Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Chapter 296

The weather had turned crisp after the harvest moon, a lingering chill in the air.

The water was colder than in summertime-a fine, relentless spray that left Jessica shivering in the tub, goosebumps rising on her skin. She couldn't stop trembling, no matter how hard she tried.

Timothy held her firmly in the bath. Jessica struggled, but he was unmoved, his eyes alight with an angry fire, as if determined to scrub her clean of something he couldn't bear.

Her whole body shook from the cold, damp strands of hair clinging to her forehead and tangling in her lashes.

At last, the water warmed, and Jessica's shivering eased a little, the heat seeping into her limbs. But nothing could reach her heart; it remained frozen.

Noticing her resistance had faded, Timothy seized her wrist, squeezing tight. He pumped liquid soap into his palm and began to scrub her hand, rough and unyielding.

His lips, usually soft and inviting, were pressed into a hard, thin line.

He scrubbed until the back of her hand burned, then grabbed the showerhead and rinsed away the suds.

Suddenly, the bruised, purplish marks around her wrist came into view, glaring against her pale skin. Even the back of her hand was flushed raw.

Timothy's movements stilled.

realize how

expression blank, her beautiful eyes

Timothy's hand, clattering against the porcelain. He reached for her, pulling her into

"I'm sorry... I”

a woman before. There had been times when Jessica's words pushed him to the edge, when he'd nearly slapped her, but he always pulled back at the last second, never letting his anger cross that

now, he'd

He'd left marks.

her necklace couldn't get

chain at her throat. As she cupped the necklace in her hands, tears spilled down her cheeks,

Timothy had thrown her necklace away.

racked with

taken it to be repaired, and now,

softened

he had slipped his promise ring onto her finger, but she'd refused to wear it, choosing instead the necklace Herbert gave her. He hadn't even confronted her about it yet—and now, here she was, clutching Herbert's necklace,

grip, his voice low and dangerous. "Is his gift really

seemed to

been so long since he'd touched her that she'd