Goodbye, Mr. Regret

He couldn't be bothered to argue with her over the same issue again.

Divorce was out of the question.

"Fine, you want to go through the courts? I'd like to see which lawyer has the guts to take on my divorce case."

Timothy let go of her shoulders, turned on his heel, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The loud bang echoed through the room, hitting Jessica like a physical blow to the chest.

Her strength gave out. She slid slowly down the wall until she sat on the floor, legs curled beneath her.

How could she, all alone, possibly win against someone as powerful as Timothy?

He refused to let her go, clinging to a marriage that held not a shred of love.

Clearly, he really needed a legitimate wife-someone to help shield Sheila from suspicion.

He doted on Sheila, after all.

How could he bear to let their affair come to light and ruin Sheila's reputation?

So, Jessica was left with no choice but to become the sacrificial lamb for their so- called love story.

From the very beginning, she'd known she was no match for Timothy. She'd thought about leaving quietly, fading away, waiting for death.

Once she was gone, their marriage would end on its own.

But she was still a person, with feelings and dignity. She couldn't spend the last stretch of her life continuing to swallow her pride.

That's why she wanted a divorce-a final act of self-respect.

Even such a modest wish, Timothy refused to grant.

Did she really have to wait for death, just as she'd once imagined, to finally sever this marriage?

Timothy had barely stepped out of the room when his phone buzzed. It was Henry.

"Dad, when are you and Miss Sheila coming back? I miss you guys."

Timothy's voice dropped, cool and stern. "Don't you miss your mother?"

Henry huffed. "She didn't even care when I was sick. Why should I miss her?" He was still upset.

He'd called his mom, but her phone had been off.

He'd cried.

It was Miss Sheila who rushed all the way over, comforted him, and stayed by his side.

Just today, at school, the nurse's son told the other kids that Miss Sheila was gentle and beautiful-she really doted on Henry.

He even said that several of the cartoons they all liked watching were made by Miss Sheila.

That's when Henry realized how amazing she was. She could even make cartoons-no wonder she told the best stories.

If he had a choice, he'd want Sheila to be his mom.

After all, his own mother was mute. What if one day his classmates found out?

He absolutely couldn't stand the thought of anyone calling him "the mute's kid." "Why isn't your mom looking after you? Your aunt told me she stayed up all night by your bedside after your surgery!"noveldrama

"Dad, she hasn't cooked for me in ages. When I call, she turns off her phone. I don't think she wants me anymore, and honestly, I don't want her either. Maybe you can talk to Miss Sheila-see if she can be my mom instead."

Timothy's grip tightened around his phone.

No wonder Sallie had told him to have a serious talk with Henry.

This little brat really needed a lesson.

"That's how you talk about your mother? Where did all those lessons about respect and family go? She's the one who gave birth to you—you can't just swap her out because you feel like it!"

Timothy had never raised his voice at Henry like this before.

Henry's face crumpled, but he insisted, "I'm not wrong! She's the one who ignores me, won't answer my calls, won't cook for me, left me alone at the hospital. She can't even speak-I've never complained about having a mute mom, but she still treats me like this. Why should I have to put up with her? Even tadpoles can go find their own mothers-why can't I?"