Goodbye, Mr. Regret

After all, Mr. Smith and Timothy were still connected by family ties, so abruptly taking someone away inevitably made Mr. Smith worry about how Timothy might feel.

But Jessica was decisive. "No need to consult him. The lawyer is filing for divorce today," she replied without hesitation.

It had to be said, this Voice Emitting Necklace was surprisingly effective. Although it couldn't quite capture the full range of human emotion, it still managed to imitate Jessica's tone well enough.

Mr. Smith could tell Timothy didn't actually want a divorce, but rights in a marriage were equal. Just because Timothy wanted to stay married didn't mean Jessica had to follow his wishes.

Now that Jessica had made her intentions clear, Mr. Smith had nothing left to worry about. If Timothy came looking for answers, Mr. Smith could give him one.

Meanwhile, Timothy arrived at the paper-cutting contest with Sheila and Henry.

"Hey, isn't that Sheila? She's worked on a bunch of animated films. My daughter loves her cartoons!" someone exclaimed.

"Yeah, she uploads short animations on social media all the time. My son follows her channel," another parent chimed in.

"I didn't expect her to be so charming in person-and look at her son, what a handsome kid."

There were plenty of kids accompanied by their parents. With Timothy and Sheila by his side, Henry was practically glowing with happiness.

He hadn't seen his mom in days, and sometimes he missed her, but surrounded by all these admiring glances-everyone noticing Sheila with him he forgot about his mom completely.

If it had been his mother standing next to him, he'd probably just have been the object of ridicule.

Vince and Marquis had also arrived, though they came in separately.

While Timothy and Sheila helped Henry fill out the registration form at the front of

the hall, Vince slipped in and found a seat in the last row.

That little rascal Henry was clinging tightly to Sheila's hand.

Timothy had insisted Jessica keep their marriage a secret, yet here he was, parading Sheila and his son around in public. Wasn't he just asking for gossip?

As soon as Marquis got inside, he started snapping photos and recording videos. He even had a voice recorder running in his suit pocket from the moment he stepped in.

Once they finished Henry's registration, he got ready to head backstage-only to run into the mother of one of his classmates.

"Hey, Henry! Did your mom and dad come with you to the paper-cutting contest?" she asked warmly.

"Yes, ma'am! Good afternoon. I didn't see Mario—did he come today?"

“Mario can't do paper cutting. I'm here with his cousin. We're just signing in—don't let us interrupt!"

Vince was fuming. This little brat could be so polite and sweet to his classmate's mom-but to his own mother...noveldrama

He almost wanted to curse out loud.

And Timothy, he didn't even bother to deny that Sheila wasn't his wife.

Anyone would want a divorce after this.

How could Timothy keep up the act, pretending to be so devoted and refusing to let go? If he truly cared for Sheila, he should have the guts to break free from convention and be with her. Why keep hurting Jessica? Hasn't she suffered enough?

Marquis couldn't stand it, either.

As a lawyer, he'd seen his share of lowlifes. Some men were openly shameless, causing a scene wherever they went. But Timothy's brand of cruelty was so quiet and insidious-it cut the deepest.

The venue was crowded, and Mario's mom was busy helping her niece with the registration forms.

With Sheila at his side, Henry felt a smug sense of superiority. He beamed up at them. "Dad, Mom, you guys go grab a seat. I'll line up backstage."