Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Jessy, you can ask your brother yourself," Timothy Lawson explained. "Who called him and told him to bring you back to the Zimmerman family? Who made sure you were welcomed home?"

Vince Zimmerman's face darkened with irritation. "Timothy, I already knew Jessy was my sister before you ever picked up the phone. Don't try to take credit for something you didn't do. After all these years, you should know me better than that. When you called, did I even ask a single extra question? Didn't that tell you I already knew?"

Timothy, still harboring doubts, seized the moment to probe. "Then how did you find out?"

Vince's tone was almost mocking. "Guess I'll spell it out for you. Yates mentioned more than once that Jessy reminded him of my little sister. Even Sheila Howard said the same when she saw me said she'd seen photos online and thought Daisy looked a lot like Jessy. I was suspicious, so I went straight to Jessy's hometown to find her. I wanted to ask for some childhood photos, but Herbert Wheeler pulled me aside, probably thinking I was interested in her. So I took the chance to ask Herbert if Jessy was really their biological child. Herbert told me she has a birthmark-said that proves it."

Timothy's brow furrowed, his expression tightening. "So Herbert told you about her birthmark."

"That's right. The moment I found out, I could've killed you!" Vince spat the words out between clenched teeth.

Timothy's gaze darkened, nearly turning black with rage. He turned to Jessy, his voice sharp and accusing. "Jessy, how does Herbert know about your birthmark? Did you two...?"

That birthmark was in such a private spot-how could Herbert possibly know? Suddenly Timothy clutched his chest and coughed up blood.

A spray of bright red splattered across the white iron gate, droplets dotting the fresh layer of snow at their feet, the crimson shockingly vivid.

"Timothy!"

Sallie Lawson rushed over, seeing him just as the blood left his lips, both crying

darted forward, grabbing his arm

behind, supporting him

about Jessica Greene's birthmark stabbed deep, making his legs buckle. If Sallie hadn't caught him, he would have collapsed right there

to his lips as his eyes burned red with anguish.

you gone with

look that said he was out

gave him a look that said he was

had only seen Jessica's birthmark because, as a child, she'd been bullied and her

nov

was running

what kind of person she was? To accuse her of

dignifying such a question with a response. “Come on, Vince. Let's go inside," she said