Chapter 18
Upon landing in Silvanus, Rebecca discovered that Morgan had taken care of everything beforehand. He had arranged for transport at the airport, accommodation at a five–star hotel, and even a personal attendant to coordinate their itinerary.
She couldn’t help but feel a pang of surprise at the faultless, thorough preparations. She recalled Morgan mentioning that he had come from a humble background, leaving her to ponder how he had acquired such resources and connections abroad. Her thoughts, however, were mainly fixated on the pocket watch, preventing her from dwelling on the matter regarding Morgan’s background.
Having arrived at the watch shop, Rebecca’s tension eased only after the repair expert completed his inspection and declared that there was indeed a possibility of restoring the pocket watch.
In the following few days, with time on their hands, they embarked on extensive travels, seeing every attraction the region had to offer. Morgan demonstrated an encyclopedic knowledge of the locale, as if he had walked its paths countless times. He even recounted every famous landmark and historical legend in vivid detail. They also happened to run into some of his friends on the street one day and were subsequently invited to their estate.
Rebecca discovered that Morgan not only excelled at equestrian sports and tennis, but he could also knowledgeably discuss wines reserved for the royal family/in Iropa.
It became increasingly clear to Rebecca that the Morgan accompanying her now was vastly different from the innocent, fresh graduate she had once believed him to be.
Rebecca’s doubts mounted with each passing day. She had often contemplated asking a few investigative questions, but Morgan’s guileless expression always made her dismiss her suspicions as mere overthinking.
That day, as they arrived to collect the pocket watch, Morgan unexpectedly encountered a friend at the entrance, so Rebecca simply proceeded into the shop by herself.
Their flight back home was in the afternoon, so she made no delay in collecting her pocket watch and heading out the door.
Having pushed open the door, she found no trace of Morgan. Her attention was then drawn to the group of people clustered on the steps just a short distance away. Having searched the immediate vicinity in vain, Rebecca reluctantly made her way toward the crowd. She hadn’t even reached them when someone who sounded a lot like Stephan yelled, “What’s that got to do with you?”
Rebecca’s entire body stiffened. She peered at the impenetrable crowd, then stepped onto a nearby planter, finally managing to glimpse the scene within. That speaker was indeed Stephan.
Stephan looked noticeably haggard in just a few days, a stark contrast to his former confident self. His eyes were bloodshot as he roughly grabbed Morgan’s collar, barking, “I’m here to find my wife! What does that have to do with you? Get out of my way!”
Morgan, in stark contrast, was remarkably unperturbed. He merely cast a brief glance at Stephan before raising a hand to decisively knock away the grip on his collar, “You and Becks have already gotten a divorce. What’s with the show of force in my presence, huh?”
Rebecca’s heart sank. Her dismay wasn’t caused by the confrontation itself, but rather by Morgan.
He had always presented himself to her as gentle and compliant before her. He might occasionally cause some minor disturbances, but he would immediately turn to her for help when trouble struck. She had always believed that he was exactly what he showed her–a harmless, uncertain young man still fumbling his way through the world.
It seemed that he had a completely different side to him that he had never known. It turned out he could actually be fierce, defiant, and domineering. It completely upended everything she had come to know about him over the preceding six months.
Just as she was deep in thought, Stephan, who had been shoved back a few feet and was preparing to retaliate, caught sight of Rebecca. He immediately ceased his aggression, pushed through the people, and rushed to her side. “Why on earth did you come to Silvanus by yourself without telling anyone, Becks? Do you have any idea how worried I was when I couldn’t find you?”
Having been together for five years, Rebecca knew that his current display of concern was sincere. However, she was past needing that inconsistent “tough love” kind of care.
She then calmly said, “You ought to know that whether I go abroad or not is no longer your concern. And I’m not by myself–I’m with my
