Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Henry was her son-her own flesh and blood. But Timothy wasn't.

And yet, she still reacted this way.

Jessica stared at her reflection in the mirror, biting her lip hard, trying to jolt herself awake. No matter how much she tried to shake it, her deep attachment to him lingered in her subconscious, making her worry about him all over again.

He was always like this-calm and unshakable, whether he was hurt or whether she slapped him across the face. He stood steady as a mountain.

Her mother had left, and Jessica had no one to rely on. Her father had vanished long ago, and he was no support either. Even her grandmother, who had raised her, had passed away. A lifetime of loneliness left her desperate for someone solid to lean on.

Once, Timothy had been that person in her heart. He was her husband, Henry's father-the one who could protect them both. She thought she could count on him. But just as he stood unmovable as a mountain, she found she couldn't lean on him after all.

Inside her, the foundation kept cracking, crumbling.

She collected herself and stepped out of the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe as she gazed at him sleeping deeply. Her eyes were blank, full of disappointment.

The yacht finally reached the dock. An ambulance was already waiting.

The butler helped the medics lift Timothy onto a stretcher.

Studying the signs and the language around her, Jessica realized they were somewhere near Bali.

But she couldn't leave not now. He had brought her here in the middle of the night, and she hadn't seen her bag since. When she woke up, only her phone was on the nightstand.

She had no choice but to follow the ambulance to the hospital.

Timothy had passed out from blood loss. The doctor checked his blood pressure -fortunately, it wasn't critical enough to need a transfusion.

When they stitched up his wound, the pain woke Timothy. He opened his eyes and saw the butler.

"Where's Jessica?" he asked.

"She's waiting outside."

Stitching wasn't a major procedure; there was a special area for it, not the ER. Timothy's wound wasn't large-just four stitches.

Still, the doctor insisted he stay for an IV, since he'd lost so much blood. The medicine would help the wound heal and prevent infection.

Timothy asked for a private room. With the butler's support, he walked out and saw Jessica waiting.

He'd changed into a fresh shirt. Aside from his pallor and a hint of weakness, he carried himself with the same quiet dignity as always.

His leg had improved a lot-he could nearly walk unaided now, only needing the butler's arm for support.

"Mrs. Lawson, the doctor wants Mr. Lawson to get an IV. Let's head to the room," the butler said.

Jessica couldn't leave, so she followed them.

They had barely settled into the hospital room when a nurse came in with

medication and started Timothy's IV. The butler followed the nurse out to handle

the paperwork, leaving only the two of them in silence.

For a long time, neither spoke.

Finally, Jessica asked, "Did you bring my bag?"

"No," Timothy said.

"My ID, then?"

He shook his head. "No."

She stared at him. "So how did I get here without it?"

"Helicopter,” he replied.

"You really have no intention of letting me leave, do you?"

He didn't hesitate. "No."

He'd planned this long before, cutting off any chance she might have had to escape.

Jessica pressed her lips together, exasperated. "Didn't you realize I hurt you because I wanted to leave?"

"I did."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

He took the blow in silence. For what? She didn't understand.noveldrama

Timothy's face remained composed. "Maybe I thought it would help you let off some steam."

Jessica met his calm, deep eyes. Her voice was flat. "You can stop trying. I married you because I loved you, but I don't anymore. I will leave you."

Timothy hesitated. He remembered the first time they met he'd proposed to her right away.

"You fell in love with me at first sight?" he asked.

Love at first sight?

Yes, but not the way he imagined.

She certainly wasn't the type to accept a stranger's proposal after just meeting him. By then, she'd already watched him from afar for four years.

Jessica didn't answer, but her silence told him enough.

Timothy tried to soften, "Jessy, this is exhausting for both of us. I won't force you to talk about the past if

you don't want to. Let's just look net

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forward. We'll spend this week here call it a belated honeymoon."

Go anywhere you want, do anything you want, alright?"

He was good at trapping her. Without her ID, she couldn't go anywhere. She had

no choice but to give in.

"Timothy, do you understand even a little why I insist on a divorce?" she asked quietly.

His jaw tightened. He knew exactly what she meant.

"I'm holding onto you because I don't want a divorce. Can you understand that, Jessy? From the day I married you, divorce has never crossed my mind if you'd enly given me av chance to explain, I wouldn't be acting like this. I can't help but feel we have some underlying problem. Can't we just work through it-talk everything out, one thing at a time?"

She looked at him, her former obsession and love now cold in her eyes. "Mr.

Lawson."

She'd started calling him that again.

"Disappointment doesn't come all at

once," she said softly. "You build it up, bit by bit.

again jus ou can't find hope

Just by working through list After you brought Sheila to that father-daughter event, I was done. Don't waste your time-my life, I only gave you seven years."

Timothy's face clouded with confusion. "Why only seven years?"