Goodbye, Mr. Regret

The only effective way forward was to start with Vince.

Vince slid behind the wheel, started the car, and gunned the engine. His heart slammed against his ribs. If Jessica really was Salome...

He shut his eyes, unable to let his thoughts go any further.

If it was true, the pain was unbearable.

He'd been right there, always by her side, yet he'd watched her suffer and when Timothy set that cruel trap-he'd even chosen, just once, to turn his back on her.

Timothy knew Salome too. She'd always depended on him as a child, always wanted to be near him.

Timothy probably knew more about her than anyone.

On top of that, he'd once confided in Timothy about her birthmark—something so intimate, so private. Now, Timothy and Jessica were married. If Jessica was Salome, if she had that birthmark, Timothy would definitely be suspicious.

So, when Timothy claimed he had news about Salome... what if he meant Jessica?

If that was the case-and Timothy used information about Salome to torment them in court, to force Jessica back to The Gilded Whisper Estates-then Timothy's actions were truly unforgivable.

Vince's hands shook as he pulled out his phone and dialed Jessica.

"Hello, Vince?" Her voice trembled through the speaker, and his heart twisted with worry and a tenderness he could barely contain.

"Jessica, where are you?"

"I'm on my way back to my hometown."

"With Herbert?"

"Yeah, he's giving me a ride."

Vince's voice quavered, and Jessica wondered if Timothy's condition was more serious than she'd realized. Why else would Vince sound so shaken?

what, she'd never wanted Timothy dead. But whenever she remembered the pain he'd caused her, the words just

your location. I want to come

"Okay."

"I'll hang up now."

sent him

something had happened to Timothy, Vince would have told her, wouldn't he? There was

where Jessica grew up-maybe he could find some clue, something that

anything yet, not without proof. He

really was Salome, he needed to understand her childhood, her life, everything about

sped down

and reached The Gilded Whisper Estates in just over twenty minutes; now, they'd only been on

merging onto

of surgery and slowly

he expected Jessica and Vince to be waiting

wanted to see

when he opened his eyes, only

were all across his back, so he lay face down on the

doctor, voice tight

stable," the doctor

"the

patch of burns on his back and several smaller wounds, but they've all been treated. Nothing internal, just some new tearing along an old abdominal wound. You should all encourage him to take better care of

body has its limits."

"Thank you, doctor."

Jessica and Vince were gone.

that gripped him had nothing to do

the past, if he so much as scraped his knee, Jessica would panic, her

to spill over

remember those days, clear as

had everything changed so

times now, yet