جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 510

Rebecca added the cost of the shoes and the cab fare together. She refused to transfer the money to Vance herself."Oh, sure, no problem," Nancy said quickly, already pulling out her phone to send it."Good." Rebecca turned to head upstairs to her room.She had barely reached the staircase when Nancy called after her, "Mr. Bradford says it's too much money.""Just tell him I'm covering it. If there's extra, he can use it to top up a few phone plans," Rebecca replied.She was still covered in the scent of sea wind, bourbon, and stew. Plus, she had thrown up on the ship. All she wanted right now was a hot shower and clean clothes.Nancy didn't quite understand the remark but passed on the message anyway."Nancy," Desmond called out, watching Rebecca disappear around the corner of the upstairs landing, "let me see what he replies."Nancy hesitated, but he was Rebecca's boyfriend now. She sighed and handed him the phone.Desmond opened the chat and saw years of messages stretching

Rebecca had once told Nancy that she and Vance had known each other since they were 16—the kind of story people online called "from school uniforms to wedding dress".Rebecca had even injured her leg because of him.Why had things turned out this way? She had loved him deeply, and he had clearly felt something, too.For five years, Nancy had watched it all unfold day by day. Why couldn't men resist temptation? She had thought Vance would be different, but in the end, all men were the same.Rebecca was in the shower, and Desmond waited for her in the bedroom.When she came out, her hair was wrapped in a towel. Her face was flushed from the hot water, and her eyes looked soft and dewy."Come here. I'll blow-dry your hair," he offered, having done that for her many times in France.But then, he remembered a line from Vance's old messages to Nancy: [Sometimes, Rebecca gets lazy and goes to sleep with her hair still damp. If I'm not back, make sure you dry it for her before letting h

Desmond smiled. "Why do I love hearing all your sweet talk so much?"He drank the spoonful. It really was sweet.At that moment, Rebecca felt perfectly content. Sweet words only sounded beautiful because of love. Without love, no matter how honeyed they were, they would only make someone want to run away.She sat in the chair, slowly finishing the soup while Desmond tidied up her room. She had done some online shopping since returning home, and the packages had been opened but not yet put away. Everything was piled up.He neatly organized it all for her, hanging clothes in the closet and putting things in drawers. Then he noticed a small wooden box in one of the drawers. It was cute and delicately made."What's inside? Can I look?" he asked.She looked over and saw it was the box for the stone. "Go ahead."Desmond opened it and saw a smooth, beautifully colored stone. Someone had carved a simple circle into it with flower petals inside."Did you carve this?" He turned the stone

"Or you could return it to his parents?" Desmond suggested. "It might give them something to hold onto."Rebecca shook her head. Darren had left a few things behind, and his parents treasured every item. If their beloved item was taken away—even if not directly by her—and then returned, how would they feel? It would be like cutting open the wound again."Don't worry about it. I'll figure out a way to handle it properly." Rebecca finished the soup, called Nancy up to take the bowl away, and felt sleepy. "By the way, have you scheduled your visa appointment? In Soliaridge or back in Arelmoor? Is all the paperwork ready?""Let's do it in Soliaridge, together. The materials aren't ready yet. I flew here because you went missing." Desmond held her hand, sounding a little spoiled.She patted his shoulder. "You didn't get much rest last night either. Want to take a nap?""No need." He shook his head. "I'll head back this afternoon. I'll get everything sorted quickly, then come back to

For the sake of Darren's spirit, the tension between them was unusually absent that day.Rebecca didn't bristle like a porcupine as usual, raising all her quills the moment they were together. They could talk normally."Why did you decide to do this?" Vance asked as they left the reception hall.Rebecca couldn't say it had started because of Desmond, so she gave a vague answer. "I found it while organizing my things. I'll be abroad, and I don't know where the future will take me. Even though it's just a stone, it was important to some people—like Darren's parents. So, I thought I should find a proper place for it."Vance nodded. "That's good. I hope in the next life, he..."Rebecca heard only half the sentence and asked instinctively, "What about the next life?""If there is a next life..." He took a deep breath. "I really hope I can help him fulfill all his wishes."She grew curious. "What were his wishes? Besides walking every corner of the earth?"He smiled. "Those are guy w