Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Just then, Henry's school day ended.

He hadn't even left the front gate when he spotted Sheila and Timothy waiting for him.

With a grin, Henry waved excitedly at Timothy, who immediately stopped talking to Sheila and turned his attention to his son.

"Dad! Miss Sheila!" Henry called out, dashing over to them.

As they passed by, Mario's mom and the nurse-who was picking up her own son, Paul-smiled knowingly. "Hey there, Henry! Your parents are here to pick you up?"

"Yes!" Henry replied, practically beaming.

So it was true. Everything Jessica had said was right-Henry really did treat Sheila like his mom outside the house.

A while back, when Sheila was about to leave because of the Lawsons' pressure, Henry wouldn't let her go. He'd brought up the upcoming arts-and-crafts competition, saying everyone thought Sheila was his mom, and he'd be embarrassed if people found out his real mom couldn't speak. It was supposed to be a parent-child event, after all.

Timothy hadn't stopped him at the time. There was nothing romantic between him and Sheila, and he was sick of his relatives making a fuss about it. Letting Sheila stay solved a problem for him, too. Besides, Jessica's condition meant Henry was bound to want to save face-what kid wouldn't? Timothy never imagined things would spiral out of control like this.

Now, he had to put a stop to it before the misunderstanding got any worse.

"You've all got it wrong. She's not my wife," Timothy said firmly.

Jessica, who had been hovering nearby, looked utterly bewildered and hurt by his words.

Sheila's eyes widened with surprise-Timothy had never cleared things up so bluntly before.

stared at his dad

the nurse, with Paul, had both overheard the exchange. Now everyone knew that Sheila

lady was his mom," Mario piped up, looking

all the time in class. We

When Henry was sick at the hospital, he called this lady 'Mom' the whole

nodded in agreement. "Exactly! At the craft competition, Henry

remembered hearing that, too. He'd wanted to scold Henry about it, but Vince had teased him until he let it go. He'd thought it was a harmless misunderstanding, never realizing how out of

he'd been harder than usual on Henry. Now, Henry looked absolutely petrified, barely daring to look up

cold, forbidding expression, then

the tense

and son and

with a warm

just joking with you all," she said smoothly. "His mom couldn't

wname to

for you

out. Timothy wasn't the type to scold his son in front of an audience, but if she didn't clear

lot of trouble. She knew he'd be even

I guess we really did misunderstand," Mario's mom

must be, too. Hope we'll meet

that, the two women headed off

a cold, intimidating energy. He grabbed Henry's

desperate look at her. He knew what was waiting for him at home-a stern lecture, at

with her. "Don't blame Henry; this

but never found the right moment. Now, he was