She had to admit that while Vance had invested no heart in their marriage, he had been extraordinarily generous with money. Over five years, with few places to spend it, she had saved quite a sum – more than enough for her studies abroad. She opened a fresh notebook and flipped to the first page, writing: [ Countdown to Leaving Vance: Day 30. Declutter: handling gifts. ]
Then, she began preparing the documents needed for her visa application.
Since she would be traveling with the troupe for performances, she printed out the relevant materials, bundled them with her passport, and arranged for a delivery service to send them to Lauren. The day flew by once again. In the evening, she thought about browsing a few more posts before resting, but the algorithm pushed another of Catherine’s new updates to her feed. The photo showed Catherine sitting in a shopping cart at the supermarket. The person pushing the cart wasn’t fully in frame. Only their hands and the sleeves of their shirt were visible.
But that was enough for her to identify Vance. She had picked out all his clothes, and she recognized the cufflinks immediately. They were ones she had disliked the originals for and had custom – made for him. They were one of a
The caption read: [ The happiest thing in the world is, after sailing through countless seas, still having someone who treats you like a baby. Thank you for always being there, my prince. ]
So, this was the surprise Vance had prepared. It was truly shocking. The only time Rebecca and Vance had gone to the supermarket together was shortly after their marriage. Vance had finally had a weekend at home, and she had been eager to build a warm family atmosphere, so she suggested they go shopping.
Back then, she had truly dreamed of a blissful marriage: sharing every meal through the four seasons, shopping together, returning home hand in hand, sipping drinks under the sunset, greeting every dawn and dusk side by side… Unfortunately, that had remained nothing more than a beautiful dream. Their only supermarket outing had been marred when they ran into one of his acquaintances. She wasn’t sure if it was an elder or someone else who called out his name from across the aisle. Vance’s immediate reaction had been to put distance between them. ” Out shopping?” the acquaintance had asked casually. ” Yeah, just browsing by myself, ” Vance had replied. That phrase was another needle embedded in their marriage. She had been left standing there alone, pushing a fully loaded shopping cart, feeling utterly isolated, while he chatted with the acquaintance and drifted further away. If not for someone behind her asking to pass, she didn’t know how long she would have stood there, trying to process that stinging remark.
But as she hurriedly moved the cart aside, still unaccustomed to her disability, she had lost her balance and fallen, taking the cart down with her. The pain had been too much for her to stand up right away. It was a small child, accompanied by her mother, who had come to her aid, righting the cart and carefully picking up each scattered item one by one. The child had taken her hand, trying to pull her up, and said in a sweet, mushy voice, ” Don’t cry. I’ll blow on it and make it better.” With their help, Rebecca had finally gotten to her feet, using every ounce of strength to hold back her tears. By the time Vance had returned to find her, she had composed herself as if nothing had happened. But from that day on, she never went to the supermarket with him again. Another bubble in her dream of a happy marriage had burst, pierced by yet another needle. With each shattered illusion, another needle lodged itself in her flesh and blood.
It took her a long time to adapt to it, tolerate it, and bury it in a suitable place where it would lie quietly and hurt a little less. Looking at that photo of Catherine sitting in the shopping cart, being pampered like a child, Rebecca felt that familiar sting again. It was like a fishbone stuck in her throat, neither going up nor down. Catherine had posted the note half an hour ago, but it already had a slew of comments. Curious, Rebecca opened the section and saw that the majority were critical. [ How old are you? Have some shame! ]
[ Those shoes are filthy.
People use those carts for food. Gross! ]
[ Does she think she’s cute? Take your lovey – dovey stuff home, please. ]
The comments were unusually unified in their direction. Just then, the front door opened, followed by a burst of noisy voices. A crowd had arrived, and among them, Catherine’s voice rang out the loudest. ” Wow! This sofa! This huge window! This dining table! This lamp! This carpet! It’s all so beautiful! ” she marveled. ” Vance, you actually remembered the home decor style we discussed back then. You turned it into your home? This space is enormous!I told you a large flat would be perfect. You said a villa was better, but look! This is heaven! “
Rebecca’s understanding shifted once again. She had always assumed Vance chose the large flat because of her mobility issues. Turned out, it was just her own wishful thinking. This was actually the ideal home he and Catherine had envisioned: the spacious layout, the European- style lamps, the floor – to – ceiling windows, the Moroccan rugs, the fabric sofas, the medieval dining table… Every single element was something Catherine liked. Outside, Catherine’s amazement continued. ” Oh my gosh, you have so many Venetian dolls! Did you bring back every style from Venice?How did you collect them all? ” Aiden chimed in, ” Vance has always remembered how much you love them. Whether he’s on a business trip himself or his friends and clients are heading to Venice, he never forgets to ask. ” Rebecca listened in the bedroom, her hand shaking on the door handle. A conversation from the past echoed in her mind. ” Vance, why did you buy so many dolls?”
“I was worried you’d get bored at home alone. The dolls might not talk, but filling the house with them makes it feel less empty. ” She laughed bitterly. This house certainly wasn’t empty.
This was supposed to be her and Vance’s marital home, yet Catherine lived in it too, not in person, but through constant reminders. How could it possibly feel empty? The dining room, the living room, the spots by the windows… Every corner, at every moment, even though Catherine wasn’t physically present, was filled with memories of her, traces of her existence everywhere. How could it feel empty? Rebecca even suspected that when he slept with her, keeping such a wide gap between them, it was because in his imagination, Catherine lay there in the space between.
Finally, unable to endure it any longer, she opened the door. She wanted to see for herself how these people could so brazenly reminisce about their deep affections, completely disregarding the real hostess. Even if she was planning to divorce, they weren’t divorced yet. Perhaps the sound of the door opening was too loud, as everyone’s attention immediately turned toward her.
Catherine was holding one of the dolls, clearly enamored with it, and waved it at her. ” Rebecca, I’m so envious. You have so many dolls! Could you give me this one?”
“Sure, ” Rebecca replied without hesitation, standing in the doorway. Vance smiled in satisfaction at her response, but then she continued, ” You can have them all – the dolls, the house, and this man too. Take it all. ” She fixed her gaze on Vance, whose expression quickly shifted. He hissed, ” Rebecca! ” Catherine flinched, putting the doll back on the shelf. The rims of her eyes reddened. ” Rebecca, don’t be angry. I didn’t mean it like that. You’re misunderstanding Vance and me. If you don’t want me here, I’ll just leave.” She covered her face and turned to head out the door. But of course, Vance and his crew wouldn’t let her leave like that. Vance quickly blocked her path, and their friends crowded around her, each of them glaring at Rebecca with righteous indignation, as if she had committed some unforgivable sin. Aiden grumbled, ” Vance, it’s not our place to say much, but we can’t tolerate Catherine being treated like this. ” The intention behind those words was plain to see. He was forcing Vance to choose. If Vance chose Rebecca over Catherine, then their brotherhood was over.
In truth, Aiden needn’t have worried so much. He could have spared the dramatics because Vance would undoubtedly choose Catherine. Catherine’s tears flowed freely. Even as Aiden spoke up for her, she sobbed at him, ” Don’t talk nonsense. I’m not mistreated. ” Then, clutching Vance’s arm with teary eyes, she continued, ” It’s fine, really. I came here to apologize to Rebecca in the first place. I had prepared myself mentally for whatever she might say, and I’d accept it all.
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