Finally, Vance stood up and walked over to her. “Rebecca? What are you doing here? They were just joking. Don’t take it to heart.” She stared at him, feeling utterly alienated. For the first time, he seemed a stranger. In the face of mockery toward his wife, he sided with them. Aiden put down his glass, apologizing, “Y-Yeah, it was a joke. I’m sorry, Rebecca. Please don’t be mad.” Vance moved closer, attempting to embrace her. “Rebecca.” But Rebecca recalled Catherine leaning on him earlier, his masturbation in the bathroom, and the name he uttered in the climax.
That hand, the one reaching for her now, felt utterly filthy. She quickly stepped back, avoiding him. “Rebecca?” Vance stared at his empty hand in confusion, then sighed. “I apologize on their behalf. Don’t be upset, okay? I’ll get a gift to make up for you. Anything you want.” Catherine shot Aiden a playful glare. “This is your fault, Aiden. Apologize properly. Not everyone’s like me, clumsy and thick-skinned, laughing off your jokes.” Rebecca sneered at her cheeky speech, but these men didn’t even sense the manipulation. Aiden grumbled, “I already did! Didn’t know she’d show up.
It was just a joke.”
“A joke is only funny if the target laughs,” Rebecca retorted, her voice shaking with newfound courage. For five years, this curse of her unworthiness of Vance had confined her. Mocking glances made her shrink, retreating like a quail to lick her wounds alone. Aiden winced, “But I already apologized.”
“I-I don’t accept it!” Rebecca trembled harder, defying mockery for the first time. Aiden mumbled, “Then what do you want?” Rebecca shook her head, having no answer. She just rejected their ridicule and Vance’s alignment with them.”Enough, everyone.” Vance intervened, positioning himself between her and Aiden. He was the leader of the group, his words carrying authority. After graduation, his business savvy had built their empire. The room fell silent, and he nodded, turning back to Rebecca. “Hey,” he said evenly, his gaze as detached as ever, unlike the warmth in Catherine’s video. “These are my longtime friends. They didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. No malice, just banter. Forgive them this once. I’ll have the driver take you home.”
“Rebecca,” Catherine pouted, sidling up to Vance.”If you have to blame someone, blame me. This gathering is for my return. Vance, invite her to stay. I’ll toast her with an apology.” Her phony tone only disgusted Rebecca further and drove her to squint at Vance with resentment. It was his very indulgence that fed Catherine’s boldness. “I’m fine,” she said, holding back her bitterness. “I don’t drink, especially not sour alcohol.”
“Vance, is she insulting me? I…” Catherine wrinkled her nose, choking back her tears. “She misunderstood me, but it’s fine. Don’t blame her.” Vance’s jaw tightened. “Catherine meant well.
Why are you being sarcastic?”
“Meant well?” Rebecca snorted. Only a fool would think those words were spoken with good intentions, but Vance wasn’t foolish. He simply showed bias, siding with whom he favored rather than who was right. That side was always the one closest to his heart. Rebecca eyed the pair and their friends, feeling as though an insurmountable chasm lay between them. They formed a solid unit, while she was an intruder in their world. She was forever extraneous. Even lingering on the periphery felt out of place.
She swallowed her bitterness, gave a cold laugh, and turned to leave. Behind her, Catherine’s voice rang out. “Vance, she…”
“It’s fine. I’ll talk to her when I get back,” Vance said, waving it off. “Let’s continue.” Secretly, he glanced at the retreating figure, texting the driver to escort her. Rebecca yearned to walk gracefully, but every step she took felt more unstable. Agitation only worsened her limp, her frantic exit mirroring Aiden’s mockery. That would definitely make them laugh even harder. She wiped her tears with a trembling hand, hastening and wobbling more.
The driver chased after her, but she was nowhere to be found outside the restaurant. The driver reported it to Vance, who frowned and called her. Rebecca rejected it and turned off her phone at the next one. Aiden was irked. “Her temper is just too short. You spoil her too much, man. With your status and looks, any wife would worship you. Yet she sulks? You’re too soft.” Vance stayed silent, but the others piled on. “Aiden is right. You sacrifice too much for her and the family, working tirelessly. She doesn’t appreciate or support you. Throwing a tantrum over the smallest things.
Worth it?”
“Marrying her was charity. Who else wants a cripple? Without you, she’d wed another disabled person.”
Catherine, reading the room, interjected timely, “Don’t mind their harsh words, but as your long-time friends, we’re truly concerned about you. We’re blunt, but it’s nothing personal. Don’t take it to heart.”
“I’m not upset,” Vance replied, pocketing his phone. “Doesn’t matter. She won’t stray far. Let’s go on.” In five years, home was her only refuge. He was not worried because she had nowhere else to go. Aiden eyed Catherine, muttering, “Catherine is the bigger person here. If you two hadn’t split…”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Catherine glared. “Keep your mouth shut for one night.
Vance is married now. That’s inappropriate.” Her gaze turned wistful toward Vance. “I don’t want much. Just want to be accepted by you guys and stay by your side. That’s enough.”
“Silly talk.” Aiden thumped his chest loyally. “You’re forever our princess, and we will never let anyone bully you. Vance, right?” Vance swirled his wine, the scene evocative of old times. He’d sit back, watching his crew banter with Catherine, not intervening unless things got out of hand. Now queried, he smiled faintly. “Of course.” … Rebecca didn’t go home. Instead, she settled into her booked hotel.
All the pent-up grievances and pain were unleashed the moment she closed the door behind her. Aiden’s limp-mocking replayed endlessly in her mind, and their laughter haunted her like a curse. She had known all along their whispers behind her back, but she had never told Vance. She understood his work’s toll, so she avoided conflicts, unwilling to add to his burdens or strain his bonds with his friends. Now, she saw her folly. He’d never clash with them over her; their friendship trumped everything. To him, she was nothing more than a debt-a burden that dragged him down.
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