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."

we?" Her frustration was boiling over. "I want to

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

felt like he'd lost his

our marriage, what's the point of

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

out

and indifferent. "This is a private island. There's no one else here.

"Otherwise what?"

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 clean this

bowed, and quickly

kitchen to prepare breakfast again, then disappeared

change his

out of the

was built right on the edge

sea, the scenery almost

breathtaking, but she couldn't

She circled

just

were on an island escape

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

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

over him, giving him an air of refined

bit the perfect gentleman, yet everything he did

stomped over to him, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. "Timothy,

after all. But now, at the end of their marriage,

of smoke. "I know you

care if she

stand the thought of life

go and