Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Phelps's expression darkened.

Sallie, remembering what she'd seen of Jessica earlier that day, couldn't help but frown.

Damn mute girl. Could it be she's seeing someone else on the side?

What an idiot. With a husband like Timothy, she still can't keep herself in line and has to go out looking for trouble.

If Jessica ever dared to cheat on her brother, Sallie would never let her get away with it.

Since it was Phelps's birthday, the entire Lawson family had gathered.

Timothy's father told the housekeeper to take Henry outside to play.

Once Henry had left, he spoke up, face tight with displeasure. "Jessica can't even speak, and marrying Timothy was the luckiest thing that ever happened to her. Yet today, on my birthday, she doesn't even bother to show up? Sounds to me like she doesn't want to be Mrs. Lawson anymore. Timothy, you should just end the marriage."

Naylor Lawson had opposed this marriage from the very beginning.

For some reason, when Timothy heard Naylor refer to Jessica as "mute," the word grated on him.

"Naylor, that's enough," Rebekah, Naylor's wife, chimed in gently. "Jessica is Timothy's choice. There's an old saying-better to break ten deals than to break one marriage. How can you encourage them to get divorced?"

is an important family occasion, and she can't even be bothered to show up. She clearly doesn't respect the Lawsons," Nola said with an eye roll, her voice thick with disdain. Just a mute —she

and Naylor's youngest

who was studying

sharp voice cut through

with me

leaned on his

Timothy followed closely behind.

up as well, slipping outside to

into a hotel room when her

name.

phone to silent and ignored the

her lips into

of living a good life, fine. You have half an

phone screen glowed with the incoming message. She picked it up,

brittle as a dried-out

up she didn't deserve. Every time she went to Lawson Manor, she was treated like an outsider,