Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Although Vince had bought Jessica's paper cuttings, giving her enough money to avoid returning to The Gilded Whisper Estates and enduring Timothy's moods, she didn't feel grateful in the way people might expect. Yes, he'd done her a huge favor. But she had no intention of badmouthing Timothy in front of Vince.

After all, she'd chosen this path herself; whatever went wrong, she was willing to shoulder the consequences. Besides, she wasn't the type to gossip, especially about things that were messy and best left unsaid. She and Vince weren't close enough to spill personal grievances anyway.

Vince was Timothy's friend. In time, he'd find out the real reasons for the divorce. When it came to Sheila, Vince probably knew more than Jessica did.

"Every family has its own troubles," she replied with a single line, explaining her decision to leave.

Vince could tell she didn't want to elaborate, so he didn't press.

After breakfast, Jessica waved goodbye to Vince and caught a cab on her own, heading to Herbert's hospital.

Verdant Grove Healing, part of

was wearing a white coat and a stethoscope hung around his neck; a few strands of hair fell across his forehead, giving him a crisp, professional

streetwise kid always getting into fights would

Herbert sat down and said gently, "Alright, Little Mute, open your mouth and let me take a

believed in being honest with her doctor-after all, full disclosure was best for treatment. She signed, Actually, when you called me yesterday, I'd just woken from a nightmare. In the dream, I was making sounds, and when I woke up, I tried

his glasses, Herbert's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's wonderful news. Being able to make any sound at all is a huge step. Considering you haven't spoken in years, it's normal for

examined her throat with care. When he finished, he put away his tools and explained patiently, "Your vocal cords have atrophied a bit, but it's nothing serious. If you feel pain, try to speak more softly and gradually build up. I'll prescribe something to

instructions, Jessica