Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Did someone just send her a Christmas Eve gift?

Herbert.

It had to be him. Again.

Timothy grabbed his phone and called Secretary Allen.

"Go buy 999 gift-wrapped apples and have them delivered to The Gilded Whisper Estates. And arrange for a Christmas tree."

He hung up before Allen could respond.

Timothy picked up the apple sitting on the vanity, meaning to toss it into the trash -but after a moment's hesitation, he set it back down. The last time he'd pretended to throw away that necklace Herbert gave her, she'd been furious. Why was he getting so worked up over an apple anyway?

Was she out to dinner with Herbert again tonight?

Agitated, Timothy pulled out his phone and dialed Jessica.

Meanwhile, Jessica had already bought the gold-plated cutlery and bowls. Carlisle and his crew-five key members in all-were present to witness her officially naming Daisy as her goddaughter.

Just as her phone buzzed with Timothy's call, Jessica glanced at the screen and muted it, choosing not to answer.

Vince beamed at her. "Hey, why don't I take a photo of you and Daisy to commemorate the occasion?"

"Great idea,” Jessica replied.

helped Jessica get a few group shots with

She'd bought a bunch, and now everyone was holding one, grinning for the camera as

movie teasers were flooding the internet, and there was even a promotion on Christmas Day, theaters in every city would be giving away

campaign, Vince switched on the big screen in their private room. The film channel was running their

screen exploded in a wash of deep-blue waves, only to fade quickly to black. Over the sound of

cord becomes a message in a bottle, can you

deaf boy lay sprawled on a beach as waves crashed over him. The umbilical cord snaked from his abdomen, twisting into a fragile

night as a storm raged outside. Just as the child was about to be born,

...

was transfixed, eyes glued to

grown up without a mother, in the film, the boy's mother had given him life at the cost of her own. Yet, she found ways to stay with

the trailer drew to a close, all the glass bottle umbilical cords exploded into a brilliant starry sky. The deaf boy tipped his head back, and

read: "Let the umbilical cord connect a

a cord emerged from the boy's body, alive once

*Message in

the script, but seeing the trailer, so

Carlisle and

were

movie was their silent

was finally

reach the world.