Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Hello, who's this?"

"It's me, Vince."

Herbert knew that Vince had been helping Little Mute, and that the recent trip abroad had only happened because Vince arranged for a helicopter to fly her out of the country.

He had a hunch that Vince was interested in Little Mute as well, but just for that favor alone, Herbert figured he ought to show Vince a little more courtesy.

Besides, Little Mute trusted Vince.

"What's up? You need something?"

"I tried calling Jessy, but she didn't pick up. Then I found your number and you didn't answer either. I'm standing outside her apartment. Is she with you?"

Herbert hadn't really wanted to share the details with Vince, but knowing Little Mute would probably update him sooner or later, there wasn't much point in hiding anything.

"She hurt her throat. She's in the hospital right now. Just had a minor surgery."

Vince's brow furrowed. "Surgery? That sounds serious."

He remembered taking her to the hospital that day for a checkup. If she'd been feeling unwell, she would've told the doctor. The doctor hadn't mentioned anything, just gave them the medical report in case they needed it for legal

reasons.

Little Mute hadn't told anyone about her treatment for selective mutism, and Herbert didn't feel it was his place to bring it up either. The treatment had only just started after all, and it didn't seem right to talk about it yet.

"It's nothing major, just a routine procedure. She's still resting."

"Which hospital? I'll come see her."

"You just got off a long flight, right? Why don't you get some rest and adjust to the time difference first? By the time you wake up, she'll probably be up too. You can visit her then."

Jessica had undergone a minor brain procedure and was still bandaged up. Herbert wasn't about to let that slip.

"Alright, send me your location later."

"Will do."

Vince's tone was polite. "Alright, I'll hang up now."

"Mr. Zimmerman-" Herbert called after him. He paused for a moment before he said quietly, “Thank you for helping Little Mute get out."

"No problem."

As soon as the call ended, Vince left Jessica's apartment building.

He was just in time to head to Aetherion, where he planned to visit his parents.

When Herbert entered the hospital room, Jessica was still fast asleep.noveldrama

He pulled up a chair and sat by her bedside.

If he could, he wouldn't have told Vince anything at all.

But Little Mute was in touch with Vince. When she woke up, she'd probably message him anyway.

Herbert gazed at her, reaching out with a trembling hand, wanting to brush her cheek, to wipe away the faint marks left there.

By the look of how faded the marks were, he figured it had happened just three days ago.

He couldn't imagine how she'd managed to get through it.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch her face, Herbert pulled back.

He shouldn't take advantage of her while she was sleeping.

She wasn't truly free yet.

Some lines just shouldn't be crossed.

The Zimmerman family had a villa in Aetherion as well. Vince's mother's health

had taken a serious downturn; she was bedridden most days.

The villa was in a neighborhood with every convenience nearby, and the hospital wasn't far. If Mrs. Zimmerman ever had a medical emergency, she could be rushed to the hospital immediately.

When Vince arrived, he could see his mother was in better spirits. She clasped his hand tightly, her voice

frail but hopeful. "Vince, anyone

progress?"

For years, Mrs. Zimmerman's only lingering concern had been her daughter.

"Yes, there is. Timothy's team ran a

data search and narrowed it down to ten people. We're contacting t

em

one by one and running paternity tests."