Goodbye, Mr. Regret

She couldn't help but admire him-how did he manage to act so effortlessly detached, as if nothing could ruffle him?

With a lazy elegance that felt almost flirtatious, he blew a thin stream of smoke toward her face. "Still haven't made up your mind, have you?"

Jessica wanted nothing more than to disentangle herself from him. Frustrated, she made a dismissive gesture. "Whatever's going on between us, we'll handle it ourselves. Just don't take it out on anyone else. If you promise to leave the Wheeler family alone, I'll disappear from your life-out of your sight, out of The Gilded Whisper Estates-right this minute."

Timothy's handsome, gentle expression abruptly darkened. He took a hard drag on his cigarette, exhaling a perfect ring of smoke, then flicked the ash into the car's built-in ashtray, leaning halfway into the car.

Jessica instinctively pressed herself back against the seat.

But Timothy only stubbed out the cigarette properly, refusing to throw it out the window even in anger.

For all his faults, this man never lost his composure or his manners-sometimes it was chilling, how controlled he was.

Only moments ago, he'd been gripping the half-finished cigarette between his thumb and forefinger, looking one second away from flinging it away in fury. But he still hadn't littered.

Instead of withdrawing, he leaned in closer to Jessica, his long fingers tipping her chin up. His voice was icy, edged with something she couldn't name. "You know, not only are you stubborn, you don't even know how to play along."

"Daddy!"

up and stepped out of

suddenly unobstructed; through the windshield, she saw Henry clasping Sheila's

sitting in the passenger seat. The first thing she said to Timothy was, "Timothy, I asked you to look for Jessica. How'd you get back so fast? Did you find her? How is she-she's

her, she's in the

opened the

Henry

turned instantly to Jessica, her voice dripping with concern. "Jessica, I

secret and accepting his betrayal, that nothing

Sheila's two-faced act still

loathed people who said one thing to your face and another behind your

to confront Sheila-but she

for the driver's door, Jessica shoved open the passenger side and stepped

called after

mom was being so unreasonable. Miss Sheila was

He was completely exasperated.