Chapter 114
As Jensen was lost in thought, his phone rang. It was Mason Wilde.
“Mr. Hawthorne, I’ve run into some trouble. I think Sylvan Wilde, the man who gave the false testimony, has been in contact with the real culprit. He’s moved, and now I’m being followed p>
Jensen’s brow furrowed. “I’ll send people to help you. But you have to find a way to get evidence p>
“Understood, Mr. Hawthorne p>
After hanging up, Jensen tossed Rory’s file aside and left his office.
Rebekah finally finished redoing her morning’s design work as dusk fell. When she checked her phone, she had messages from two people.
The first was from Jensen: ‘The online chatter about you has died down.
Someone else is taking the heat. Don’t worry. If anyone tries to dox you again, call the police p>
His concern was palpable. A small smile touched Rebekah’s lips. After replying to him, she opened her chat with Patricia, who had sent a simple message: ‘Are you okay p>
Rebekah assured her she was fine, and Patricia immediately called her.
“I think you can turn this online attack into something that helps you,” Patricia said, her voice buzzing with excitement.
Rebekah knew she must have seen the negative comments, but she didn’t understand what she meant. “What are you talking about p>
“Think about it! You want to open a studio, right? The publicity you’re getting now might be negative, but it’s huge. When the truth comes out and you’re vindicated, you’ll be the most sympathetic person on the internet. You’ll be famous! You can create an account, build a following, and it will be amazing for your studio p>
Rebekah had to admit, Patricia had a point. But first, she needed to find the evidence to clear her name.
After listening to Patricia’s enthusiastic plan, she couldn’t help but ask, “After reading all those comments, you never once suspected they might be true p>
“But you said you didn’t do it, right?” Patricia’s simple reply left Rebekah speechless. The amount of trust this new friend had in her was astounding. She was deeply moved.
“Thank you, Patricia p>
They talked for a while longer about the studio. Before they could hang up, there was a soft knock on her bedroom door, followed by Shawn’s small voice.
“Mommy, are you still drawing p>
Rebekah was startled. Shawn hadn’t called her ‘Mommy’ so affectionately since she’d first mentioned the divorce.
“Mommy? Rebekah, you have a child?” Patricia asked from the phone.
“Patricia, I’ll call you back p>
After ending the call, Rebekah
opened the door. Shawn was standing there holding a glass of
milk his small facetilted us toward
her, his round eyes clear and
innocent. He smiled and offered her the glass. “You must be tired from drawing, Mommy. Have some milk p>
Rebekah felt a sense of whiplash. Just a couple of days ago, this child had been pelting her with wooden blocks hard enough to leave bruises. Why the sudden change of heart?
“Aren’t you going to drink it, Mommy?” he asked, his lip trembling as he looked up at her with wide, glistening eyes.
“I’m allergic to milk,” Rebekah replied flatly, not falling for his act.
Shawn looked embarrassed and pulled his hand back. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mommy, I forgot. I’ll go get you a glass of water instead.” He turned to leave.