Goodbye, Mr. Regret novel Chapter 12

Memories from the past washed over Timothy, leaving him awash with guilt. He couldn't shake the feeling that he owed Sheila so much—more than he could ever repay.

If anything happened to Jessica and word got back to the old man, Sheila would be the one to suffer for it.

Crushing out his cigarette in the ashtray, Timothy turned to the woman beside him. "Stay with Henry for me. I'm going to look for her."

He grabbed his suit jacket and headed out the door.

But the truth was, he had no idea where Jessica might have gone.

Once in his car, he pulled over at the curb and dialed Jessica's number.

Three calls. No answer.

His handsome features darkened, eyes clouded with worry.

He started the car again and drove toward the nearest shopping center.

Earlier that afternoon, Jessica had gone to tidy her grandmother's grave, only to find it overgrown with saplings and weeds. She'd bought some tools, spent hours cleaning up the site, and finally made her way home, exhausted.

It wasn't until she heard her phone buzzing that she realized she'd left it behind when she went out.

By the time she found it, the call had already ended.

Three missed calls from Timothy.

Two more from Mabel earlier in the day.

But none from Henry.

Her little boy—wasn't he the one who always needed her most?

A bitter smile tugged at her lips. She slipped the phone into her bag and forced herself not to dwell on it.

Timothy didn't get home for another two hours.

Henry was already asleep. Sheila was waiting in the living room, rising to meet him the moment he walked in.

He looked grim.

"No word from Jessica?" Sheila asked, brows knitted.

Timothy pressed his lips into a hard line and nodded slightly.

"Timothy, I think we should call the police."

That was the last thing he wanted.