A line followed: [ Almost 30 and still afraid of bitterness, unwilling to take medicine? Your coaxing is the sweetest sugar.]
Unlike the previous note about sitting in a shopping cart at the supermarket, the comment section this time was filled with envy and admiration. Rebecca didn’t know what illness Catherine was suffering from, but she remembered her own injury. The pain had been excruciating, as if she were teetering between life and death. The one who had coaxed and comforted her through it had been Josette. Vance had visited her, but each time it felt like he was enduring some form of punishment. The car came to a halt at the intersection, the red light illuminating the scene.
Vance’s gaze flicked to Rebecca, who hadn’t said a word, her phone screen in plain view. ” What are you looking at? ” He frowned, reaching out to grab the phone. Rebecca pocketed it quickly. ” Nothing. I was just thinking. You said all your assets could have my name on them, right? ” She removed her earbuds, continuing, ” Does that include the money you spent on buying that diamond? ” His eyes narrowed instantly. ” I’ve always thought you were understanding and reasonable. Didn’t expect you to be so mercenary. “
It was ironic, really.
He betrayed her and called her unreasonable. ” But weren’t you the one who said it? All assets, ” she pressed. She had only taken his words as a joke anyway and had never coveted his wealth. Even with all of Catherine’s notes, she hadn’t bothered to screenshot or preserve any as evidence. If she were a more formidable wife, she would have filed a lawsuit to reclaim all the marital property. The light turned green, and he restarted the car, driving while adopting a reprimanding tone. ” It’s okay to feel a bit jealous, but don’t take it too far.”
Since Vance persistently believed she was merely acting out of jealousy, Rebecca put her earbuds back in once more instead of explaining further. Half an hour later, the car pulled into the underground garage at home. Her ring remained on the dashboard, and she got out without taking it with her. When one person desperately clung to and valued something while the other treated it as worthless, it felt completely pointless. Her limp limited her pace, and he caught up with her effortlessly. The two of them rode the elevator home together in silence.
Vance hadn’t changed his clothes in two days, which must have been quite uncomfortable for him, so as soon as they arrived home, he went straight into the bedroom to take a shower. Meanwhile, Rebecca grabbed a set of clean pajamas and headed to the guest room’s bathroom. When she finished her shower and stepped out, Vance had already washed up and was now sitting in the guest room. He held a book in his hands, lounging comfortably on the armchair by the window with his legs propped up on a stool. He seemed deeply engrossed in his reading.
She meant to ignore him, but then she realized the book was a French proficiency exam workbook. Panic surged through her instantly, and she rushed over to snatch the book away. However, with her unsteady balance due to her leg, when he raised his hand high, she couldn’t reach it, and in her attempt, she lost her footing and tumbled directly into his lap. They rarely shared such initimate moments, but at that instant, her anxiety over the book overshadowed the discomfort of sitting in his lap. The higher he held the book, the more desperately she tried to grab it.
Finally, he stopped teasing her and lowered his hand, opening the book in front of her. She glanced at it and sighed in relief. Fortunately, it was the one she had done for fun three years ago, with a 70 % error rate and pages crammed with notes. Relaxing, she finally became aware of another issue. She was still sitting in his lap, and his arms, which were flipping through the pages, were essentially encircling her. They had never been this intimate before. However, he seemed entirely unaware of the situation, focused solely on examining her incorrect answers.
She struggled, but he tightened his hold on her instead, his brows furrowing in confusion. ” How could you get this question wrong? It’s so obvious ; the answer is right there in the first paragraph. You could’ve matched words one by one and not missed them. ” She tuned him out since this was just a practice set from three years ago. She had long since progressed far beyond that level. He finished his critique, then squinted at her. ” Why did you suddenly decide to study French? ” She shrugged. ” Just out of boredom. ” He studied her face for a while, then nodded.
“Learning something is good. Keeps you from overthinking things. ” He continued flipping through the book, his brows furrowing once more. ” Your foundation is really quite weak. Don’t know these words? Or this one? Half the words in this passage are new to you? ” Rebecca rolled her eyes, letting him say whatever he liked. She had passed that exam and was ready to leave. Catching her expression, he paused and backpedaled. ” Right, you were an arts student. I forgot about that. ” That was his bias against arts students. He paused, recalling something.” You once asked me for help with homework back in high school, right? “
There might have been such an instance. Back in high school, Rebecca had secretly harbored a crush on Vance, but she lacked the courage to approach him to ask about homework. If she had done so, it must have been under some specific, unavoidable circumstance. He seemed to find the memory quite intriguing. ” Do you remember what the situation was when you came to ask me? I recall that you didn’t talk much back then. You were very quiet and reserved. ” She didn’t see any value in reminiscing about it. ” I don’t remember.” With their marriage having deteriorated to this point, what was the point of recalling those youthful days now? If he was into nostalgia, wasn’t Catherine enough for him to pine over already? ” How about I teach you? ” He shook the workbook in his hand. ” Although I’ve set aside textbooks for a long time, I can still manage to tutor you. ” As he flipped the pages, Rebecca noticed that the silver ring on his left ring finger was gone. As for whether he could teach her now? That was highly doubtful! ” No need. I’m just killing time, anyway.
Helps with watching original shows, ” she said, pushing his hands away. ” True, you don’t get out much. ” He shrugged, putting the book aside. Finally, he noticed their odd position and her squirming to get free. His brows furrowed, and he grabbed her hands. ” What are you doing? It’s late. I want to sleep, ” she protested, struggling. Vance held her with one hand while using the other to fish out a ring from his pajama pocket, forcefully sliding it back onto her finger. It was the jade wedding ring she had removed earlier in the car.
His expression was unreadable – not happy, anyway. ” Don’t overthink things. Catherine and I aren’t what you imagine, ” he muttered. ” I’ve told you countless times that no one can take your place. I just hug you a little, and you freak out. Yet that dance guy could lift and spin you around.”
“Don’t use your filthy thoughts to interpret us! ” she shot back. ” Us? You and him? ” he sulked. ” Don’t forget who your husband is!”
“I don’t even know whose husband you are! ” she countered. It turned out he hated that word, too. Then what about when he and Catherine used it?She struggled to stand up, and her still wet hair swung, slapping him across the face. He winced in pain. ” Your hair is still damp. How can you sleep like that? Call Nancy to come and blow – dry it for you. ” Nancy arrived, but he didn’t leave. Instead, he picked up the workbook once again and continued to read it without turning a page, lost in whatever he was looking at Eventually, he lifted his head and watched Rebecca in the dressing mirror as Nancy carefully blow – dried her hair bit by bit.
Nancy probably fell uncomfortable in such an atmosphere as well, once she was done, she hurried out and closed the door behind her ” Time to sleep Are you sleeping here? ” Vance asked, standing up. Rebecca lay down directly. ” Yeah, whatever “
Her hair, just blow – dried, felt warm and comfortable, and because she had used the shampoo brought from Josette’s home today, it carried a special fragrance. This shampoo wasn’t available in stores ; it was handmade by Josette and the villagers using something called tea seed cake as the main ingredient.
It made the hair exceptionally smooth after washing, so she always brought some back with her. Vance lay down as well. Rebecca recalled that a few days ago, he had insisted she return to the master bedroom, or he would sleep there too. She closed her eyes and decided to sleep, too lazy to make a fuss anymore. Besides, the master bedroom contained more than just one French workbook. If he flipped through and found the recent ones or her score report, that would cause even bigger trouble.
The recent weather pattern had been consistent. Rain always seemed to fall at night. Not long after Rebecca lay down, she heard the pattering sound of raindrops hitting the windows. The air was filled with the fragrance of the shampoo, making it feel as though she were back at Josette’s home, peaceful and soothing. She slept amazingly well, awakened by her alarm clock the next day. Groggy at first, she thought she was still at Josette’s.
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