Goodbye, Mr. Regret

As soon as she closed the car door, the world's noise vanished.

Jessica Greene stared at the liver cancer diagnosis in her lap, her hazel eyes rimmed red. The paper trembled in her hands, crumpling beneath her grip.

The doctor had told her she'd missed the window for surgery-six months left, at best.

Today was the school's annual parent-child event. Out of the blue, Timothy

Lawson had told her she should come.

Seven years had passed since the day Timothy, once the untouchable darling of high society, became her husband.

In all those years, he'd never once brought her to a public event.

Once upon a time, that invitation would have sent her over the moon.

Even the housekeeper had beamed when she heard the news. "Mrs. Lawson, looks like Mr. Lawson finally wants to make things official!"

No one knew that ever since Jessica discovered his secret, she'd been quietly getting her affairs in order, preparing to leave him.

She hadn't planned to go to the school event at all.

But she couldn't bear the thought of disappointing her son.

She could shut Timothy out of her heart, but she couldn't do the same to Henry- the little boy she'd carried for nine long months.

Arriving at the school, Jessica took a notepad from her purse and wrote a neat line before handing it to the security guard.

Hello, I'm Henry Lawson's mom from Class 1-3. I'm here for the parent-child event -could you please let me in?

soft, crinkled blouse, hair loosely swept up, and-for the first time in ages-the pearl

with; with a bit of effort, she looked warm and

always wanted their mom

guard arched an eyebrow.

smiled and

after a devastating trauma, she'd lost her voice.

sheet, scanning it before

over.

woman, he thought. Too bad she's

parents already signed in. You can't just

wrote, Henry is my son. There's no reason

and jabbed a finger at

she read the names in

grown used to the sneers and sideways glances that came with her

her chest felt impossibly

the guard's suspicion

was the name scrawled in Timothy's unmistakable hand-Sheila

even trying to hide it

found a slip of paper tucked beneath the desk. Sheila's name had

over.

had told her everything she needed

last

born, Timothy had

Today, Jessica's decision

from caring for Henry, she'd poured her remaining strength into this

the attorneys heard Timothy's name, their politeness