Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Sheila stepped into the room.

She walked over to the bedside, her expression etched with worry as she glanced at Henry. "Jessica, is Henry alright?"

Jessica knew Sheila could read sign language, so she skipped typing on her phone and signed directly.

"It's appendicitis, but he's okay now. The surgery's done."

"How did he get appendicitis all of a sudden?"

Jessica shook her head.

Sheila's face softened with sympathy. "Poor thing, must have been so painful for him."

Sheila pulled up a chair and sat down next to Jessica.

Jessica frowned, her mind drifting.

Timothy had suddenly started doting on her, buying her cake, acting unusually close, and upending one of her long-held suspicions.

Because she loved him so much, she was utterly defenseless against his gentleness.

her heart was

they were the same age, they never acted like aunt and nephew. That strange lack of boundaries made it awfully hard for Jessica to feel comfortable

Phelps and Sallie had dropped hints about Sheila and

uninvited,

like a constant reminder of everything Jessica had seen and heard

in to the urge to ask Sheila outright—just to get the truth out. But she stopped herself; it felt

had first appeared before her, in both words and actions, she'd

and Timothy, would Sheila ever admit it? And if word got back to Timothy, it would only make things worse-he

on being above such

desperate to know the truth, that

and

broke

out of danger now. You've been up all night-why don't you go home and get some rest? I'll stay with

the other hand, just got off a long flight and haven't

there's something you should know. Last time Henry had a fever, the nurse who gave him the injection was his classmate's mother. He asked me to pretend to be you-he didn't want his classmates to find out about your situation.

didn't finish, but her meaning