Chapter 23
At an altitude of more than 30 thousand feet, wisps of delicate clouds danced beyond the pane, so close they felt as if one could touch them.
Having woken up from a brief nap, Rebecca immediately met a pair of unblinking dark eyes staring directly at her. She then checked her phone and noted that merely two hours had passed, causing her to instinctively furrow her brow.
Upon noticing her expression, Morgan immediately presented the warm water he had thoughtfully prepared. He asked nervously, “Did you have a nightmare, Becks? Did something in your dream upset you?”
Rebecca, feeling parched, readily accepted the cup and drank several mouthfuls. She had just set the cup aside when the plane happened to be soaring over a city. She gazed at it intently, then looked away to find Morgan looking utterly dejected.
Morgan asked, “I have already come clean about everything, Becks, so why are you giving me the silent treatment? Is it because you’re still upset with me?”
It was only then that Rebecca realized she hadn’t spoken to Morgan for quite some time. She was initially stunned by his revelations that had her mind consumed with replaying their shared past, leaving her disinclined to talk.
Then, once the plane was airbome, her reflections only made her drowsier, and she inadvertently fell asleep, quickly forgetting the matter. It was only when his prodding broke her reverie that she remembered she owed him a reply.
If she were being honest, she had to admit that she was indeed a little upset that Morgan had lied to her. It wasn’t because of the act of deception itself; after all, she had from the start presumed him to be a money–strapped, innocent young man and offered to support him financially.
That whole sordid assumption of hers still made her feel rather despicable, so naturally, she couldn’t fault him for keeping certain things under wraps.
Her real concern was that he had kept up the pretense even after she had decided to divorce Stephan.
He had gone as far as proposing marriage, yet still hadn’t come clean to her. She couldn’t help but wonder how long he intended to conceal the truth. Therefore, even though she had forgiven his actions, the irritation and anger she had suppressed still lingered, waiting for the right moment to erupt. Upon seeing Morgan revert to his former, seemingly vulnerable self, Rebecca’s resolve instinctively softened again.
In order to ward off his influence, she raised her hand to cover his face and stated flatly, “I’m still upset at you, obviously. I mean, you deceived me for such an extended period. How am I supposed to believe anything you say now? What if you’re still keeping things from me?”
Morgan quickly raised his right hand in an oath and said, “I swear I’ve come clean about everything! If there’s even a single thing I’m keeping from you, may the heavens strike-”
Yet, before he could even finish his sentence, Rebecca cut him off, clamping a hand over his mouth. Her voice was laced with exasperation as she exclaimed, “How could you say such a thing when we’re literally thousands of feet up in the air? I’ll ask you a few questions and you’ll have to answer them truthfully. I’ll consider whether to forgive you based on that.”
Morgan eagerly nodded in assent.
“You had previously mentioned that you came from an average family. What exactly did you mean by ‘average‘?” Rebecca asked.
Morgan replied, “It’s average in the sense that we have some money and own a few properties. If you coveted a particular piece of jewelry, we can pretty much swing it without too much trouble.”
kebecca couldn’t help but recall how she had once given him that measly check for a few million to “make it up to him.” She couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t given him more back then. It was no wonder he wasn’t impressed by the few million dollars–he probably thought she was a miserly wealthy woman. In that inoment, she felt deep shame, believing she had disgraced the reputation of all affluent women.
Though her mind was full of snark, Rebecca kept her composure. “Why would I want you to buy me jewelry? You wouldn’t even accept my sugar mommy money back then, so how on earth could I accept your jewels now?”
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Morgan explained, ‘It’s not that I didn’t want it. I was just afraid that you’d think I was only in it for the money and would dump me later. I merely wanted to show you how sincere my feelings were.‘
