Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Vince texted Sheila the hospital address and the floor number.

She arrived not long after.

Timothy still hadn't come out.

He and Jessica had both made it out alive, though Timothy's back was covered in cuts and scrapes. Whether the blast had done any damage to his internal organs was still unclear.

They'd already been a fair distance from the car when it exploded, so hopefully, things wouldn't turn out too badly.

Sheila was nearly in tears from worry. "What happened to him? Why did the car blow up?"

This was no small accident.

Vince, who'd actually been at the scene, was a lot calmer, though he kept the details to himself.

"When I got there, the car was already in flames," he said simply.

He wanted Sheila to feel the urgency-if she did, she'd figure out what to do next. And in the end, he knew, her greatest concern was still Timothy's safety.

Vince offered what comfort he could. "Let's just wait. He should be out of surgery soon."

"And Jessica? Is she alright?"

"With Timothy there, she's fine. Not a scratch on her," Vince replied.

Sheila's fists clenched so tightly her nails left deep crescents in her skin.

Timothy cared about Jessica now-cared enough to put her life before his own.

The thought twisted Sheila's heart, but she forced a smile anyway. "As long as Daisy's safe, that's all I care about. By the way, I saw your Christmas Eve post— Yates commented that Daisy looks a lot like Daisy. I looked at their photo together, and honestly, they do look alike."

Vince's eyes flickered. "You think so too?"

Yates Bryant had mentioned before that Daisy's temperament and personality were similar, but Vince hadn't paid much attention-lots of people are similar in those ways. So when Yates commented, he'd brushed it off. But now, hearing it from Sheila as well, a strange feeling stirred inside him.

"Yeah, they really do. I remember when you first came back, you had Timothy help you run a search for Salome Zimmerman. Any progress on that? Any good news?"

Vince couldn't hide his disappointment. "None of the people we found matched."noveldrama

Sheila sighed, trying to comfort him. "Don't be too discouraged. These things are never easy. You know what they say when you think you've hit a dead end, a new path opens up. Maybe one day you'll find her out of the blue. Salome was always so kind-hearted; the universe won't be cruel to her. She has to be alive, maybe just waiting somewhere for you to find her. I've seen so many stories on TV about families reuniting with lost children-sometimes the person you've been searching for is closer than you ever imagined."

Sheila couldn't hold it in much longer.

She was starting to understand why Timothy hadn't revealed Jessica's true identity yet-likely, he was afraid that if Jessica gained the support of the

Zimmerman family, she might leave him easily.

Jessica had insisted on divorce more than once, but Timothy still refused to let her go.

If that was really the reason, it hit Sheila hard.

There was a time when, apart from his own family, Sheila was the person Timothy cared about most His concern for her was almost greater than for his relatives- unique, irreplaceable kind of affection. How could she stand to see him give that to someone else?

She wouldn't allow it.

But she couldn't let Timothy find out about these feelings.

So with Vince, she kept the conversation casual, just like any normal chat.

She knew Timothy well. She couldn't do anything that would make him uncomfortable.

Vince fell silent, lost in thought.

Sheila could tell her words were having the intended effect on him.

To make it even more obvious, she added, "I never would have guessed your grandfather was into paper crafts. Daisy must really love it

too-she's gotten so good. Sinet

and

your family are so connected, and now she's officially Daisy's goddaughter. You seem really fond of her as well. Are you actually thinking about competing with Timothy for Daisy's affection? He seems more and more attached to her lately."

Sheila's words kept echoing in Vince's mind.

He stood there in a daze for a long moment.

Could Daisy really be the one they'd been searching for all along?

From the first moment he met her, he'd felt something inexplicable-a need to protect her. When she was sad, he felt sad too. He couldn't help wanting to be close to her.

Yates had teased that he was interested in Timothy's woman. Vince had thought so, too.

But seeing Daisy so miserable with Timothy, he'd even hoped she would end up with Herbert. At times, he wondered if he was just too generous for his own good maybe what he felt for her wasn't love at all.

"Vince?"

Sheila's voice snapped him back to the present. "Sorry, I just remembered something important. Can you keep an eye on Timothy for me? If you need help, let the Lawsons know. I have to go."

"No problem-go do what you need to do."

Vince strode out of the hospital, his steps hurried and a bit unsteady.

Sheila watched him rush away, the corners of her lips lifting in a faint smile.

Back when she'd spoken to Jessica, she hadn't been able to say things too directly. But with Daisy and Yates both commenting, she could afford to be clearer with Vince.

It was Vince who was searching, and he was smart-maybe he'd figure it out

soon.

Jessica's background was

well-documented, so it was hard to

think she could be anyone else. So far, Jessica herself hadn't reacted at all, which probably meant she didn't remember anything from he childhood.