Goodbye, Mr. Regret

It was exactly her style.

Her mother must have decorated the bedroom based on what she remembered Jessica loving as a child, assuming her tastes hadn't changed with time.

"Salome, I'll go run you a hot bath. You'll feel so much better after soaking for a while," Mrs. Zimmerman said.

Jessica quickly caught her mother's hand. "Mom, you're not in the best health. I can take care of these little things myself—I'm all grown up now, not a little girl anymore."

Mrs. Zimmerman smiled gently. "But you were only six when you went missing. I missed out on taking care of you all these years. Let me make up for lost time, just for today-let me look after you."

This wasn't just about looking after her. This was a mother's fierce, overwhelming love for her child.

"Mom, you're so good to me," Jessica choked out, her voice trembling.

Mrs. Zimmerman's smile deepened as she walked into the bathroom. She turned

on the faucet, adjusted the temperature, and started filling the tub.

Jessica grabbed some clothes from her suitcase and stepped inside. Mrs. Zimmerman sat on the edge of the tub, turned to her, and said, "Salome, you've always loved the scent of gardenias. I bought a special gardenia bubble bath just

for you."

She squeezed some of the fragrant liquid into the water and swirled it with her hand, filling the tub with delicate bubbles.

Jessica's eyes stung with tears.

Some things about a person never change.

She'd loved gardenias since she was little-her grandmother had planted two bushes by the front door and another in the backyard. When they bloomed, the whole house would be filled with their sweet scent.

After marrying Timothy, she found out he preferred the smell of orchids. Out of habit, she'd swapped out all her scented products for orchid-scented ones.

The bath was ready.

you when you were

even softer

with emotion. "All these years... is it these memories that kept you

tears spilled silently down her

her whole world-every

was slipping

she probably would never

away Jessica's tears. "Oh, sweetheart, why are you crying again? Of course I

lived with the

relied on her, cared for her.

long ago, even her

truly understand what a blessing it was to be

so fierce that, even after twenty years apart,

letting the warm water and steam blur

came out, Mrs. Zimmerman had already drawn the

sat at the bedside, gently stroking

stop herself, Jessica whispered, "Salome loves Mommy

back tears. She answered in the same way she always had:

Jessica closed her eyes.

Riverside City.

noon, Sallie brought lunch to the hospital

was empty. When she asked around, she

had insisted on being

tried calling Timothy, but

tried his

Timothy come

"No, he hasn't."

Told you where he