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.

dark eyes grew stormy. "You really want to make things hard for

don't see it as hardship.

patience was worn

pressing Jessica back until she was flush against the cushions, his striking features

smoldering with a fire that

there? You can't speak, you'd never land a respectable job. Even if you did find work, all you'd get is ridicule and those looks people give

was so close now, there wasn't even

to speak-there were

when she went out, yes, people would mock her, or stare

Mrs. Lawson, already faced plenty of that? Maybe even more than she

down beside her, sitting so close their

exhausted these days. Can you stop pushing for once? Let me rest

to sign, turning to look at

let her hands fall,

if someone wasn't watching, it didn't matter how clear

to

soon as she shifted, Timothy's long arm slid behind