Chapter 128
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“I know the whole Andrea thing gets to you. I’ve already talked it out with her,” Jeffrey said, trying to calm Rebecca down. Deep down, he knew Rebecca and the promises he made to her were things he’d never be able to give up.
Rebecca shoved him away with sudden force. Her eyes rimmed with red, which made her look just like a wounded little animal.
“Whether
cleared things up with her or not has nothing to do with me.” Rebecca was someone who paid close attention to everything, and she never forgot a slight.
“All I know is, you made things harder for me because of her. You humiliated me, trampled on my self–worth, and insulted who I am!”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you–anything except divorce,” Jeffrey said, dead serious.
Rebecca didn’t hesitate for a second. “I don’t need it!” she fired back, her eyes cold and determined. She only wanted a divorce. Nothing else mattered.
“Be good,” Jeffrey said gently, pulling her back toward him, his eyes and voice soft.
Rebecca yanked herself free, stepping back and putting distance between them. Her eyes were burning with nothing but anger. “Why the hell should I listen to you?” she snapped.
Jeffrey pressed his lips together, walking straight toward her.
Rebecca jabbed a finger toward the door, her whole body shaking with rage. “Get out!”
“Let’s just talk, alright?” Jeffrey pleaded, trying to calm her down.
“Easy for you to say, since you’re not the one who got hurt,” Rebecca shot back, loathing how powerless she felt. It was like her life was some sick joke. “Either you walk out now, or I’ll get the cops to throw you out!”
Seeing her like this, Jeffrey knew Rebecca was furious, and she truly didn’t want to see him right now.
He lifted his hand, thinking to ruffle her hair, but when he saw only rejection and resentment in her eyes, he froze. “I’m next door. If you need anything, just let me know,” he said softly.
Rebecca gave him no answer. She was holding back a storm in her chest. She didn’t want to see him. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him.
Jeffrey glanced back at her before leaving, pushing down all the emotions swirling inside him. Once he was back in the next room, he couldn’t stop thinking about her outburst. After a long pause, he pulled out his phone and called Jessica.
He knew she hated him, but there was no way she could just sit there and swallow it all.
Jessica stared at her phone in total confusion when Jeffrey’s name popped up. “Jeffrey?” she muttered, totally baffled.
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Chapter 128
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“Rebecca’s not in a good place right now. Can you come over?” Jeffrey asked, his voice just as calm as always. “If you’re busy, I’ll send someone to help you out.”
Jessica was confused. She double–checked the screen, and it really was Jeffrey calling. If this were before all that Andrea drama, his calling her like this would’ve seemed normal. But now it was a different story.
“You got questions?” Jeffrey prompted when Jessica didn’t answer.
“Yeah,” Jessica shot back. She wasn’t about to let this go without an explanation.
Jeffrey laid it out, no sugarcoating.
When Jessica heard he’d told Rebecca he wasn’t going to divorce her, she just lost it. Before slamming the call off, she let him have it: “Are you completely insane or what?”
Jessica had seen firsthand how hard Rebecca worked to make the divorce happen. And now, with just a few words, Jeffrey had tossed all her efforts out the window. No wonder Rebecca was furious.
Rebecca was still fuming, her mind flooded with just one thing–she had to get a divorce. But try as she might, she couldn’t think of any foolproof way to make it happen.
She even caught herself considering some ridiculously desperate moves, like finding someone to stage a fake cheating scandal just to push Jeffrey away.
But deep down, she knew there was no escaping him. Jeffrey had chosen this moment to finally lay his cards on the table, and it meant that no matter what she did, she’d be tied to him for the rest of her life.
With all kinds of thoughts swirling around, Rebecca tamped down her emotions and texted May, [May, something’s come up on my end. I can’t settle on a divorce date for now.]
When May saw the message, she automatically checked her inbox out of habit. There was nothing new from Jeffrey. She was confused because she thought Jeffery didn’t want a divorce.
“It’s fine. We’ll talk when I get back,” May replied via voice message, still up to her ears in work. “I’m almost done here. I’ll head back soon.”
Rebecca shot back a short “Okay.” And then she shuffled back into her room, dropped onto the edge of the bed, her mood as heavy as a thundercloud. She sat there, staring at nothing, barely holding herself together.
When Jessica arrived, Rebecca was sprawled on the bed, staring blankly out the window at the buildings outside. Her eyes were empty, and she looked just like a discarded, broken doll.
“Hey, sweetie,” Jessica called softly from the doorway. Jessica knew the code to Rebecca’s door. After knocking and getting no response, she punched in the code and walked right in.
Rebecca turned her head at the sound of Jessica’s voice, and when she saw it was her, a flicker of emotion flashed across her face. All the feelings she’d tried so hard to push down came crashing right back up.
“Come here. Let me hug you,” Jessica said as she walked over and pulled Rebecca into her arms, radiating calm. “I know everything that’s gone down. That bastard Jeffrey isn’t even human, but don’t let him get you down.
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Chapter 128
“We’re not out of options. We’ll figure something out, I promise.”
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“No, there’s nothing,” Rebecca replied, her voice drained of energy. “I’ve thought about every possible way.” She couldn’t get around him legally because Jeffrey was way too methodical and cautious about everything.
And as for any other moves, she just couldn’t beat him. He was always a step ahead.
“Who says there’s no way out?” Jessica was always more flexible–her take on things was totally different. “Sure, he’s a master at making people’s lives miserable, and we’ll never beat his army of lawyers, but there’s still one way out!”
A spark of hope flashed across Rebecca’s eyes. “What’s that?”
Jessica shot her a wicked grin. “Make yourself a widow!”
Rebecca fell silent. But she knew Jessica was just joking around, trying to cheer her up and remind her there’s more to life than just this mess.
“Hey, I’m dead serious,” Jessica said, word by word. “If you ever need me to, I’ll knife the bastard myself! That’s my promise.”
Rebecca couldn’t help but smile a little. “If you did, I’d only get to see you behind bars.”
Jessica grinned. “It’s fine! You should be happy that I’ll be eating state–funded meals every day.”
Rebecca wrapped her arms around Jessica, clinging to her for comfort. This was just how it always was between them. Whenever Rebecca felt down, Jessica always had a way to lift her spirits–no matter how silly or wild she had to get.
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