll stay here with you."

Sheila hesitated. "Jessica's home now. If you don't go back, won't she be upset?"

Timothy recalled Jessica's cold expression when he'd tried to bring her home, the ring she'd left behind. He scowled. "She can do as she pleases."

Timothy's reply melted Sheila's heart. Maybe she really did matter more to Timothy.

"Timothy, you shouldn't be so distant with Jessica. Women are sensitive, you know. If you keep shutting her out, you'll break her heart."

"Break her heart?" Timothy let out a cold laugh. He'd never seen Jessica shed a single tear. "She'll be fine. Let's not talk about her. Are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat."

***

The next morning, Jessica returned to The Gilded Whisper Estates, the ring tucked away in her bag.noveldrama

Mabel greeted her at the door, beaming with delight. "Ma'am, when Mr. Howard realized you'd gone out last night, he rushed out after you and didn't come back at all. He must have been with you the whole night, wasn't he?"

Mabel's face radiated joy, but Jessica's expression remained stiff and unreadable.