Goodbye, Mr. Regret

The weather had turned crisp after the harvest moon, a lingering chill in the air.

The water was colder than in summertime-a fine, relentless spray that left Jessica shivering in the tub, goosebumps rising on her skin. She couldn't stop trembling, no matter how hard she tried.

Timothy held her firmly in the bath. Jessica struggled, but he was unmoved, his eyes alight with an angry fire, as if determined to scrub her clean of something he couldn't bear.

Her whole body shook from the cold, damp strands of hair clinging to her forehead and tangling in her lashes.

At last, the water warmed, and Jessica's shivering eased a little, the heat seeping into her limbs. But nothing could reach her heart; it remained frozen.

Noticing her resistance had faded, Timothy seized her wrist, squeezing tight. He pumped liquid soap into his palm and began to scrub her hand, rough and unyielding.

His lips, usually soft and inviting, were pressed into a hard, thin line.

He scrubbed until the back of her hand burned, then grabbed the showerhead and rinsed away the suds.

Suddenly, the bruised, purplish marks around her wrist came into view, glaring against her pale skin. Even the back of her hand was flushed raw.

Timothy's movements stilled.

Only then did he realize how rough he'd been.

Jessica sat in the tub, expression blank, her beautiful eyes dulled and fractured.

The showerhead slipped from Timothy's hand, clattering against the porcelain. He reached for her, pulling her into his arms.

"I'm sorry... I”

His voice caught, raw and uncertain. He'd never laid a hand on a woman before. There had been times when Jessica's words pushed him to the edge, when he'd nearly slapped her, but he always pulled back at the last second, never letting his anger cross that line.noveldrama

Yet now, he'd hurt her.

He'd left marks.

Suddenly, Jessica remembered her necklace couldn't get wet!

She shoved Timothy away, panic flashing in her eyes as she fumbled to unfasten the chain at her throat. As she cupped the necklace in her hands, tears spilled down her cheeks, her face twisted in agony.

Last time, Timothy had thrown her necklace away. It ended up in the drain, broken.

She'd been racked with guilt.

Herbert had taken it to be repaired, and now, because of Timothy, it was ruined again.

Whatever flicker of remorse had softened Timothy's temper vanished in an instant.

This morning, he had slipped his promise ring onto her finger, but she'd refused to wear it, choosing instead the necklace Herbert gave her. He hadn't even confronted her about it yet—and now, here she was, clutching Herbert's necklace, crying as if her heart would break.

He seized her chin with a cold, iron grip, his voice low and dangerous. "Is his gift really that important to you?"

Her tears only seemed to mock him.

Had it really been so long since he'd touched her that she'd forgotten who she belonged to?

Jessica tried to twist her face away, but Timothy's grasp only tightened. With his other hand, he snatched the necklace from her, letting it dangle between them. "You still haven't answered me. Is his gift really that precious?"

Jessica reached for it, but Timothy hurled the necklace out the window with a swift, merciless motion.

Jessica's eyes went wide; she lunged forward and bit down on the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.

Timothy winced at the pain but didn't move, letting her sink her teeth in.

After a moment, Jessica let go, leaving a fresh set of bite marks—a pink, crescent-shaped wound, still healing from the last time.

"What are you, part dog? Do you have to bite everything?" he snapped, exasperated.

Jessica didn't answer. She climbed out of the tub, ignoring the water soaking her clothes, and ran out of the bathroom.

Timothy followed, a storm cloud darkening his face, as he watched her rush outside below the bathroom window, frantically searching the ground.

Jessica searched the grass, crawling and combing through the cold, damp blades, desperate to find her necklace.