Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Chapter 13

"She's here for the comic convention. I actually made a whole book of paper-cut illustrations for her. I wonder if she'll like it?"

Jessica's throat tightened.

She watched as Timothy and Henry stepped into the elevator together.

She was the one who had taught Henry how to make those paper-cut illustrations.

Most kids loved cartoons, and since she couldn't speak, she'd worried Henry might get bored when she watched him. After each show, she'd sit with him and do crafts, cutting out his favorite cartoon characters, making up little stories, and pasting them into a scrapbook.

Henry used to praise her for how pretty her paper-cuts looked, and in time, he'd learned to do it alongside her.

They'd created so many of those illustrated scrapbooks together.

Henry once promised that when he could finish a whole book by himself, the very first one would be for his mom.

Jessica never expected that day would come so soon-that Henry could already make a whole scrapbook on his own.

Her face pale, Jessica stepped wordlessly into the elevator.

Back in her room, a dull ache burned in her stomach, and fatigue pressed down like a heavy blanket.

poured herself a glass of water, took some medicine, and lay down to rest. Her sleep was restless, haunted by shadows. In the end, a nightmare jolted

dreamed of that fire from seven

grabbed her phone. It was

was an old town near the

beside a lake, each night at eight, crowds would gather along

water every evening. If you dined at The

thirty minutes from The Gilded Whisper Estates, but in

then, newly married, she longed for those little moments with the man she loved. If Timothy wouldn't go, she felt there was

the wish was shelved and

she owed herself this

face, threw

the lakeside, crowds drifted along the

some stealing

the throng, offering roses to every pair they

every rose in the country came from here

had never involved roses. In truth, it had always

gaze away from the

fireworks show was about

boom, the first

scattering

lotus blossoms bloomed above the