Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Allen, are you seriously trying to rub salt in my wounds?"

Jessica hung up furiously.

She'd been on the fence about deleting Allen's number, mostly because he hadn't been too harsh with her. But now? No more hesitation. She blocked his number without a second thought.

Allen, realizing Jessica wouldn't pick up, switched to texting. He hurriedly typed out everything he wanted to explain.

[Ma'am, the night of the thunderstorm, President Lawson had already booked a flight to come see you, but the storm canceled all flights. He had to turn back. As soon as you called, he personally piloted the helicopter to the capital. The brooch it was a gift President Lawson bought for you at the airport. When I handed it to Miss Howard, she saw it and assumed it was for her. She called President Lawson and said she wanted it. Since she's his aunt, he probably felt awkward saying no, so he let her keep it...]

Allen thought for a moment, then quickly added another line: And before the holidays, President Lawson asked me to book three tickets-he wanted to take you and your son to Oakwood for a trip. When he couldn't reach you, he ended up only booking two.

Satisfied, Allen hit send.

But the message came back with a glaring exclamation mark.

She'd blocked him.

Allen tried calling Jessica again, but the call wouldn't go through.

He just wanted her to know the truth-that President Lawson really cared about her. Why did she get so angry the moment he tried to explain? Maybe she misunderstood what really happened.

Allen was baffled.

But with President Lawson still unconscious in the hospital, there was no one else to ask. Allen decided to leave the hospital for now.

Meanwhile, Vince had gone to meet Jessica's primary doctor, introducing himself as her brother and saying he was there for compatibility testing.

The doctor explained Jessica's situation to him: her last checkup showed she was a candidate for a transplant, and if the tissue match was successful, surgery could be arranged soon.

After Vince's general health screening came back clear, the doctor led him for the necessary compatibility tests.

When he was done, Vince asked how long it would take for results. The doctor told him that live-donor compatibility tests usually take about seven days.

Not too long, Vince thought, a bit relieved.

Leaving the hospital, his heart felt heavy.

When Jessica was first diagnosed, the doctor had given her six months at best. Even now, no one around

her knew she had cancer. If there hadn't been a chance for a cure, she probably never would've told him either.

She'd been carrying all of this alone.

How hard must it have been for her to hold out by herself?

Timothy was her husband, always by her side, yet he hadn't noticed a thing.

That man-he was unbelievable.

Back at home, Vince went straight to see Jessica.noveldrama

She was hunched over her computer working on an animation. He watched her for a moment, concern etched on his face. "Jessy, you're a patient now. Maybe you should take it easy with all this."

"I can't, Vince, promised Mr. Smith I'd finish this character. He really wanted me for this project, and if it weren't for him-and Ines recommending me-I don't think I'd have gotten out of the house at all. Timothy doesn't want me working. It took a lot for me to get this chance, and I don't want to give it up. Honestly, it doesn't take me that long each day."

Even so, Vince's heart ached for her.

This wasn't some minor illness-this was cancer.

"Just don't overdo it, okay?"

"I know. I'll stop and rest if I get tired. Besides, I love this work. It's what I studied

in college, and because..."