Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Sallie walked over to Henry's side and saw he was on the verge of tears. Furious, she shouted, "Jessica!"

Jessica had turned away just as Henry called out for her. Now, hearing her name, she glanced back and looked up, her eyes meeting both Sallie's and Henry's.

The moment mother and son locked eyes, Henry called out again, "Mom!"

But the carousel kept spinning, and soon Jessica's seat was moving away from them.

Daisy tugged at Jessica's sleeve. "Auntie, I saw Henry calling you."

"He's with his aunt. She'll look after him." Jessica's reply was calm.

When it came to big decisions, Jessica could think about Henry's future, but when it came to the daily effort, she was done giving. If a child isn't even wanted by his own mother, what hope does he have?

Henry stared at Jessica, his gaze unwavering, but she only had eyes for Daisy. He could feel the anger boiling up inside him—this was his mother.

Seeing Jessica ignore them, Sallie turned to Herbert, who was busy filming with his phone, capturing videos with laser focus.

With a biting tone, Sallie remarked, "Jessica's got the Zimmerman family's child with her, and you're still following her around like a puppy. What's going on in that head of yours?"

Herbert barely glanced at her, his voice cold. "Mind your own business."

He turned his attention right back to Jessica and Daisy, not giving Sallie another thought.

whispers slipped

alone. All her love, all her tenderness, every gentle smile he hadn't seen those in

stopped loving her. He just worried she'd embarrass herself in public, that people would laugh at her. He'd explained it, again and again: she would always be his mother. Outside, he only pretended

"Come on,

approached, his voice

a cane, but he

Henry around to face Timothy, who immediately noticed the boy's tears. Pointing to the carousel,

Jessica and Daisy spinning past, Jessica doting on Daisy with

pressed into a hard

her over and over, and she just ignores him. She's fawning over someone else's child and has

you mean, someone else's child? Daisy isn't an

if Daisy's

with Henry once, when you

said quietly, his voice

knew the fault lay with him and Henry too; it wasn't

she came with, Timothy! You might not care about your reputation, but the Lawson family still has some

did Timothy

a stop. Herbert began waving at Jessica and

front of the kids, keep your voice down,"