Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Hollis Greene?"

"Vince's first thought was of him.

"Yes," Jessica answered.

The siblings had come to the same realization.

Vince was now certain Jessica was his sister, but he still needed to find out how

she had ended up with the Greene family.

Jessica remembered nothing about her life before the Greenes. Her grandmother

had told her that she'd suffered a severe fever as a child, and that was why her

memories were lost.

As she grew up, she didn't pay much attention to it. After all, most people only

remember fragments from when they were six; some remember a lot, some just

bits and pieces.

There was no memory of Vince in her mind, no warm images of a childhood spent

with an older brother.

She'd never even known she had a brother, so she had never missed him.noveldrama

Her connection with Vince was only a month or two old, so naturally, her feelings

for him could not run as deep or intense as his for her.

Still, she wanted to understand everything.

Vince, meanwhile, could hardly wait to take Jessica back to Riverside City, to

bring her home, to tell their grandfather that he'd found Salome, to tell their

parents their daughter had come back.

Vince led her to the car, opening the door for her. But as Jessica glanced over,

she remembered Herbert. She quickly walked over to him. "I'm heading back to

Riverside City in a hurry. Are you coming?"

Herbert smiled. "I'm going to visit my family, so I won't be back for a while."

He knew Vince would want to bring Jessica home, to introduce her to their family,

and that would take time. He didn't want to intrude on their reunion.

Now that she was the daughter of the Zimmerman family, and her plan to divorce

Timothy would surely involve the whole family, there was plenty ahead for her.

There would be time for them later.

Jessica understood Herbert's meaning. "Alright. Let's keep in touch when things

settle down."

"Safe travels," Herbert said. "I hope you're reunited with your family soon."

Jessica got into Vince's car. Vince leaned over and fastened her seatbelt for her.

"Mom and Dad will be so happy to see you," he said. "I'll call them right now and

have a flight arranged to bring them back. When Mom sees you, I know she'll get

better."

Jessica hesitated. "But...I don't remember any of you. I don't know how to be a

sister, or a daughter."

Vince smiled gently. "That's not your problem to worry about. Just remember: you

have a brother, and you have parents. The rest is up to us-we'll take care of you,

be the brother and parents you need."

He grew somber. "It was our neglect that led to you getting lost all those years

ago. You suffered so much because of us. That's our fault."

Guilt weighed heavier on him with every word.

"How did I get lost?" Jessica asked softly.

Vince froze. He didn't want her to recall the years with Timothy, afraid of stirring

up more pain.

"You got separated from us, but let's not go into that now. We can talk about it on

the drive." He pulled out his phone. "Let me call Mom and Dad."

Jessica grew anxious. "Please don't

tell them I'm with you yet. I wouldn't

know what to say. I'm the younger

one-should be the one to visit first.

Let's do it this way: I'll meet with

Hollis first, then I'll visit them."

"You're as thoughtful as ever," Vince

said, a touch of pride in his voice

"Alright we'll do as you wish. We'll

see Hollis first, then go home to see

Grandfather. He'll be overjoyed when

he hears you're back."

Jessica's plan was to meet Hollis, have him tested for compatibility as a donor,

and see if he was a match.

But Hollis wasn't her biological father, so there was no need to stay in contact

after this.

He'd never fulfilled the role of a real father.

If he had been her father by blood, there would at least have been that tie, but

without it, she felt nothing binding her to him.

As they drove, Vince told Jessica stories from her childhood.

Over the past two months, Jessica had come to trust Vince deeply; now that she

knew he was her brother, it all made sense-why she'd felt so drawn to him.

Their conversation on the drive only deepened their newfound sibling bond.

Vince had his assistant arrange a visit at Riverside Federal Prison, and soon he

and Jessica arrived.

Timothy had worked hard to keep Jessica's true identity a secret, bribing people

to keep things under wraps, but Hollis was due to be released in a few days

anyway.

Timothy had known all along that Hollis wasn't Jessica's real father. Now that the

truth was out, he had no intention of ever seeing Hollis again.

Hollis, meanwhile, was unaware that Timothy had cut him off and was still hoping

for a payoff and a ticket out of the country.

This time, Jessica visited the prison with Vince by her side.

The last time she'd come, she'd asked Hollis if he was really her father-her

suspicions fueled by things Sheila had said.

Today, Jessica looked Hollis straight in the eye and asked, "Was it Timothy who

put you up to lying to me? You were never my real father, were you?"

"So you know everything?" Hollis blurted out, then immediately regretted it and

clamped his mouth shut.

Now that Jessica knew the truth,

what if Timothy refused to give him

the money? Whether he got out early

or not didn't matter-he only had a

few months left anyway. But if he

didn't get paid, that was a real

problem.

Jessica almost laughed-she was so angry.

Such a big secret, and Timothy had kept it from her, from Vince. Sheila had

known, Timothy had known, and still, they'd conspired to hide it.

He knew her birth mother had fallen ill from heartbreak after losing her. He and

Vince had been close friends for years, and still, Timothy had chosen to keep

silent.

Vince had even pleaded with him, questioned him, but Timothy remained

unmoved.