Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Timothy's face was grim, his voice edged with barely concealed anger. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You seriously want to pretend you don't know?" Kane shot back, his tone thick with accusation. "Timothy, don't play dumb with me. Sheila's not even your real aunt. Don't tell me you don't know what she's been waiting for all these years. If you were too scared to marry her back then, you shouldn't have strung her along! I don't buy for a second that you're clueless about her feelings. Admit it-you like keeping one woman at home and another on the hook. You love having two women care about you, don't you?"

Kane had always cared deeply about Sheila, so naturally, he paid close attention to everything concerning her.

No matter the place or time, he was always on Sheila's side.

In the past, when Timothy kept that mute wife of his hidden away, Kane assumed Timothy didn't care about her at all-so he let it go. But now, Timothy was clearly starting to care about her, and Kane couldn't help but feel indignant for Sheila's sake.

Timothy's eyes were icy as he stared Kane down. "If you don't know the facts, keep your opinions to yourself."

Kane was always like this. Timothy couldn't be bothered to explain.

Kane was just about to lose his temper when-

"Out of the way! Please, move aside!"

Paramedics rushed by, pushing a stretcher at breakneck speed.

Timothy looked up instinctively, but before he could see who was on the stretcher, Kane stepped right in front of him, voice shaking with emotion. "How would I not know what's going on between you two? I'm not making things up—I'm just standing up for her, since you clearly won't."

With Kane blocking his view, Timothy never got a clear look at the patient.

The paramedics sped past, and Kane kept talking, so Timothy's attention shifted away. He remembered how, at the Red House last time, Kane had relentlessly called Jessica "the mute." That had already pissed Timothy off. Now, with Kane spouting nonsense again, Timothy's mood was even fouler.

"You'd better get your facts straight," Timothy warned coldly. "She was the one who backed out all those years ago. If you keep stirring up trouble, don't blame me for cutting you off for good."

Kane knew exactly what Timothy was talking about.

That incident had nearly torn the Lawson and Howard families apart.

It wasn't just the Lawsons who disapproved; the Howards were against it too.

Kane's voice was quieter now, tinged with frustration. "Don't you see how much Sheila's suffered? She made that choice for you-for the sake of your families' relationship. Have you ever tried to understand what she's going through?"

"That's enough." Timothy's patience snapped. "I'm married now. I have a six-year-

old son. Let's end this conversation here."

Kane only knew half the story, not the whole truth.

He'd started this argument out of anger, wanting to fight for Sheila, but Timothy was right. With a wife and a child, what would it say about Sheila if there was anything more between them now? It would make her the other woman, plain and simple.

Kane fell silent, the air between them heavy and cold.

More than half an hour passed before the doors to the emergency room finally opened.

Kane, more anxious than Timothy, rushed forward.

"Doctor, how is she?"

"She's going to be alright," the doctor assured him. "Fortunately, the fall wasn't from very high, and shenoveldrama

landed on the grass. We've det

with the minor wounds. She does have a concussion, though, so we'll need to wait until she wakes up to fully assess her condition."

Kane let out a shaky breath of relief. When he'd first arrived, Sheila's forehead had been covered in blood-it was terrifying.

A nurse wheeled Sheila out of the emergency room. She was still unconscious, her forehead bandaged, her face deathly pale, lips almost colorless. She looked heartbreakingly fragile.

Kane's heart ached for her. He followed the nurse to the hospital room. Once Sheila was settled in, Kane took a seat by her bedside and stayed with her. Now that he knew Sheila would pull through, Timothy decided it was time to leave.