Chapter 11
Giselle’s fever finally broke in the wee hours of the morning. Stephan tucked her in before getting up and heading to the balcony. He rubbed his tired eyes and pulled out his phone to text Rebecca.
“I have something to deal with tonight, Becks. I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you. Are you doing okay? Do you feel unwell anywhere? Should I get the family doctor to head over there to see how you are?”
She usually replied to him instantly, but that wasn’t the case that night. When he didn’t receive a reply after a few minutes, he thought she was already asleep. He sat down and answered some work–related messages. Then, he checked his social media. Amid countless vacation photos, he saw some people share videos of a wedding proposal.
The people who’d shared the videos were all Rebecca’s friends, and he narrowed his eyes when he realized that. He couldn’t resist watching one of the videos.
It began with the camera aimed at Morgan. Stephan couldn’t help but find his face familiar–he vaguely remembered meeting him once. However, he couldn’t be bothered to rack his brains to place the face.
He was about to exit the video when the camera panned to the left, revealing the woman being proposed to. A single glance at her made him sit up straight as his eyes widened. He held his phone closer to his face.
Why did the woman look so much like Rebecca?
The thought flashed in Stephan’s mind before he pushed it out. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He and Rebecca were married–she still had the ring he’d proposed with on her finger! How could she possibly accept someone else’s proposal?
The woman was probably just a friend he’d never met.
Stephan successfully convinced himself of that and exited the video. Then, he liked the post.
In the next second, he heard Giselle cough in the room. He forgot about resting and got up to continue caring for her.
Giselle’s sleep was intermittent throughout the night. She kept waking up and asking for Stephan, so he stayed up all night, watching over her. He was afraid she would burn up again.
He was tired by the time moming came, so he called his secretary to take over. Then, he got ready to head home to rest.
When he got home, he immediately noticed a sense of emptiness that wasn’t usually there. He didn’t know where the feeling came from, but as he looked around, he realized it was because the villa seemed much emptier than usual.
The collectibles that had once filled three or four display cabinets were nowhere to be seen, and the ornate tableware in the dining room was also missing. Even the throw pillows and soft toys that had been on the couch were gone.
Stephan ventured deeper into the house as he looked around, and his brows grew even more tightly furrowed.
He headed into the bedroom to ask Rebecca what was going on, but the scene that greeted him stunned him. The bedroom was even emptier than the living room! His clothes were the only ones left in the walk–in closet–Rebecca’s things were missing from the dressing table and jewelry drawers. Every shelf and surface that had once held traces of her were now bare.
It was only then that Stephan noticed something was wrong. Why had Rebecca and her things gone missing? Was she throwing a tantrum and pulling a run–away- from home act?
That made him angry. He’d told her countless times that he was just fooling around. Why couldn’t she
accept it?
it seemed the magnanimity and generosity she’d displayed over the past few days were just an act for his eyes.
The more Stephan thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He summoned the butler, his tone nasty as he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me that Becks moved out? Where has she gone?”
The butler stammered, “Y–You said to let Mrs. Lodge throw whatever tantrums she wanted and that we weren’t to disturb you with such troublesome things. That was why we didn’t say anything. Mrs. Lodge left in one of the Green family’s cars, so she should have moved back into her parents‘ home.”
The Green residence? Didn’t that mean Rebecca’s parents knew about this? How could she make a mountain out of a molehill like this?
Stephan’s expression was hideous as he whipped out his phone to call Rebecca. No one answered, and his patience was running out. He tugged his tie loose as he
headed to bed.
He massaged his tired eyes before opening them again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a thick stack of papers on the bedside table.
Then, he froze when he saw the words “divorce agreement” printed on the first page. His expression slowly morphed into one of disbelief.
Divorce? Was this what Rebecca was up to this time?
Stephan’s rage surged when the realization dawned on him. Rebecca had never once brought up divorce in the past, no matter how badly they’d fought or how angry she’d been.
Chapter 12
