Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Vince was stunned.

Back then, after Sheila's offhand remark made him suspect Jessica might be her sister, he'd gone to Jessica's hometown to investigate. That's when Herbert inadvertently mentioned Jessica's birthmark. Vince pressed him for details, but that fool-believing Vince was interested in Jessica-refused to say a word about it. Vince had even snapped at him, demanding to know why he hadn't chased after Jessica in all these seven years.

All this time, Herbert hadn't gone after Jessy because he'd been hiding away in an operating room, researching aphasia?

Vince deeply regretted the way he'd spoken to Herbert that day.

If he'd known the truth, he never would have said those things.

Jessica's heart pounded so hard she felt paralyzed, unable to move.

He'd come back-returned to their hometown to find her. The very first time they met again, he'd given her that voice-emitting necklace.

Later, in order not to hold her back because of Timothy's suspicions, he'd brought up leaving the Wheeler family several times—and eventually, he really did leave.

He never told her, not wanting to put any pressure on her.

He spent seven years locked away in a lab, researching aphasia on his own, and never breathed a word.

When she finally found her voice, he only told her that a friend of his had made it possible.

he'd done for her, quietly, behind

surged and tumbled through Jessica's

his backpack over one shoulder, waiting for her to come out before heading home

house, she'd always "coincidentally" bump into him leaving his

a school farther from home, Mrs. Reynolds had bought him a bike, and he'd given

always been a troublemaker, loved getting into fights, never seemed to care about the rules. Yet somehow, he'd grown up to

little, he'd

speak-just to be able to

he remembered that wish all these years? Had he been searching for a way to make

of living off his family's fortune, he'd chosen to become

whose eyes brimmed with pain so deep she seemed about to break

it was Herbert's steadfast affection over those fifteen years that

seven

Herbert-he'd spent fifteen years of his life quietly loving Jessy from

Timothy

something was lodged

managed to

she saw

the ICU with more

around his neck, mask pulled down, his expression serious as he discussed