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."

Her frustration was boiling over.

at her-really looked at her, his 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 back so soon. Don't be angry. You're here now-make the best of it. We have a little

She felt like he'd lost his

marriage, what's the

had a real

hoping to figure out her location, but

island. There's no one else

"Otherwise what?"

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

crashed to the floor-soup and

didn't get angry. He leaned on his cane and

bowed, and quickly

to prepare breakfast again,

change his

out

was built right on the edge of

sea, the scenery almost

breathtaking, but she couldn't

it. She

and just

were on an island

was still dead, no signal at all. She didn't even

returned to the villa, Timothy was sitting

over him, giving him

bit the perfect gentleman, yet

her heart pounding painfully

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

exhaled a slow stream of

care if

of

than letting her go and losing every chance he