Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"You promised me-you can't go back on your word."

She agreed, and only then did he bring her back.

He wouldn't let her change her mind.

Timothy swept Jessica up into his arms and carried her out to the car, signaling for the cosmetic artist to follow.

The cosmetic artist quickly got into Timothy's car as well.

Mabel, still uneasy, snatched up the phone from the sofa, turned it on, and asked

a trusted family driver to help her follow Timothy.

"Mabel, if we get caught, won't Mr. Carter fire us?"

"He won't know, unless you or I say something. Besides, Mrs. Carter's always been good to us. Could you just stand by and watch her in danger?"

"No... I couldn't."

"Then stick close, and don't lose them."

Vince arrived at The Gilded Whisper Estates, hurried out of his car, and rang the bell. The house was empty.

"Linn, is Mr. Carter or Mrs. Carter here?"

"Mr. Carter just took Mrs. Carter out. I think they were arguing."

Vince frowned, convinced there was more to the story than a simple argument. Otherwise, Jessica would never have sent that kind of message.

"Do you know where they went?"

Linn shook her head.

With no other options, Vince tried Jessica's phone again. To his surprise, it connected.

"Hello, Jessy?—"

"Mr. Zimmerman? It's Mabel."

"Why do you have Jessica's phone?"

Mabel knew Vince had always looked out for Mrs. Carter, so she explained quickly, "It's like this-Mr. Carter and Mrs. Carter were fighting, and someone must have called in. Mr. Carter switched her phone off and tossed it on the sofa before leaving with her. I was worried, so I grabbed the phone and followed in a separate car."

"Share her live location with me-now. I'm coming."

"Okay!"noveldrama

,

Vince rushed out of The Gilded Whisper Estates just as Herbert pulled up, jumping from his car and meeting Vince head-on.

"Where's Jessica?"

"Get in."

They both piled into the car. Vince pulled up Jessica's chat and retrieved her location.

"Where is she?"

"Timothy took her. I have her location-let's go, fast!"

Jessica knew that with Timothy forcing her away like this, even if Vince and Herbert made it to The Gilded Whisper Estates, they wouldn't find her.

Today, Timothy would make sure she never forgot him.

She couldn't let that happen. She'd rather die than carry another mark of his on her body.

Timothy drove, eyes flickering to gauge her mood.

Jessica stared blankly out the window, feigning numbness.

As they passed an intersection, she suddenly lunged, grabbing the steering wheel and yanking it hard to the side.

A car was approaching from the other direction.

Timothy's mind went blank. He slammed on the brakes, but there was no time-

the steering wheel wrenched from his hands.

The two cosmetic artists in the back screamed.

Crash!

The cars collided. In the split second before impact, Timothy threw himself over Jessica, wrapping her tight in his arms.

The other vehicle was a heavy off-road SUV with oversized tires. Timothy's car crumpled into the gap between its wheel and chassis.

er

Glass exploded, shards embedding in Timothy's back. The front of his car was crushed; agony lanced through his body as he shielded Jessica from the worst of the impact. His vision swam, and he could hardly see her through the haze.

Weak but urgent, Timothy rasped at the artists in the back, "Get out-now!"

He reached across Jessica and flung open the passenger door, voice rough but gentle. "Go. Get out."

Jessica, miraculously, was barely hurt.

She caught the raw, desperate pain in Timothy's breathing and the tightness of his jaw—he was injured. Still, she climbed out first.

"Careful-watch the glass," he urged, shifting just enough to clear her way. He could feel a large shard lodged in his back; he didn't dare move, afraid it would fall and hurt her.

Jessica slipped out, and saw the jagged piece of glass protruding from Timothy's back, surrounded countless smaller shards. The biggest one had pierced him when he'd leaned back to make space for her to escape.

Blood stained his pale gray suit.

Jessica's eyes narrowed in horror.

All she'd meant to do was force him to stop-she never intended for a crash.

The SUV had barely been damaged, its owner only feeling a jolt. The driver stepped out to check, then spotted the smoke rising from Timothy's car.

"Get out! The engine's on fire!" he shouted.

Jessica saw flames licking under the hood, gasoline already pooling beneath the

car.

"Timothy! Get out, now!" she cried, running around to the driver's side and yanking at the door.

Timothy reached back, gritting his teeth as he yanked the glass from his wound.

The fire flared.

"Jessy get back!" he barked.

The SUV driver and the cosmetic artists bolted for safety.

At this rate, the car could explode any second.