Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Chapter 41

Long, slender fingers danced across the keyboard. After a moment, he handed her the phone.

"Give it a try. This ring can speak too."

Jessica glanced at the screen. It was the same app Herbert had helped her download that night.

She froze, caught off guard.

Timothy pressed the phone into her hand, then bent down to gather up the fabric

on the table, stuffing it into his suitcase.

She stood abruptly and placed her hand firmly over his, stopping him.

With careful, practiced gestures, she signed, *I'm not going back.*

Timothy's face darkened at once, a flash of anger in his eyes. "I came all this way

to bring you home myself. What more do you want?"

The words had barely left his lips when his phone rang.

suit pocket, he saw

answered immediately.

physician. Am I speaking to

together. "What happened to

a lot of blood. The last unit you arranged wasn't enough. Could you please

care of

as he strode for the door. Moments later, the door closed behind him, shutting

the door jarred Jessica from her thoughts. She looked down at the ring on her

and placed it in the velvet

her

For one fleeting second, she'd almost believed he was sincere. She'd almost convinced herself that he bought her the voice-emitting ring because it bothered him to

her head, pulling the fabric from the suitcase and hunching over her sketches

***

made arrangements for the blood to be delivered as he sped through the city. By the time he reached the hospital, Sheila was already out of the emergency room,

her, immediately reaching for her hand, his voice soft

slipped. Timothy, I'm so

brimmed

wound,