Chapter 5
In his haste, Benjamin had dropped his wallet.
On impulse, Rebekah picked it up.
Early in their marriage, she’d noticed his wallet was worn out.
She’d saved up for months to buy him a new one with her own money. At the time, his expression had remained cool, but his voice held a trace of emotion. “The first gift from Mrs. Forrester. I’ll carry it forever p>
But the wallet on the floor wasn’t the one she had given him. He had always used the old one.
She opened it, and a photograph caught her eye.
It was Candice and Benjamin.
They looked younger in the picture, as if it had been taken years ago.
Candice had her arms wrapped around him intimately, wearing a wedding dress and beaming at the camera. Benjamin’s eyes were soft, a gentle smile on his lips. The photograph had a faint seam down the middle. He had cut out Candice from her own wedding photo and spliced it together with one of himself.
A wave of weariness washed over Rebekah. The smile on his face was a blinding insult. For years, he’d refused to hang their wedding photos above their bed like other couples did. He’d always said that love should be kept in the heart.
Now she understood. It was because he felt she wasn’t worthy of standing beside him in a wedding dress.
Only Candice was the bride he truly wanted.
In the bottom right corner of the photo, in Benjamin’s elegant script, were three words:
*My only love p>
Beneath it was a date.
It was the day they had gotten married, the same day Candice had left the country.
The pieces of her memory clicked into place. Lying in bed, Rebekah let out a hollow laugh. Everyone had envied her, believing she had married the best husband in the world. But who would have known that the woman Benjamin dreamed of day and night was her adoptive sister?
The sun began to set, and the day drew to a close. Neither Benjamin nor Shawn returned.
A deep exhaustion settled in Rebekah’s soul. Her pathetic, years-long marriage had to end.
Watching the sunset through the window, she dialed a number. “Brother,” she said, her voice steady, “I’ve made up my mind. I agree to be officially recognized by the family p>
A year ago, a phone call had turned her world upside down. Rebekah had learned that she wasn’t an orphan after all.
She paused, a thought occurring to her. “But not for another three months p>
Three months from now was the anniversary of her grandmother’s death. Grandma Fletcher was the only person in the Fletcher family who had ever been truly kind to her. Before leaving this city, she wanted to say a proper goodbye. Three months was enough time to recover and divorce Benjamin.
Abroad, at the Manderley Estate.
Home of the Powell family, the wealthiest in the world.
A distinguished man in a bespoke suit hung up the phone, his face a mask of disbelief. He turned to the three equally elegant figures in the room, his voice filled with joy. “Our little sister has agreed to come home p>
Once she was well enough, Rebekah was discharged from the hospital.
Seeing her leaning on a crutch, Benjamin’s eyes reddened with a familiar display of heartache. He helped her into the Forrester
mansion and settled her on the sofa, pulling her into his arms. “It’s all in the past now, Rebekah. From now on, we’ll be a happy family p>
*Happy p>
After deceiving her so thoroughly, they still expected her to be happy?
Shawn flew over like a little bird. “Mom! Welcome home p>
He bumped against her injured hand, and she let out a sharp hiss of pain.
Shawn quickly backed away, but there was little apology in his eyes. “Sorry, Mom. Are you okay p>
She shook her head, her expression blank. She didn’t want to cause a scene, but she had no energy to play along with them either.
While father and son watched television in the living room, Rebekah went to her room. She wanted to pack or destroy everything that belonged to her.
She quickly discovered there was almost nothing of hers in the house.
A bitter smile touched her lips. The realization didn’t surprise her. Her presence in this home was as insignificant as her place in their hearts.
dispensable.
After searching everywhere, she couldn’t find the pendant she had entrusted to Benjamin before going to prison. It was the only thing her grandmother had left her, the only thing in this house worth taking.
But the pendant was gone.
“Mom, Aunt Candice is here to see you p>
Shawn’s voice from the doorway shattered her thoughts.
Returning to the living room, Rebekah saw Candice, arms laden with gifts, smiling as if she owned the place. She was laughing and chatting animatedly on the sofa, making herself completely athome. The atmosphere was bright and cheerful.
The moment Candice saw her, however, she fell silent. Her abrupt change in demeanor cast an awkward pall over the room.
Seeing Rebekah’s silence, Candice shifted away from Benjamin in a theatrical gesture of innocence. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Sis. Benjamin and I are just good friends. No need to be jealous p>
A flicker of annoyance crossed Benjamin’s face. “Candice came all this way to see you, knowing you were being discharged p>
Rebekah ignored them both, choosing a chair far away from the sofa. She didn’t have the energy to argue; she just wanted to pretend they weren’t there.
“Sis, I brought you a gift,” Candice chirped, bringing a box over to her. “I remember this used to be your favorite p>
She opened the box. Inside lay a dancer’s leotard.
It was, indeed, a style she had once loved.
Rebekah’s eyes narrowed. Her legs would never allow her to dance again.
“I have no use for it, Miss Fletcher,” she said, her voice flat.
“Oh,” Candice said, covering her mouth with a gasp of feigned realization. She glanced at Rebekah’s legs.
legs. “I’m so soy
forgot Forgive me, Sis. I’m just not
as thoughtful as you girls. You’re not mad, are you p>
Rebekah let out a cold laugh, finally meeting her gaze. The undisguised malice in Candice’s eyes was almost comical.
“It’s fine,” she said coolly. “I gave up dancing a long time ago. I don’t need your
gift. You can keep it p>
She didn’t need the gift. And she wanted neither Benjamin nor Shawn.
Candice chuckled and finally set the gift aside. As she did, something on her neck
caught the light. A pendant, swinging with her every movement. Rebekah’s breath caught in her throat. Her fingers clenched into a fist.
It was her grandmother’s pendant.