The temperature under the covers was moderate and comfortable, with the air still carrying the scent of tea seed, and she was holding someone. She snapped fully awake in an instant. How could she be holding Josette? She had already returned home yesterday. Opening her eyes, she saw the collar of deep blue pajamas, and looking upward, there was an Adam’s apple and faint stubble. Her mind buzzed loudly, and she quickly rolled over, pulling away from Vance’s embrace. How had this happened?Her mind raced for a while before she calmed down, concluding that the master bedroom was simply better. The guest bed was too small. They needed a distance wide enough for three people between them to ensure safety. Vance stirred, as if awakened by her movement. ” The weather lately always brings rain at night, but by morning, the skies clear up, ” he murmured as he got out of bed and drew back the curtains. ” The sound of the rain makes it hard to sleep well at night. ” Before his words could sink in, he added, ” I’m heading to the company now.
I might be back a bit late tonight. ” He quickly washed up and headed out. She had no interest in when he would return. Soon, she began a major cleanup, gathering all her workbooks. She kept only the early ones with high error rates and packed the rest away. Then she asked Nancy to call a recycler to take them. As for the ring on her hand, she ultimately decided to remove it again and cash in. And since she was selling, she might as well sell the pair together. She searched everywhere but couldn’t find the other one.
Suddenly, she remembered there was a safe in the house containing Vance’s items, which she had never considered opening before. Her heart stirred with curiosity as she looked at the safe, not knowing the password. She tried Vance’s birthday, but it was incorrect. Of course, it couldn’t be her birthday. She thought for a moment ; the home’s door lock password was a sequence of numbers that seemed random and unfamiliar to her She tried the last four digits, and surprisingly, it opened.
Inside the safe were stacks of property deeds, piles of gold bars, and various items that were presumably important to him. She easily found the jewelry box she was looking for. It was the same brand as hers, but there was another box sitting on top of a notebook She opened it and saw the silver ring from yesterday. Her hand rested on the notebook, her inner conflict intensifying should she look or not?In the end, the urge not to look prevailed, but as she withdrew her hand, the notebook slipped out and tell to the floor, a photo sliding out from inside It was a picture of him and Catherine from their college days. Not surprising He had an ex – girlfriend. That was something she had known long ago. Since she married him, at least at the wedding, she hadn’t minded his past. She sighed and picked up the photo, determined to protect her already shattered heart. If it broke any further, she might not survive.
She planned to clip the photo back and close the safe, but when she opened the notebook, she was stunned.
The first page of the notebook was titled: [ 100 Little Things About Cathy ]
And the first item was her birthday – May 16th. Rebecca’s hand loosened, and the notebook dropped to the floor. The code for their front door was 52516, and the safe’s combination was 0516. So, for five years, she had been living in Vance and Catherine’s home. Suddenly, the air in the room seemed to become thin and suffocating. She pressed her hand against her chest, gasping for breath, but it wouldn’t come easily. ” Ma’am? ” Nancy called out from outside, snapping her back. ” What’s up?” She crouched down to pick up the notebook and spotted the second line: [ Have one or more houses she loves, with the password set to her birthday. ]
She no longer wanted to read further and shoved the notebook back into the safe, restoring everything to its original state. Nancy waited at the bedroom door. ” Mr. Bradford had the driver drop off some fresh crabs. How would you like them prepared?”
“Make them spicy, ” Rebecca said offhandedly, her chest tight and her mind elsewhere. ” Ma’am, these are king…” Nancy started to point out that they were king crabs and that making them spicy might be a waste. But Rebecca wasn’t listening anymore. She grabbed her things, brushed past Nancy, and headed out. Countdown to leaving Vance Bradford, Day 26: [ He remembers 100 little things about Catherine, and I’m going to sell our wedding rings. ]
Rebecca arrived at the second – hand luxury store on time for her appointment with Vivian and showed the pair of rings. While appraising the items, Vivian enthusiastically poured Rebecca a cup of tea and asked her to sit for a while.
But she suddenly felt uncomfortable, with a gush between her legs. It was her period arriving early. She stood up immediately and asked for sanitary pads. ” Yes, they’re in the cabinet in the bathroom. You’ll see them as soon as you go in. ” Vivian pointed to the location of the bathroom at the back. After Rebecca handled it and came out, she heard voices conversing in the store. One of the voices sounded very familiar. She peeked and saw it was Catherine. Talk about running into the woman everywhere…
As she debated whether to step out, another person appeared at the store entrance. It was morning, the prime time for company meetings, yet Vance seemed to have plenty of free time. ” Vance, look! This store has so many models of this watch, and there’s even a limited – edition Zodiac version, made just for the locals it’s out of stock everywhere. ” Catherine pointed to a watch inside the display case. Rebecca silently watched from afar. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was one of the watches she had sold off. Vivian took out the watch. ” You’ve got a great eye, Miss.
This watch was indeed recently acquired, and it’s no longer available on the market. ” Vance eyed the watch, frowning ” Are there really so few of these watches?”
“Yes, I remember it was a limited edition released three years ago the zodiac version, much more expensive than the regular model ” Vivian nodded. ” Sollaridge only released about ten of them. ” Catherine held it in her hands, enamored and skeptical. ” It couldn’t be fake, right? Counterfeits these days are incredibly sophisticated. Even certificates can be faked.”
“No, we only sell authentic items, ” Vivian declared. ” This batch comes with certificates, anti – counterfeit tags, and even the original invoices.”
“You acquired all ten at the same time? ” Vance pressed. ” Yes, ” Vivian confirmed. ” They were consigned by the same client.”
“Show me the invoices! ” Vance demanded. ” Sure thing. ” Vivian found him a bit overbearing, but she retrieved the invoices anyway, showing them to him.
Vance flipped through the invoices and suddenly let out a cold laugh. ” Sir? ” Vivian paused, unsure what the problem was. ” It’s nothing. Pull out all ten, ” Vance said gruffly. ” Vance? ” Catherine murmured, sensing the shift in his mood. Vivian caught sight of Rebecca slowly emerging from the back and asked with concern, ” How are you feeling? ” Vance and Catherine both turned, spotting her at the same time. Rebecca didn’t know if it was her imagination, but Vance’s eyes seemed to be blazing with fire.
Vivian attended to her and said, ” Please sit for a moment, okay? I’ll finish showing them the watches, and then I’ll appraise your rings.”
“What rings? ” Vance asked warily, his gaze landing on the two jade rings in the display case. ” These two? ” His finger tapped against the counter glass, his tone carrying even more pressure. Vivian couldn’t understand why he was asking or how to respond, but these items were consigned by Rebecca, having nothing to do with him. Rebecca didn’t want Vivian to be stuck in the middle, so she spoke up. ” Yes, it’s these two.
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