Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Henry, you're amazing! You memorized it so quickly."

Sheila's voice was full of praise.

"That's because you're such a great teacher, Miss Sheila," Henry replied, his voice bright and cheerful.

Jessica's eyes immediately dimmed at the exchange.

Timothy, on the other hand, smiled with satisfaction and told Jessica to bring the suitcase inside.

He strode off toward the living room.

Jessica wheeled the suitcase into the bedroom, grabbed her pajamas, and headed for a shower.noveldrama

She turned on the faucet; the steady rush of water was loud enough to drown out the laughter coming from the other room.

When Timothy returned, Henry ran over with an affectionate "Dad!"

Timothy sat down, and Henry quickly pulled out his notebook.

"Dad, I finished copying 'A Mother's Love' a hundred times. Can you check it?"

Today, Timothy had called and told him-rather sternly-to copy "A Mother's Love" a hundred times. Henry had felt hurt by his father's tone and had called Sheila to vent. Sheila, gentle as always, comforted him and even made the trip from the city just to sit with him while he worked.

Timothy's expression softened. He ruffled Henry's hair. "You did great. Was it tiring? Is there a reward you'd like? Name it, and it's yours."

Henry shook his head. "I'm not tired. Miss Sheila sat with me and copied it a hundred times too. If you want to give a reward, give it to Miss Sheila."

He slipped out of Timothy's arms and snuggled up to Sheila's side.

Sheila tapped her forehead against Henry's, smiling fondly. "I'm just happy to spend time with you, Henry—I don't need anything. But you, young man, your handwriting is so neat, and you memorized the whole poem. You deserve a reward. Go on, tell your dad what you want."

Henry thought for a moment, then looked at Timothy. "Tomorrow's Saturday. I want you to take me to the amusement park. Can we go?"

Timothy realized he'd never actually taken Henry to the amusement park together with Jessica. Now that Jessica was back, this was the perfect opportunity for the three of them to go as a family.

He agreed.

Henry was over the moon.

He made plans with Sheila for the amusement park, and now that Dad would be joining them, it felt perfect.

Timothy checked his watch-it was getting late-and told Henry it was time for bed.

But Henry clung to Sheila, insisting she take him upstairs.

Timothy was about to call after Sheila, wanting to mention that Jessica would be

starting work soon. If Ines's agency signed her, he'd try to line up more opportunities for her. But the words stuck in his throat. Better to wait until everything was certain before saying anything-no need to raise expectations only to have things change at the last minute.

After Sheila and Henry went upstairs, Timothy picked up Henry's copied pages of

"A Mother's Love" and headed to the bedroom.

Jessica would be so pleased when she saw this.

He pushed open the door and heard the water running in the bathroom.

She was in the shower.

Tonight...he would make sure to comfort her. It had been two months already. Every time, something seemed to interrupt them, and it was starting to get on his nerves.

Timothy set Henry's notebook on the nightstand, then stepped out onto the balcony and lit a cigarette.

Jessica came out of the bathroom.

She caught the faint scent of sandalwood tobacco in the air and saw Timothy leaning against the balcony railing, smoke curling around him he looked even more striking in the dim light.

Jessica turned away, sat at the vanity, and reached for the hair dryer.

Timothy stubbed out his cigarette and walked over. Jessica had just plugged in the hair dryer and was about to turn it on when Timothy gently took it from her hand and switched it on himself.

The low hum of the dryer filled the room.