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.

that one day, she'd find herself in their

of those silent tears-the pain

around Henry's arm and dabbed his

Henry, worried he might be scared of

her away, his voice tinged with impatience. "I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm tough—I'm not scared of needles. You

was, smiled approvingly. "You're a brave young man,

Henry's face tightened and his brows furrowed, but he bit down hard

mother for six years-she knew better

the nurse finished taping the needle in place, Henry puffed up a little with pride. "See? I

did great, Henry. Last time you

flushed. He remembered telling the nurse last time that Sheila was his mother,

pride won out, and he grinned. "Well, with your mom around, you're supposed to act a little

started tidying up, but then glanced at

my dad on a business

fists

hadn't come back to The Gilded Whisper Estates last night— she'd gone to Capital City with