Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Herbert's eyes grew misty as he looked at the picture frame.

Inside was a portrait-of himself.

He leaned against the wall of Jessica's old house, a gardenia bush blooming behind him. He couldn't have been more than twelve.

She still remembered him, just as he was back then.

"Jessy really has a gift for papercutting. Her portraits are almost lifelike-only she could pull that off," Vince said, unable to hold back his admiration.

Herbert knew she had that kind of talent. The paper lady she'd cut for his mother had been just as vivid, almost as if it could step off the page.

"It really does look like you, Herbert. Was that you as a kid?" Ines had also noticed the figure in the frame.

Timothy, who'd been silent until now, suddenly lost his composure. Leaning hard on his cane, he hurried over.

The four of them were chatting, so no one noticed Timothy approach. He reached out and took the picture frame right out of Herbert's hands.

All conversation stopped. Everyone glanced up at once.

Even though Timothy had never seen Herbert as a boy, the resemblance was obvious. And the background was unmistakably Jessica's house.

So, they'd known each other that well as kids?

"Give it back," Herbert said, standing up abruptly and reaching for the frame. His face was tense, as if someone had stolen something precious from him.

Jessica too stood up, impatience flashing in her eyes. She grabbed the frame, trying to take it back.

But Timothy held on, refusing to let go.

"Timothy, let go," Jessica said, her gaze unwavering.

Jealousy burned in Timothy's chest. His voice was low, almost icy. "The day we filed for divorce, what did you promise me? Do you need me to remind you?"

He knew, rationally, that nothing improper had ever happened between Jessica and Herbert. Vince had even vouched for it-Herbert might have loved Jessica, but he'd always been proper, never crossing the line.

But seeing a papercut portrait like this-one Jessica had never made for him, even after seven years of marriage-while she'd made one of Herbert as a boy? It made his blood boil.

Just how much did she still cherish those memories of Herbert?

He was scared-terrified, actually-of losing her.

Jessica let out a cold laugh. "He helped me recover my voice. I gave him a gift in return-why shouldn't I? What is it you want to remind me of? That before our divorce was final, I risked tarnishing the name 'Mrs. Lawson'? Timothy, why the sudden concern? In seven years of marriage, when did you ever care about my title as Mrs. Lawson?"

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut. Vince, sitting nearby, just watched the drama unfold-Timothy had it coming, in his opinion.

Ines stayed silent, simply observing.

Years ago, Jessica had chosen Timothy without hesitation. She could understand why Jessica wanted out now.

Jessica's resolve was

unwavering she wanted the

divorce. Timothy, on the other hand,

was desperate to hold on. He

struggled to keep his emotions in

check. "I don't want to fight with you.

Come home with me."

"You promised you wouldn't restrict my freedom. And you're holding onto

something that belongs to me. Let go."

Jessica's tone made it clear-if he didn't let go, she'd truly be angry.

Timothy had no choice but to release the frame. Jessica took it and handed it straight to Herbert.

A smile returned to Herbert's face as he sat back down.

Jessica shot Timothy a frosty look. "I'll go home when I'm finished eating. Go take care of your business."

She sat down and turned to Vince, Herbert, and Ines. Her face instantly brightened. "Let's order, shall we?"

With the picture frame safely in her hands, she treated Timothy as if he were invisible.

The mighty CEO of Lawson Enterprises had never been brushed off so completely.

Timothy stood frozen, his face dark with frustration.

"Mr. Lawson?" someone called. He'd come here for a business lunch with a client, who had already arrived. With no choice, Timothy turned and walked away.

Jessica had invited the others to thank them, and over lunch, she expressed her deep gratitude. To them, Jessica was someone worth going the extra mile for.

Afterwards, Vince and Herbert left first. Jessica walked out with Ines.

Seeing the scene that day, Ines couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart.

"Jessy, was Timothy always like this with you? Has he treated you badly these past seven years?"

When Ines first learned Jessica was Timothy's wife, she'd assumed their marriage was happy—so much so that she'd once misread a situation and almost caused a huge misunderstanding.

"It's all in the past, professor. I simply took the wrong path, and I'm just trying to turn back while I still can."

For seven years, she'd thought the coldness in their marriage was just Timothy's personality. It wasn't until later that she discovered the truth: his heart belonged to someone else-Sheila.

He'd asked her once, directly, if she really wanted to marry him. She could have said no. She'd made the choice herself, so she didn't hate Timothy; she just accepted that everyone walks their own path.

But Sheila's appearance showed Jessica just how far Timothy could go-and how blind her own son was to it all.

She was never vengeful by nature; she was just exhausted, disappointed beyond words.

It was only after she asked for a divorce—and Timothy tried to stop her, threatened her, lashed out at the people around her that she began to feel real resentment toward him.noveldrama

As long as she could get out, she'd endure anything.

All she wanted now was to escape this suffocating marriage as quickly as possible.