Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Chapter 93

Jessica forced a faint smile.

No matter how tactfully Sallie put it, the message was always the same— Jessica's muteness was a disappointment.

She should try harder.

But Jessica had been trying, day after day, to prove herself worthy of Timothy. She'd done everything she could think of. If only the Lawsons could show her a little more respect, maybe Henry wouldn't have grown so distant, so ashamed of having a mother who couldn't speak.

But what could she do? She was voiceless, powerless.

That's why she was so willing to support Carlisle and the others they worked so hard to prove that even without a voice, they could live, work, and create just like anyone else.

Sallie, meanwhile, felt she'd done all she could for Jessica. She'd given her advice, offered reminders, and now, if Jessica couldn't appreciate it, she'd just have to deal with the consequences herself. As for Sheila, Sallie was sure their grandfather would step in.

With that, Sallie left.

Jessica made her way to Henry's hospital room.

He'd had surgery just before dawn; now that the anesthesia had worn off, he probably still hurt. Even in his sleep, his small face was scrunched up in pain.

it stung, deeply, that he clung to Sheila and seemed embarrassed by

most of the day, so she wasn't tired that night.

Morning came.

opened his eyes, he saw Jessica dozing beside his bed, her head resting on her arms.

being sick as a little boy, opening his eyes to see his mother slumped in the same spot, trying to

that he didn't love her. But she couldn't

wealthiest man in Riverside

find out

"Mom..." he whispered.

at the sound of his

you stay here all

Jessica nodded.

pulled out her phone and typed into a text-to-speech app: "Henry, are you hungry? Do you want me to

gentle woman's voice echoed from the phone, and Henry noticed the ring on

enough, but it was still artificial, a reminder that his mother would never speak to him in her own

his eyes. "You can just use sign language, Mom. I know how to read it. Dad gave you that talking ring so you can communicate with strangers, not with me. You don't have to use

ache throbbed in Jessica's

her phone, and began signing: "I'll go get you something to eat. You just lie still, okay? You just had surgery, and you don't want to hurt yourself.