Goodbye, Mr. Regret

When Jessica opened her eyes again, she found herself in an unfamiliar room.

Startled, she shot upright in bed.

She'd gone to bed early last night, exhausted from the day. How did she end up somewhere else?

She pulled open the curtains. Outside the balcony, the ocean stretched as far as she could see.

Jessica hurried out of the bedroom.

In the open-plan living area of the villa, Timothy was sitting at the dining table.

"Awake?" he asked, calm as ever.

This strange villa made it instantly clear to Jessica: she was almost certainly no longer in Riverside City.

She strode toward Timothy, her gaze icy.

"Where are we?"

"Have some breakfast first," he replied, setting the silverware on the table with practiced elegance.

"Timothy!" Her voice trembled with anger as she glared at him.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. He must have brought her here. There was no way she could have slept all the way from The Gilded Whisper Estates to here without waking up, and now it was morning.

She tried to remember last night. After getting home, she'd only had a glass of water.

So, he must have drugged her.

"What did you put in my water?"

Her health wasn't great to begin with. She couldn't risk strange substances.

Timothy answered without missing a beat, "Just something to help you sleep. Don't worry, it wasn't a sedative. It won't hurt you."

was boiling over.

and steady, lingering on her beautiful face. "You must know, Jessy, that if I've brought you here, I don't intend to let you go back so soon. Don't be

eyes were cold as ice. She felt like he'd lost

marriage, what's the point of any of

going to discuss that now. I haven't had a real meal in

out her phone, hoping to figure out her

island. There's no one else here. If you behave and stay put

"Otherwise what?"

lifted his gaze, eyes dark and inscrutable. "Otherwise,

yanked. Breakfast crashed to the floor-soup

didn't get angry. He leaned on his cane and stood. "Someone clean

head bowed, and quickly tidied

prepare breakfast again, then disappeared into

to change

out of

on the edge

sea, the scenery almost

breathtaking, but she couldn't

She circled

and just as

were on an island

no signal at all. She didn't even know where she was. Anger surged up inside

villa, Timothy was sitting on the terrace overlooking the ocean,

light spilled over him, giving

perfect gentleman, yet everything he did

pounding painfully

she wasn't blameless—she'd chosen him, after all. But now, at the end of their

a slow stream of smoke.

didn't care if she hated

couldn't stand the thought of life without her. Keeping

and losing