Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Jessica believed that life should always hold a spark of hope.

She knew she couldn't give up on fighting cancer. It was just like her struggle with aphasia; at first, she'd resigned herself to never speaking again, but then-out of nowhere she'd found a breakthrough.

Maybe there could be a miracle for her cancer, too.noveldrama

If she could buy herself more time, there were still so many things she wanted to do.

Herbert hadn't expected that Mr. Smith would personally reach out to Jessica.

Naturally, when Jessica decided to go through with it, Herbert was fully supportive.

He was grateful Jessica had told him about it first; otherwise, Mr. Smith might have accidentally let something slip about his own situation.

"That's fine," Herbert said. “I actually need to travel to Aetherion for work soon, so I can take you to see the doctor myself or Mr. Smith could bring you, whichever works."

Later, Herbert checked Jessica's throat, gauging her progress, and reminded her of the essential points for her speech therapy exercises.

Jessica still needed to coordinate her trip with Mr. Smith, so she told Herbert she'd be heading out. Not wanting to hold her up, Herbert asked quickly how she planned to handle the divorce.

She replied that she and Marquis had already reached an understanding. Marquis would take care of the follow-up, and Jessica would only need to return for the court hearing.

Herbert didn't keep her any longer and encouraged her to get going.

The moment Jessica stepped out of his office, Herbert immediately dialed Mr. Smith.

Little Mute, his child, was studying animation, and while Herbert had lived abroad, he'd kept a close eye on the animation industry. He hoped to build connections that might help pave the way for Little Mute's future.

Since Mr. Smith had made a name for himself in the animation world-and Herbert had even invested in one of his films-the two of them had become friends.

Herbert explained the situation in detail. Mr. Smith was stunned. "You're telling me you and Tim's wife go way back?"

"Yeah. So, about the seven years I spent researching aphasia-don't tell her it was me."

Mr. Smith's eyebrows shot up. "Are you secretly in love with her?"

Herbert looked a little sheepish. "Did you have to say it that bluntly?"

"I mean, what can I say? We Westerners don't beat around the bush. If you like her, why not go after her?"

A shadow crossed Herbert's face.

Sometimes, fate just has a twisted sense of humor.

You chase after one thing, and lose hold of another.

"It's complicated," Herbert finally said. "Let's talk about it some other time. But seriously, keep this between us."

"I can do that. But you know, she and Tim might be getting divorced. I have to admit, I'm kind of taken with her too. Once she's single, I hope you won't mind a little friendly competition."

Herbert's voice tightened. "Don't even think about it! You already have a daughter, and now you want to chase after her? I absolutely object!"

"Having a daughter doesn't mean I can't fall for someone new. I've made up my mind: if she gets divorced, I'm going for it. It's been ages since I've met a woman who makes my heart skip like this."

Herbert felt a headache coming on.

Timothy was finally about to be out of the picture, and now Mr. Smith wanted to jump in.

He said, voice low and flat, "Don't waste your time. She'll never be interested in you."

"You're not her. How do you know she won't be interested in me?"

At that moment, another call came through on Mr. Smith's phone.

"Hey, I've got to go. Jessica's calling me. Talk later."

Mr. Smith hung up.

Herbert felt a pang of anxiety. Jessica had just left his office; she was probably still right outside the hospital.

He hurried out the door, striding after her.