Goodbye, Mr. Regret

He couldn't let Jessica face this alone anymore.

Back when he barely knew her, he already felt a deep tenderness for her. Now, the thought of her enduring more misery because of Timothy was simply

unbearable.

But Jessica understood all too well.

She'd been married to Timothy for seven years. He'd always been distant, but she'd loved him fiercely, always hoping to bridge the gap between them. She'd tried, time and again, to get to know him better, hoping that if she just tried hard enough, he might finally come closer.

How could she not know Timothy by now?

He'd found the person he was looking for—if he hadn't wanted this, Vince would never have managed to track anyone down.

Jessica wanted to stay and talk to Timothy alone. She gently asked Vince to leave.

"Jessy..."

Vince gripped her arm tightly, refusing to let go.

From everything he'd seen and heard, he knew Jessica might give in for the sake of his little sister.

"Don't talk to him. Let's just go."

Vince understood just how much Jessica had suffered at the hands of Timothy and the Lawsons. He knew better than anyone how desperately she wanted to leave Timothy.

He couldn't bear to see her give up now.

might not be

away, offering a gentle smile as she pushed him out the

Timothy remained in the

gaze lingered on her. After seven years of marriage, how could there be no feelings at all? The

He wanted her back.

by little, before he even realized it was gone.

him overlapped again and again with the memory

could he ever let her go? After all, she'd spent her childhood insisting she didn't want to marry

go back

was rough, almost choked. "I'm sorry for making you stay

cruel things he still managed to say something so perfectly poised, so

then why do it in the first place? Are you really so selfish, so utterly incapable of caring about

carved angry shapes

you don't care about him. But Vince? He's been your friend since you were kids!" she signed fiercely. "His sister-you know her, don't you? Don't you want her to come home? To let their family be whole

won't find his sister before his mothe passes, so he even asked me to pretend to be

worst happens Timothy do

heart at all?sn't

you

you know? How can you be

for Sheila,

that

Vince wasn't a stranger.

Timothy could

can I do

with pain. "You want