[31]

The sound of a broken vase hitting the floor broke the silence so loudly that it echoed throughout the room. But, the chaos didn't seem to be ending anytime soon. Rebecca's loud shouts and tantrums made the servants of the mansion grimace, some of them chose to stay away, hiding in the corner of the room, afraid of falling victim to the woman's anger.

Since Rebecca arrived at the mansion around two hours ago, there were already a lot of things that she had messed up. Her physical limitations were no obstacle. With her wheelchair moving wildly in all directions, Rebecca threw, grabbed, and smashed every single thing in front of her, no matter how valuable they were. Her personal assistant, Kate, was one of those affected by the great lady's outburst of rage.

“DAMN IT!” Rebecca roared, throwing another vase into the wall, its fragments scattered on the floor. But the rage within her had not subsided; it had only intensified.

“BITCH! FUCK!" she screamed again, her hand grabbing a nearby gold-framed picture figurine and slamming it hard into the floor, shattering the frame into a million pieces.

Kate, standing a few meters away from her, attempted to approach Rebecca cautiously. “Madam,” she called in a soft tone, her voice trembling slightly with anxiety. “Please, I beg you to calm down a little-”

“SHUT UP!” Rebecca snapped, her eyes glaring, full of unstoppable rage. “I don't need your advice!” Her breathing was labored, her voice blaring to fill the room, while her fingers still gripped the arms of the wheelchair, grasping with full force as if ready to throw any other object within reach.

“DAMIAN BASTARD!” The table containing some decorative ceramics also received her fury. In a single stroke, the entire display fell and shattered on the floor. Several family portraits displayed on the table were also not spared from Rebecca's anger.

“Why did he do that to me?” Without realizing it, Rebecca had tears in her eyes. The tightness in her chest grew but she didn't care. Around her were broken ceramics, glass, and broken frames. It was very dangerous if anyone accidentally got scratched by those things.

“What did I do wrong?” asked Rebecca who was getting more and more downcast. Making her tears flow so fast that they dripped down the toes of her shoes. “Everything I've done, why does he never care?”

“Madam,” Kate braved. She felt that Rebecca had started to calm down a little. She stepped very carefully to avoid being hit by broken glass. She also called some of the other servants to clean up the mess. “If you're like this, you're hurting yourself.” Kate was already at a safe distance but not too far from Rebecca.

"I believe, Mr. Damian still cares for you, Mrs. Rebecca. Weren't you asked to be patient?”

Really, if it wasn't Kate who spoke, Rebecca would have already delivered a strong slap to keep from speaking out. But this was Kate. The person she trusted the most and knew best what was really going on between their marriage.

“How much longer do I have to be patient, Kate?” Rebecca asked softly. She raised her eyes, which had been downcast, to look at her assistant. Her gaze was somewhat blurred by the tears that had yet to stop. “Why won't Damian forgive me until now?”

Kate couldn't say anything. In this matter, Kate was confused about whose side to take. So Kate only positioned herself as a good listener.

“Isn't there even the slightest chance for me?”

Kate slightly pushed Rebecca's wheelchair towards her room. “I've asked the maid to prepare chamomile tea for you, Mrs. Rebecca.”

Rebecca chose to remain silent. Not trying to wipe away the traces of her tears that continued to trickle down her cheeks. Her mind was dragged back to two years ago-a time of turmoil, regret, and suffering. A memory that should have been buried deep, but now it resurfaced, reminding her of her own destruction.

“It's not what you think!” Rebecca exclaimed in a trembling voice, trying to catch up to Damian who stood in the doorway of their room. She didn't care how her steps sometimes stumbled on the blanket she was wearing. Trying to keep up with Damian's pace without caring if Rebecca became the center of attention. Some of the servants looked at them with astonishment but tried not to interfere.

Aside from Damian's creepy-looking face, not wanting to be disturbed, there also seemed to be quite a big problem between the couple.

Damian continued to walk down the stairs full of anger and deep disappointment. Damian's breathing was ragged, his hands clenched into tight fists as if trying to restrain himself from damaging anything in front of him.

“Damian, wait.” Rebecca caught up with him. She immediately pulled Damian's hand to stop him in his tracks. “Really, it's not what you think. Listen to my explanation first.”

“Not what I think?” Damian turned around, staring at Rebecca with a cold, contemptuous gaze. “I saw it myself, Rebecca. With my own eyes. You and him in that room. On the bed? Oh my God! What kind of joke are you playing?” His voice trembled, a mixture of anger and a deep sense of betrayal.

Rebecca bit her lower lip, trying to say something, but no words were strong enough to deny the reality. What could she say? That the relationship she had with that man was a thing of the past that never really went away? That she was too weak to hold back?

“I...” Rebecca looked down, avoiding Damian's dagger-like gaze. “I never wanted this to happen.”

Damian was stunned in disbelief at Rebecca's words. “Never wanted this to happen?” The man moved closer to his wife. He lifted her chin forcefully until their eyes met. “You should be able to think of a much more reasonable reason, Rebecca. He's your personal bodyguard. The man you hired in this house. And he-” Damian paused, his jaw hardening. “He was your lover before you married me, wasn't he?”

Rebecca fell silent, her body trembling, knowing that denying would only make things worse. Trying to avert her eyes from Damian was also useless. Her husband held her chin to keep her staring at each other.

Rebecca's relationship with the man had started long before her marriage to Damian-a relationship that was full of love but ended because of her family's ambition. Damian was the man chosen for her-a perfect man in the eyes of her family, but not the man she chose. Just as Damian was forced to marry her only because of his family's wishes.

And yet... Damian chose to go along with what they wanted. Even afterward, the man was preoccupied with a lot of work. Making the gap for infidelity wide open. Perfectly exploited by Rebecca. However, no matter how tightly the rot is covered, it will eventually be exposed.

“Yes,” Rebecca replied finally, her voice almost a whisper. "He is my past, Damian. But I never wanted to hurt-”

“Don't talk about not wanting to hurt,” Damian cut in, his voice rising. “All of this is your choice. You brought her to this house. You betrayed me.”

Rebecca closed her eyes, the tears continuing to flow without her being able to stop them. She knew that no matter what she said now, it wouldn't be able to fix what had happened.

“He just... I just...” Rebecca tried to find words, but none of them felt right.

Damian shook his head, his eyes cold as ice. “I don't care what your reasons are. I don't care who she was in your past. All I care about is that you betrayed me. I married you, Rebecca. I put my trust in you. And you broke it.”

Damian turned around, picking up his car keys that lay on the table by the door. “I'm leaving. I don't want to see you again tonight. Tomorrow, I'll take care of our divorce.” Before she could go any further, Damian said again. “Pack up all your and that bastard's things. Make sure there is no trace of you in this house and make sure your parents know why we are divorcing.”

“Damian, wait!” Rebecca called after him, trying to catch up even though her steps stumbled in her haste. “I love you! Please, listen to me!”

Damian paused, his back stiff, but he didn't turn around. “Love?” He laughed quite loudly, his voice sharp as a knife. “Don't talk about love, Rebecca. Love doesn't do what you do.”

Damian continued down the stairs and quickly darted away towards the main door. Closing the door with a bang, leaving Rebecca slumped on one of the steps to the floor, crying inconsolably. Then the roar of the car signaling Damian was about to leave the house could be heard quite loudly.

However, the night was not over yet. With her remaining courage, Rebecca decided to go after him. She knew she had made a big mistake, but she couldn't let their marriage end like this. She got into her car, driving at high speed, her eyes blurry with tears.

She didn't think about her safety, only one thing was on her mind-Damian. She had to find him. She had to talk to him.

But fate would have it another way. At an uncontrollable speed, Rebecca's car skidded around a sharp corner. The rear tires lost grip, and the car hit the road divider before slamming hard into the slope at the side of the road.

When Rebecca came to, she was already in the hospital. Her body was riddled with injuries, and to make matters worse, she had lost the ability to walk. Damian came, but not with love or concern. He came out of responsibility.

That night was the beginning of it all-the devastation, the regret, and the burden she must bear to this day. Now, two years later, Rebecca can only feel the bitterness of those memories, memories that make her heart break over and over again.

“Damian, please forgive me. I'm really sorry,” she sobbed as she received a visit from her husband after two weeks in hospital. Her recovery period could not be short, the injuries she received also had a considerable impact on her body including the condition of her legs which could no longer be helped. The only thing she could do was sit in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

Rebecca thinks it's payback for everything she's done wrong to Damian. As long as Damian was willing to forgive her, she had no problem.

Damian grinned slightly. His eyes looked at Rebecca without sympathy. “Make sure you go back to the main house. Be a good wife. Never speak out your displeasure. And live comfortably there.”

“You forgive me?” asked Rebecca with immense joy. “You really forgive me? I'll try to be the best wife for you. I won't...”

"Only to that point because I don't like to disappoint my father and grandfather. But don't expect me to see you again. You're only my wife in front of people, but not in my heart.”

Rebecca blinked in disbelief. “B-but Damian, you can't keep-”

“Goodbye, Rebecca. I hope you never get out of that wheelchair again and enjoy the rest of your life.”