Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Jessica hesitated, unsure if she should hand her phone to Herbert.

But Herbert had already slipped it from her grasp.

He tapped away in the app store, quickly downloading a new app.

After a moment, he typed a line into the app: "Little Mute, how does this voice sound?"

A stranger's female voice came from somewhere nearby.

"Do you like it?"

He typed again, the same gentle voice repeating his words.

Jessica realized the sound was coming from the necklace.

Her eyes lit up with surprise. She had never seen a necklace like this-it was fascinating.

And the voice sounded eerily similar to her own, as if it carried echoes of her past.

Jessica hadn't been born mute.

Herbert handed her phone back to her.

"With this app, you just type what you want to say," he explained. "The software can mimic your tone, too. And the more you use it, the more natural it gets."

Jessica's heart skipped. The prospect was tempting.

after they'd reconnected,

to scribble notes or type messages

her-no more awkward moments or delays waiting for someone to read her words. It would save her

this size

phone: "It's too valuable. I can't

necklace's voice matched not just her words, but her own cadence and inflection—exactly the way

into her hand. "Silly, the diamond's just a replica. I

Jessica typed, "How much was it? Let

over

letting his kindness stand and typed

some rest," Herbert said, gathering his things. "Just remember-don't get

nodded, waving goodbye and

the street, she turned and

stepped inside when a warm, strong hand

Jessica looked up.

met Timothy's,

tried to push him away, hand pressed against his solid chest, but he was unmovable—tall,

bent down, sliding the box with the necklace from her

with one hand trapped, she couldn't

with his thumb, studying

design matched the ring he had