Chapter 05
The vast house felt hollow, and the only comfort I could find was in the child’s room.
There, I flipped through old photo albums, memories playing in my mind like a film reel.
Looking at the smiling faces in the photos, I couldn’t help but think, I must have looked terribly ugly screaming like that just moments ago.
Tears soaked my clothes, my pillow, and the blanket.
I cried silently, gasping for air, my head throbbing with each breath.
When I woke again, the sky outside had already darkened.
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Dazed, I felt someone gently wiping the tears from my face..
As I fully regained consciousness, I realized Noah was lying in my arms.
I kissed his forehead softly before getting out of bed, carefully gathering myself.
I told myself it wasn’t a big deal. After all, wasn’t it Gavin’s repeated confessions that eventually brought us together?
I checked myself in the mirror, making sure I wasn’t too disheveled, then walked toward the bedroom.
Only then did I notice the house was eerily dark, the nanny nowhere in sight. The only light came from the study.
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I had just reached the door to the study, about to knock, when I heard Sara’s voice.
“Gavin, while Rebecca’s not at the company, you need to hurry up and take back full control of the business!”
Then Gavin’s voice, low and sharp, responded, “Mom, keep it down!”
His mother’s voice was brazen. “What’s there to be afraid of? Didn’t you say she had an argument with you and ran off? The nanny’s gone, and the kids‘ room is so far away she won’t hear anything”
“Tell me, you’re not actually feeling sorry for her, are you?”
There was a brief silence in the room.
Suddenly, a sharp voice sliced through the
Chapter 05
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stillness. “Gavin! You’re not really feeling sorry for her, are you? Didn’t you say you married her just because she looked like me?”
It was Aaliyah!
I could feel my body begin to tremble uncontrollably.
The voices from inside seemed to lash at my nerves again and again.
“No,” Gavin’s cold voice cut through, “I was just thinking about how to drag it out a little longer. She has too much influence at the company, and there are some things that are a bit tricky.”
The words pierced my heart like an icy arrow.
My mind went blank, frozen in place as if I
had been struck by a spell.
“Whew, I was just worried for nothing,” Sara sighed in relief.
“That woman’s just an orphan. If your dad didn’t value her abilities and think you were lacking, he wouldn’t have allowed you two to get married, let alone handed over the company’s control before his death. For years, you’ve been like a kept man behind her, and I have to put up with her moods.”
“I know, stop talking about it. I’ll handle it as soon as possible!” Gavin’s voice was tinged with anger.
For so long, I had never once doubted that he loved me, but now the truth was clear he didn’t seem to love me at all.
No wonder, in the hospital that day, Aaliyah’s
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ridiculous words were taken as gospel by Gavin without hesitation.
But did that mean, because I could run the company for them, Gavin could marry someone he didn’t love? Could he fake it for ten years?
Was it really because Aaliyah and I looked alike?
No! We didn’t look alike at all!
Tears blurred my vision once again.
“Alright, alright, darling, don’t be angry, Aaliyah’s voice, sickeningly sweet, cooed at Gavin.
I couldn’t bear to hear their voices, nor could I stand the thought of Aaliyah and Gavin
cooing over each other.
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Without another word, I turned and walked out of the house.
My steps were slow and aimless, as if I were a marionette, lost and drifting down the street.
The only thing that proved I was still human were the tears streaming from my eyes.
“Rebecca! Rebecca!”
A chorus of male voices echoed in my ears.
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