Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Vince was already aware of the situation. The doctors had warned that the next three days would be critical-if there was no more bleeding in the brain and Timothy managed to wake up, only then would he be out of danger. Still, tonight the doctor had brought a glimmer of hope: tomorrow, a renowned neurologist from abroad would arrive, someone rumored to have advanced treatments for cases like Timothy's. They'd know more once tomorrow came.

"That really is good news. Timothy's always been strong-I believe he'll pull through this," someone said, echoing the hope everyone desperately wanted to believe in.

But Sallie still looked distraught. "He may be strong," she said, her voice trembling, "but he's been hurt so many times, one after another. I just... I'm so worried, it breaks my heart. If only Jessy were still at home, none of this would've happened. Their house was always peaceful, but ever since Jessy talked about divorce, there hasn't been a single quiet day at Gilded Whisper Estates. Trouble even spills over into the old family home sometimes. I don't even know how things got this far-how did such a good family fall apart like this..."

Yates understood why Sallie was so anxious about Timothy. Still, he couldn't ignore how she'd treated Jessica in the past.

He looked at Sallie and said, "You really have no idea why things turned out this way for your family? Have you ever stopped to think about your own part in it? Or the rest of your family's?"

Sallie stared at him, completely at a loss.

Yates pressed on, "At the Zimmermans' birthday banquet, I saw firsthand how you treated Jessy. If you could act like that, I'm sure the rest of your family did too. How long has this gone on? Seven years? Jessy's only been talking about divorce for a short while, and already everything's in chaos? Has no one in the Lawsons ever thought to look in the mirror? Do you really not see the problem?"

Sallie had no words; she just stood there, silent.

A castle can crumble from a single overlooked crack.

For years, the Lawsons had always thought Jessy-mute and from an ordinary background-wasn't good enough for Timothy. They rarely treated her kindly. All these years, Jessy had given without complaint, always greeting them with a smile. Even when Sallie was injured, Jessy would sling little Henry on her back and personally nurse Sallie in her spacious apartment.

If not for Timothy, would Jessy have ever done any of that?

Whenever Sallie was ill, Jessy would bring her nourishing soups and all sorts of vitamins-taking care of her without a word of thanks. And what had Sallie done in return? She'd always acted superior, convinced that Jessy, as the mute daughter from some regular family, should count herself lucky to be Mrs. Lawson and do everything possible to please the Lawsons.

Last autumn, at the family's memorial gathering, no one prepared any offerings—

everyone just assumed Jessy would handle it, as always.

It was no wonder Jessy wanted out of the marriage.

Timothy had once told Sallie plainly she needed to treat Jessy better

Maybe she tried for a little while, but as soon as she got upset, she'd go right back to her old ways.

So if Timothy's family was in shambles now, wasn't it their own doing?

"So... what you're saying is,

everything that's happened to

Timothy

is our fault?" Sallie's vol

st, as she looked at

Yates.

He didn't answer.

Sallie began to cry-then, to everyone's surprise, she let out a brittle, despairing laugh.

Meanwhile, at the Zimmerman residence, Vince stepped out of his shower just as his phone rang. It was his assistant.

"Mr. Zimmerman, I've found quite a bit of background information on Stonebridge Construction. I'm sending it to you now."noveldrama

"Thank you," Vince replied.

Moments later, a file appeared in his inbox. He opened it and began to scan the pages—until suddenly, one name caught his eye: Mayfield.