Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Jessy, from what I see, he doesn't really want a divorce. Are you sure there's no way back for you two?"

"There's no going back, Ines. He's already got someone else in his heart. The only reason he won't sign the papers isn't because he wants to save our marriage, but because..."

Jessica hesitated to tell Ines about Timothy and Sheila. She certainly didn't want Ines to know she was nothing more than a human shield for their relationship. Admitting it would only make her humiliation complete.

She paused, then added, "Anyway, he doesn't love me. And I've lost any hope I had for this marriage."

Ines didn't press further. They'd just arrived outside The Silverthread Eatery. Ines offered to drive Jessica home, but Jessica insisted she wanted to walk for a while and told Ines to go ahead.

After watching Ines drive away, Jessica stood by the curb, flagging down a cab. As she waited, a Bentley glided past her, its back window rolled down. She caught

a glimpse of a face she recognized instantly-a face she could never forget.

The cab arrived. Jessica quickly got in.

"Please, follow that car up ahead," she told the driver, her voice urgent.

Eyes fixed on the Bentley, she pulled out her phone, snapping a photo of its license plate. After all these years, she'd finally seen him again.

She had no idea where the car was headed. The taxi followed for half an hour, weaving through the city. At a busy intersection, the Bentley slipped through a yellow light just as theirs turned red, forcing them to stop. The light dragged on, and by the time traffic moved, the Bentley had vanished.

plate. She told the driver to turn around and take her

her, only to realize after a while that she seemed to

had just gotten home when

at the door, still favoring his injured leg. Every step

the master bedroom, but Timothy stepped in front of her, blocking her way. She

he wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly

and as Timothy breathed in her familiar scent,

Jessica quickly pushed him away with a shove-he only had

wrong with you? Can't you see how much I can't stand you? If it weren't for news about Vince's

him. At least she was talking, not shutting him out. "What I want to know is, why do you

storm off before he could finish. Tonight, he was determined-he wouldn't

exasperated. "Haven't I spelled it

tried to

between

Seven years ago, I

her because she lost

She was afraid

at the time, so said I'd marry her. We're not related

"That fire seven years