Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Chapter 430

Jessica had grown up and changed so much that Hollis didn't recognize her at first-but she knew him right away.

When her mother jumped to her death, he abandoned her without a second thought.

Now, even after all these years, Jessica still couldn't quite bring herself to call him "Dad." She'd hated him, blamed him, wondered a thousand times why he didn't want her. Her grandmother had worked herself to the bone raising her, and when she passed away, Jessica spent more than three years utterly alone.

Hollis never came back.

But he was still her father. She couldn't just call him by his name. In the end, she managed a quiet, "Dad."

Only then did Hollis snap out of his confusion. "Jessy? Is that really you?"

"You can talk now?" he asked, as if seeing a ghost.

“Yeah, I'm finally better,” she replied softly.

Jessica had something she wanted to say to Hollis alone, so she turned to Vince. "Vince, would you mind waiting for me outside?"

Hollis took a good look at Vince-well-dressed, obviously well-off. His estranged daughter was turning into a beautiful woman, and judging by the parade of men coming to see her, she didn't lack for admirers.

The last man who had come by claimed to be her husband. So who was this one?

his spine.

divorced now just waiting

who was

friend,"

as she got older,

him now, she

to understand why her mother died, or why her father left. But since she was here today, she wanted to ask. "Dad, why did Mom jump?" Hollis's face twisted with discomfort. Timothy knew Jessica wasn't his

she was ill. She struggled with her mind," he said,

of sense to Jessica. She remembered times, waking in the middle of the night to find herself cradled in her mother's

voice trembled as she pressed on. "After Mom died, why did you leave me? You never looked back-not

Hollis said, eyes darting away. "I owed some dangerous people a lot of money. Even after I sold the house, it wasn't enough. I had to disappear. If I'd gone to see you, I'd have dragged you and your grandmother into it. And after that... well, I goblocked up. There was no way

excuses made Jessica's

What about the eight or nine years before that? You just disappeared to dodge your debts? You couldn't have sent a single letter? Snuck back to see me,

off. When she was little, she had missed her dad so much. She'd always hoped that one

truth. Timothy had already promised him: as long as he kept quiet, he'd be released early and sent abroad, with a nice sum

with my

couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could a father be so shamelessly irresponsible?

won't bother asking about the past anymore.

her cancer diagnosis or the liver transplant she

heard you might be getting out soon. I'll see if there's anything I

quickly. "I've been on good behavior. The warden said I