The soft, coquettish voice made Rebecca’s hand tremble, nearly dropping the phone. ” Vance, are you home yet? Is everything alright? ” Catherine slurred, sounding just as drunk. Without waiting for a response, she continued, ” I understand your dilemma. Rebecca has given you so much. You don’t have to feel guilty toward me. W – We’re fine the way we are. I don’t care whether you’re with her or not. I just want you to remember me. That would be enough. Let’s just keep it this way. She lives in your house, and I live in your heart. I’m content with that.” The phone finally slipped from Rebecca’s hand and fell to the ground. Catherine’s words kept echoing in her mind. She stumbled out of the room, went into the guest room, and collapsed onto the bed, trying to force that voice out of her head. She stirred at Vance’s voice. He was talking to Nancy. ” Where did these flowers come from?”
“Mrs. Bradford brought them back last night.”
“She went out?”
“Yes.”
“By herself? Where did she go? ” Vance’s voice rose noticeably. ” She said to watch a performance with her teacher.”
“Teacher? Who gave her the flowers?
“Vance pressed, skeptical. ” I’m not sure.”
“What kind of performance? Where? What time? ” Nancy faltered. ” Sir, I don’t know. ” The guest room door opened, and Rebecca quickly shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Vance started, ” I know you’re awake. Your hand just moved. ” Rebecca sighed, opening her eyes, and he asked, ” Who did you go to the performance with last night? ” She didn’t get why he was so hung up on that matter, but she replied anyway, ” Mrs. Lemke.” 1 ” Rebecca, ” he hesitated, ” it’s good that you’re reconnecting with her, but don’t share too many personal matters. You know, her husband and I … ” She got his meaning. He didn’t want her to reveal that Catherine wasn’t his wife, and that explained why he kept pushing about who she had gone to the performance with.
She rolled over in bed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He sat down beside her. ” Do it for me, okay?
“He reached out, trying to turn her toward him, but his action evoked her memories of him pinning her down on the bed, murmuring Catherine’s name, and telling her to obey him last night. A wave of nausea hit her. She slapped his hand away, pulled the covers up, and buried herself beneath them. ” Give me some time. I’ll explain it to them myself, okay? ” He leaned down, tugging at the blanket to uncover her face. Getting no response, gave up and switched topics. ” By the way, what was your passion and greatest love in that post?”
“Definitely not you, ” she replied.
His face stiffened, but he quickly adopted an understanding expression. ” Alright, stop fussing. I know you’re still sulking and jealous. I saw your post last night and came back, didn’t I ? ” So, he assumed she was talking about him in that post, and now he had mistaken her denial for frustration. She poked her head out from under the covers. ” I said it. ” His expression softened, and he stroked her hair. ” That’s better. I’ll be back tonight, but you don’t have to wait for me. If you’re tired, just sleep.”
Before Catherine appeared, Vance had always been like this – speaking softly to Rebecca, urging her to rest early, and gently stroking her hair. They had never argued in their marriage. But what did a fight – free marriage even signify? Rebecca no longer wanted to dwell on the myriad details between her and Vance. Every recollection only tightened a band around her head like a curse. Better to use that energy for studying. She got up immediately, washed up, and moved her computer and phone to the guest room to research study – abroad agencies and related posts.
And so, the algorithm proved its prowess once again. She had watched a show last night, and today, her feed was flooded with relevant notes. From these, she learned the male lead’s name was Desmond Schroeder. There had indeed been someone like that in her department back then. Then, she scrolled to a note from Desmond himself. At first glance, the scene in the photo looked familiar. It was the moment he presented flowers to her. Her heart skipped a beat. Afraid the shot had captured her, she quickly clicked open the post.
Thankfully, there was only this one photo, angled to show Desmond’s face fully without including her at all. But the text in the note shocked her anew. [She came to my performance. ]
[ I thought that she had disappeared into the crowd and that I would never see her again, but there she was, sitting in the audience watching me dance. A belated thank you. If not for you, perhaps there wouldn’t be me on stage today. ]
Rebecca was baffled. It seemed like it was about her, yet not quite. What had she done to earn such lasting gratitude? Those words carried immense weight.
Had she done something that significant? She had no memory of it. Amid her doubts, Lauren’s call came in, inviting her to a banquet that evening. ” It’s a private gathering hosted by Pascal and me, with a few close friends. I’m heading back to Arelmoor tomorrow, so I thought we could meet up tonight, ” Lauren said. ” Sure, I’ll be there on time, ” Rebecca replied, tempted to ask more about Desmond. On a second thought, she stopped herself. There was no need. Lauren had invited other friends, but Rebecca never expected that Vance and Catherine would be among them.
When she arrived at the banquet, the two were already there, chatting with others.
Chippite 2 Vance’s potential collaboration with Pascal was apparently common knowledge ; everyone treated him with respect, their words laced with polished flattery. ” Wow! Mr. Bradford and Mrs. Bradford were college classmates? From school uniforms to wedding gowns… Isn’t that straight out of a romance novel? So enviable! ” one guest remarked. Catherine looked at Vance affectionately. ” It’s nothing, actually. There have been many ups and downs.
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