Chapter 146
Following the trail his investigators had uncovered, Benjamin found the
abandoned warehouse. Before he even stepped inside, the sordid, cloying smell of sweat and something else hit him, and his face went white.
“Rebekah,” he whispered, a knot of dread tightening in his stomach as he rushed
in.
The warehouse was empty, save for the disgusting mess on the floor. The sight of the filth sent a wave of pure fury through him.
A bodyguard who had followed him in hesitated. “Mr. Forrester p>
“What are you waiting for?” Benjamin roared, his voice thick with rage. “Find my wife! Now p>
“Yes, Mr. Forrester p>
A fire burned in Benjamin’s eyes. He would find out who did this to Rebekah, and he would make them pay.
The next morning, Rebekah awoke with a gasp, a nightmare clawing at the edges of her memory. She was drenched in a cold sweat. She got up, washed her face, and stepped out of the bedroom to the sound of sizzling from the kitchen.
Jensen was making breakfast. He smiled when he saw her. “You’re up p>
For a strange moment, she felt as if they were an old married couple. She quickly shook her head, chasing the bizarre thought away. She started to help, but Jensen shooed her out of the kitchen.
“This is not your domain. Go wait at the table p>
Sitting there, watching him move around the kitchen with an easy competence, a sense of unfamiliar peace settled over her. It reminded her of their time abroad, when he had done most of the cooking. She had asked him to help with chores to make him feel more at home, and he’d taken over the kitchen. Back then, she couldn’t cook at all. It was only after marrying Benjamin that she had slowly taught herself, turning her initial failures into genuine skill through sheer effort.
A shame that neither Benjamin nor Shawn ever appreciated any of it.
Jensen placed a plate of breakfast on the table. “Sleep well p>
Rebekah nodded. “I did, thanks p>
It was a lie. She’d been tormented by nightmares all night, and her head still felt heavy and dull. But she didn’t want him to worry.
Jensen’s brow furrowed. “Did you look in the mirror this morning? You’re as pale as a ghost, yet you say you slept well p>
Rebekah instinctively touched her cheek. Meeting his slightly reproachful gaze, she bit into a piece of egg, embarrassed. The man didn’t miss a thing.
“I just had a bad dream. It’s nothing p>
He sighed, a look of helplessness on his face. He handed her a phone. “Yours. You weren’t in a state to have it yesterday p>
Rebekah took it and powered it on. A flood of notifications for missed calls and texts appeared. Before she could even look through them, Benjamin’s name flashed on the p>
screen. She frowned and answered.
“Rebekah?” His voice was unusually strained, laced with a worry she hadn’t heard
in years. He sounded exhausted.
“It’s me. What is it p>
“Where are you p>
“Is something wrong p>
“I asked you where you are!” he roared into the phone. The sheer volume made her flinch.
Jensen frowned, but before he could say anything, Rebekah hung up.
“He’s insane,” she muttered,
silencing the phone and tossing it aside. She hadn’t bothered to check in with the Forresters precisely because she knew none of them would actually care about her.
After breakfast, Jensen left for work. Suddenly, Rebekah remembered her
meeting with Patricia.
“Oh no p>
She grabbed her phone, ignoring the
string of calls and texts from
Benjamin, and dialed Patricia
directly. Patricia picked
immediately, her voice full of mock
complaint.