Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Jessica's beautiful eyes brimmed with despair.

She signed with aching hands, "I can do papercutting, and I can also—"

"That's enough."

Timothy cut her off mid-sentence. "Those little patterns you taught Henry to make -how much do you think they're worth? Could you even buy a bottle of water with that?"

Jessica's lips curled into a bitter smile.

For most people, a bottle of water costs just a dollar or two.

But Timothy was different. The water his family drank came from Hawaii-deep ocean water, drawn from a thousand meters below the Pacific, concentrated, then diluted a hundredfold for drinking. It contained dozens of trace minerals, the magnesium content was off the charts compared to regular water, and a 500ml bottle cost over five hundred dollars.

One could only imagine how extravagant the rest of their life was.

Jessica signed again, fingers dancing, "You were born into privilege. You don't know what struggle means. Most people in this world drink water that costs a dollar a bottle-why shouldn't I?"

The thought of Jessica drinking cheap water made Timothy's heart twist painfully. She was his wife! She didn't need to live like ordinary people.

He could provide her with water that cost five hundred, even five thousand dollars a bottle if she wanted it.

"You really want to

as hardship. Everyone has their own idea of happiness and suffering. Being forbidden to divorce you—that's

patience was worn

on the sofa with his knees, pressing Jessica back until she

was overwhelming, his eyes smoldering with a fire that flickered in the

you? Have you truly suffered?" He let out a cold laugh. "You think you know what hardship is out there? You can't speak, you'd

so close now, there wasn't even

speak-there were so many

would mock her, or stare at her like she was

of that? Maybe

slid down beside her,

her shoulder, his voice low and tired. "I'm exhausted these days. Can you stop pushing for once? Let

to look at him—but his

let her hands fall,

with not being able to speak; if someone wasn't watching, it didn't matter how clear her signing was no one would ever know what she wanted

tried to

Timothy's long arm slid behind