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."

frustration was boiling over. "I want

gaze warm 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

eyes were cold as ice. She felt like he'd lost his mind-his actions had become

that's happened to our marriage, what's

I haven't had a real meal in days.

phone, hoping to figure out her

one else here. If you behave and stay

"Otherwise what?"

his gaze, eyes dark and inscrutable. "Otherwise, I might just keep you

tablecloth, and yanked. Breakfast crashed to the floor-soup and coffee splattering

then, Timothy didn't get angry. He leaned on his cane and stood. "Someone

head bowed, and quickly tidied

prepare breakfast again, then

to change his

walked out of the

right on

sea, the scenery almost

breathtaking, but she couldn't

it. She circled

and just as Timothy

they were on an island

still dead, no signal at all. She didn't even know where she was. Anger

the villa, Timothy was sitting on the terrace overlooking

spilled over him, giving him an air of

bit the perfect gentleman, yet

him, her heart pounding painfully in her

those words to him. She knew she wasn't blameless—she'd chosen him, after all. But now, at the end of their marriage, he still insisted

slow stream of

if she hated him

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

than letting her go and losing every