Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Mr. Lawson."

Timothy's voice was cool and detached. "Check the balance on the card I gave to my wife. How much is left?"

"One moment, sir."

A brief silence. Then Secretary Allen spoke up. "Twelve million."

Timothy's brow furrowed. Twelve million wasn't much by his standards. If Jessica wanted to return to a normal life, that sum would be more than enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for the rest of her days.

But she was Timothy's woman. How could she settle for an ordinary life?

"Freeze the card."

His words were cold as ice.

Secretary Allen hesitated, caught off guard, but knew better than to ask questions. "Understood. I'll do it right away."

"And look into what happened at the Wheeler Group."

With that, Timothy ended the call.

He strode across the room to the balcony, his long legs carrying him to the glass doors. He lit a cigarette, exhaling slowly into the night.

Outside, darkness pressed in, thick as velvet.

Timothy watched the smoke curl upward, a peculiar emptiness settling over him. This house, this life-so many years of stability, almost to the point of monotony.

Was Jessica trying to stir up some waves in his otherwise placid existence? Jessica hadn't been feeling well that day. As soon as she returned to the hotel, she collapsed onto the bed.

When she opened her eyes again, she was gasping awake from a nightmare.

Her forehead and back were slick with sweat.

She'd dreamed once more of that fire, the one from seven years ago.

In the dream, her heart had been knotted with fear-afraid Timothy would be hurt, afraid she'd lose him.

Even now, she could still feel the lingering terror.

She forced herself to calm down. Timothy's affairs, from this day forward, had nothing to do with her.

She got up to take a shower, only to remember she hadn't brought any luggage with her when she left.

So she had no choice but to go out and buy some clothes and basic necessities.

She had no idea what exactly had happened with the Wheelers. Once she was sure Timothy wouldn't take revenge on them, she'd head back home.

She picked out two simple outfits, then handed her card to the cashier.

The cashier slid the card through the reader. Jessica entered her PIN and pressed confirm.

Transaction failed.

The screen flashed: Card Invalid.

Impossible. She'd used this card for seven years. She'd been using it these last few days without a problem-why was it suddenly invalid?

"I'm sorry, miss, but this card isn't working. Do you have another one?"

Jessica set the clothes down and typed on her phone, asking the cashier to try again.

She entered her PIN once more. Still, the reader flashed the same message: Card Invalid.

A bitter little smile tugged at her lips.

This card belonged to Timothy.

He'd given it to her one day, saying there were two hundred thousand dollars on it enough for a shopping spree. Not long after, he'd transferred another two hundred thousand, urging her to go out and enjoy herself. Again and again— once, twice, three times, four.

At first, she'd felt happy. She thought he was worried she'd be bored at home, so he kept giving her money to spend.

But after a while, she realized he always gave her these "shopping sprees" whenever they had guests at the house.

That's when she understood: their marriage was truly a secret. Aside from the Lawsons and their household staff, no one was ever allowed to know she was his wife.

And now, even the card was gone.

Jessica left the clothing store in silence.

She'd always been frugal, but when it came to buying clothes, she never dared

settle for the cheap stuff-she was afraid of embarrassing Timothy.

Old habits died hard. Even now, she'd chosen a boutique with a decent reputation.

As she stepped out, she overheard the cashier mutter under her breath, "If you

can't afford it, don't pretend. What a waste of time."

Jessica simply smiled—a faint, practiced curve of her lips.

She was used to it. Numb to it.

After all, she couldn't speak-not a word.noveldrama

She understood, now: Timothy was cutting off her escape route, making sure she couldn't go back.

Suddenly, she remembered something her old professor once said: No matter how good a marriage seems, a woman with her own career will always live a richer, fuller life.