Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Yes."

That's exactly how suffocating it felt.

If they could part on good terms, maybe she'd remember the good in him.

The failure of their marriage-she knew it was the result of her own bad choices. She wasn't about to pin all the blame on him.

But this relentless pressure-this was what she truly hated.

All Jessica wanted was a small slice of life that belonged to her alone, but even that tiny wish, he insisted on denying her.

Jessica Greene looked at him, sorrow weighing in her eyes. "You're not a fool, Timothy. You know exactly what's become of our marriage. There are only a few weeks left-what's the point in dragging this out?"

"Jessy, most marriages fall apart because of cheating, family issues, or lack of communication. Now you want a divorce-shouldn't we at least sit down and talk about what went wrong? If we can fix it, let's fix it. If we can't, then we'll end it. That's how a marriage should be-beginning to end. Why can't we just talk?"

Jessica let out a bitter laugh. "So you do understand."

He knew everything, yet acted as if he didn't know a thing.

"I've been thinking it through, Jessy. I'm sorry. We've been married seven years—I thought everything was normal. If you want to go home tonight, that's fine. But can we please sit down and talk?" Timothy gestured to the chair across from him.

Jessica remained standing. "We're way past the talking stage."

"We still have a few weeks, don't we? How is it too late?"

I had left

could bring back the woman she'd once been the one

fight. They barely ever argued. She used to be the quiet one, unable to speak up; now that she finally

what you're saying is, you actually did have

most people do,"

down to the filter. He stubbed it out, grabbed his cane,

on a cane, he was still devastatingly handsome-his presence undiminished, his movements as graceful

gone. I don't want to waste what's left. Can you give

met his gaze, her expression wavering between tension and resignation. "Did you lie about the waiting

you saw-did you ever try to verify it? There's a saying-even what we

Jessica fell silent.

was nothing left to

retreat into silence, Timothy pressed on. "If you're

shot back, "Don't

You mean about me and Sheila Howard.

the whole ugly truth now than to have

don't see the world the same way-our values don'Dmatch, and I'm

be bothered to mention Sheila again.

jealousy, and she

away, unable to look

her path. "So

a chance to explain?"

moment Sheila showed up, I decided to hand the title of Mrs. Lawson back to you. From start finish, this was