Goodbye, Mr. Regret

He'd walked right up to Jessica—a woman he'd never even met before—and

proposed to her on the spot.

Even now, he couldn't forget the way she looked at him in stunned silence, her

eyes wide and searching.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

Waiting for her answer, he'd felt a strange mix of emotions—an unfamiliar struggle

twisting inside him. Would she say yes? Would she turn him down?

After what felt like forever, she finally smiled and nodded.

The tension in his chest unraveled in an instant, his heart swelling so wide it felt

as if it could contain mountains and rivers.

It wasn't that he didn't have feelings; he was just always so reserved, so careful

with himself.

That impulsive rush carried him all the way to the courthouse.

It was only when he stood there, marriage certificate in hand, the seal still fresh,

that it hit him—how reckless he'd been.

He told himself to calm down, to think.

That was when she brought up taking wedding photos.

He refused.

Now Timothy wondered if maybe, from that very moment, he'd already started to

hurt her.

"Timothy?"

Her voice pulled him back to the present. "You should go home," he said quietly.

"I'm fine."

He couldn't let Sheila get any closer to him. If things kept going this way, the

distance between him and Jessica would only grow.

Sheila was stunned. Of all the things Timothy could have said to her, "go home"

was the last she'd expected.

Trying to hold herself together, she protested, "You're hurt so badly—how can I

just leave you here?"

"She's hurting more

faltered, caught off guard. "Don't

not hurt

Jessica wasn't physically

Her wounds were deeper.

beginning to understand. His own injuries

But the pain inside Jessica—there was no cure

today, knowing

than a split-second

She really wanted out.

let her go. Maybe it was time to stop clutching that

certificate like a shackle.

go—releasing the

heart felt empty, hollowed

mad. They were in the

somewhere else—somewhere with

was becoming heavier and heavier

knew now that

an invisible fist was tightening

so hard, for so many years, but the

and further away.

Sheila. "Go home. Don't make

again."

they crashed through Sheila's heart like

shore, each one tearing at the wounds

tears, her back straight and proud, but so

eyes. His face

Herbert had left half an hour before Vince, arriving

Vince finally

at the small, simple cottage,

quite name.

least the place was cozy and

living room. As she prepared

the space, then finally asked in a trembling, hoarse voice,

grow up here?"

and the way he looked at her—so

filled with an emotion Herbert couldn't quite name—made the whole room

unsettled.

attempt to hide how much he cared about

used to live with my mom in the city. After she passed away,

suppose this is

small, but it's warm. Your grandmother must have loved you very

her grandmother

Jessica's

had worked herself

bone. She'd

of,

not being able to cure

had weighed heavily on

the