Chapter 20
Having received the divorce agreement from her lawyer, Rebecca had anticipated this moment. She knew that once Stephan found out the truth, he would inevitably ask her this question.
He, after all, believed that her love for him had been absolute, which emboldened him to shamelessly justify his infidelity by claiming he simply “still hadn’t had his fill of life” yet.
He was certain her affection for him was absolute and that if she ever moved on, it would only be out of spite or a desire for revenge. He attempted to use this justification to comfort his excessively self–indulgent nature.
He kept convincing himself that there was no such thing as steadfast love in this world and that all the unfaithful acts he had committed before were merely human nature. He told himself that anyone else in his shoes wouldn’t be able to resist either and that they would have made the exact choices too.
He assured himself that if even the woman for whom one had once tried to turn over a new leaf proved incapable of remaining true, then perhaps there was no reason for one to be so unforgiving toward oneself.
He persuaded himself that if love was destined to be this fickle, then offering it wholehearted devotion had always been a fool’s errand. It made more sense to enjoy fleeting romances while still young and only consider settling down with a like–minded partner once the thrill had worn off.
These were Stephan’s recurring thoughts and justifications every time he cheated during their marriage.
Rebecca initially had no grasp of these concepts. It was only when she threw caution to the wind and approached Morgan with the intention of being his sugar mommy that she finally understood what Stephan had felt.
Yet, unlike Stephan, Rebecca was burdened by the guilt of cheating on her marriage. She found herself caught between a desire for vengeance against him and a deep self–loathing for her own infidelity. These two conflicting feelings tore her apart, constantly tormenting her and making her life a living hell.
It wasn’t until that unexpected car accident that Rebecca finally saw through the haze that had bound her and discovered a way to set herself free.
In the face of death, love and hate proved to be nothing more than ephemeral sentiments, as once someone was gone, all those emotions would fade into nothing.
She had wondered if it was truly worth tormenting herself and wasting the rest of her life over undeserving people and situations. Why should she bind herself to Stephan for the rest of her life when she was only 27 years old?
These were the thoughts Rebecca penned after surviving her brush with death, a definitive response to a marriage that had felt like an inescapable trap.
Thus, after her recovery from the accident, when Morgan charmingly pleaded for a proper relationship with her again, Rebecca agreed to it. She chose to release herself from the past, to halt her destructive path, and to ensure she wouldn’t descend into the same promiscuity as Stephan.
In any case, she recognized that she still had the strength to start from scratch, the unwavering love of another, and an uncharted, promising future awaiting her. In addition, she realized that she and Stephan had always been cut from different cloth.
Therefore, with the passage of time, Rebecca at last found the opportunity to lay bare the truths she had harbored for so long. She faced Stephan and said them aloud, her voice steady and resolute.
“I had thought about taking revenge on you, but subsequently, I concluded how utterly pointless it would have been to forfeit my whole existence for your false, paltry affection. Therefore, my relationship with Morgan wasn’t born from a desire for revenge–it was simply a matter of mutual love.
“I always believed that being in love means being together, and when the love fades, parting ways is the natural end. It was as simple and clean as that. You didn’t have to concoct all those flimsy excuses to mask the truth that your heart had strayed, Stephan. If you had told me that you didn’t love me anymore, I would have accepted it and left willingly.
“You consistently strung me along, refusing to allow me closure, though. You know, that year I spent as your wife proved to be the most trying and sorrowful of my entire existence. Yet, thankfully, those days are now over, and having gained clarity, I finally resolved to liberate myself.
“It’s possible that a love such as yours truly exists in this world- It’s possible, too, that your much–touted ‘open marriage‘ could one day dominate society.
one that could genuinely embrace multiple people at once, distributing affection among many.
“It’s even conceivable that you might, by some chance, experience a sudden epiphany, recall all those scattered affections, and try to bring those pieces back where they once belonged.
“It has nothing to do with me anymore, though, Stephan. You and I were never meant to walk side by side–not in the past, not in this moment, and not in any future that follows.”
Chapter 21
