Chapter 173
Mrs. Fletcher couldn’t believe it. The meek, pliable girl she had always controlled was gone, replaced by this defiant stranger.
“Rebekah! Is that any way to speak to your mother p>
Sampson Fletcher’s voice cut through the tension. He strode in from the doorway, his face a dark storm cloud. He grabbed Rebekah’s wrist and started dragging her toward the living room. She struggled, trying to wrench her arm free, but his grip was like iron.
“Let go of me p>
“You’re going to kneel and apologize to your husband,” he snarled. “You’re going to tell him this divorce talk was a mistake p>
He hauled her in front of Benjamin and shoved her forward. Rebekah stumbled, nearly losing her balance. For a split second, Benjamin’s hand twitched, an instinct to steady her, but he caught himself and froze.
Rebekah regained her footing and looked up to meet his cold, unforgiving gaze. Her voice was firm. “This marriage is over p>
At her words, the slightest hint of softness in Benjamin’s expression vanished, replaced by a thunderous gloom. “Fine,” he bit out.
Before he could say more, Sampson kicked the back of Rebekah’s knee. Her leg buckled, and she collapsed, her kneecap slamming hard against the floor. A sharp, searing pain shot up her leg, and beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.
“Rebekah! You’re still a Fletcher, which means you don’t get to make this decision on your own! Now apologize to him!” Sampson’s voice was a blade, all his fury directed at her.
Candice rushed over and helped Rebekah up, casting a disapproving look at Sampson. “Brother, what are you doing? Even if she made a mistake, you shouldn’t hit her p>
“You’re defending her, Candice? She’s disgraced our entire family p>
Candice had no intention of actually defending Rebekah. She just knew that with the divorce on the verge of happening, she couldn’t let the Fletchers do anything to screw it up.
Rebekah shook off Candice’s hand, clutching her knee as she staggered to her feet. She turned to Sampson, and with a wide, furious arc, she slapped him across the face.
Caught by surprise, Sampson took the full force of the blow.
“Rebekah, what the hell p>
“You ungrateful brat! How dare you hit your brother p>
His eyes bulged with fury, and he raised his hand to strike her back, but Benjamin suddenly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the Fletchers. “What do you think you’re doing p>
Sampson’s hand froze mid-air.
Rebekah looked at him, her voice dripping with ice. “I used to obey you because I thought you were my family. But now, whatever little affection I had left for you is gone p>
She pushed past Sampson, grabbed her suitcase, and strode toward the door, ignoring the throbbing in her knee.
Her adoptive father, realizing he had lost all control over her, turned to Benjamin. “Benjamin, as the heir to the Forrester family, you know that for families like ours, a divorce is never just about two people p>
Benjamin’s eyes, which had been fixed on the doorway, shifted back. “You don’t know your own daughter, do you?” he said coldly. “She loves the luxury this family provides she’d never actually leave me.
She was just throwing a tantrum.
He seemed so certain. Candice, sitting nearby, dug her nails into the back of her hand until it hurt. Why? Why did it seem like Benjamin was still holding onto hope for his marriage to Rebekah?
It was time, she decided, to take more drastic measures.
Hearing Benjamin’s confident words, the Fletchers relaxed. They didn’t care if Rebekah was happy or not. All that mattered was that if she and Benjamin divorced, the steady stream of benefits flowing from the Forrester family would dry up. For that alone, raising her hadn’t been a total waste.