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 to

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

like he'd lost his mind-his

happened to our marriage, what's the point of any

now. I haven't had a real meal in

figure out

There's no one else here. If you

"Otherwise what?"

gaze, eyes dark and inscrutable. "Otherwise, I

and yanked. Breakfast crashed to the floor-soup and coffee splattering everywhere, even onto

He leaned on his cane and stood.

appeared, head bowed,

ordered the kitchen to prepare

to change

out of

on the

sea, the scenery almost

breathtaking, but she couldn't

it. She

just as

an island escape was

She didn't even

returned to the villa, Timothy was sitting on the terrace overlooking the ocean, smoking a

spilled over him, giving

the perfect gentleman, yet everything he

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

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

stream of smoke. "I know you hate

didn't care if she hated him

of life without her. Keeping her

than letting her go and losing every