Goodbye, Mr. Regret

The nurse saw Jessica signing and, blinking in sympathy, lamented, "She's so beautiful—what a shame she can't speak."

Henry could read Jessica's sign language. She was telling the nurse that she was his mother. He tensed, terrified she'd use her voice synthesizer and reveal the

truth.

Annoyance crept into his voice. "What are you waving your hands around for? No one else understands your sign language."

Jessica pulled out her phone, intent on using her voice ring to speak.

But Henry snatched her phone away before she could, turning to the nurse with a bright, practiced smile. "Ma'am, she's our housekeeper. My dad likes a quiet home, so he hired someone who doesn't talk."

Jessica froze.

Did he just say she was the housekeeper?

She'd seen this plot play out on TV-sons, ashamed of their mothers after making something of themselves, introducing them to others as the help or distant relatives. The mothers never got angry; they'd just cry quietly, terrified of embarrassing their child.

Jessica had always despised those ungrateful sons with a vengeance.

wildest dreams had she imagined that one day, she'd find herself in their

those silent tears-the pain was like a knife twisting in her

nurse gently wrapped gauze around Henry's arm and dabbed his skin with

Jessica instinctively tried to hug Henry, worried

a little kid anymore. I'm

was, smiled approvingly. "You're a brave

needle, Henry's face tightened and his brows furrowed, but he bit down hard and didn't let a

had been his mother for six years-she knew better than

in place, Henry puffed up

hair. "You did great, Henry. Last

telling the nurse last time that Sheila

out, and he grinned. "Well, with your mom around, you're supposed to

started tidying up, but then glanced at them curiously. "By

my dad on a

fists before she

The Gilded Whisper Estates