Betrayed and Dumped: She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 209

Cindy sat in the back seat and squinted over at her brother. “I swear, there’s something going on between Rebecca and Paul.”

Stephen didn’t even blink, so she kept going, turning up the drama. “Remember when we went to pick apples and Rebecca hurt her foot? Paul carried her down the hill. He was panicking more than anyone else. And now he’s out here, openly taking her to dinner.”

“And it’s not like Rebecca’s totally uninterested. If she was, she wouldn’t have let Judy intern at her company.”

She paused to sneak a look at Stephen. His jaw was clenched, so tight it looked like it hurt. Cindy grinned and nudged him. “Well? What do you think?”

Stephen tugged at his tie, let out a heavy breath, and said, mostly to himself, “Paul is Bruce’s best friend.”

Rebecca hated Bruce. There was no way she’d date his friend… right?

Cindy sighed. “Feelings aren’t that simple. You don’t get to choose who you fall for.”

She turned so she was facing him. “Come on, just tell me. Are you in love with Rebecca or not?”

Stephen met her gaze. In her eyes, he saw pure hope. He let out a soft laugh and gave her a gentle pat on the head.

Cindy frowned. “Stop deflecting. I’m serious. I know what happened before still bothers you, but you have to move forward. Rebecca is a really good girl. If you let her slip away, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Outside, neon signs painted colors on the car windows and splashed light across Stephen’s face, making him look even more striking. But his eyes, hidden mostly in the dark, looked weighed down by old hurts.

Move forward… could he really do that?

After a long pause, he swallowed hard. “Yeah. I know.”

Cindy heard how rough his voice sounded and didn’t push anymore. Some things just had to work themselves out. She gave up trying to convince him and told Liam to drive.

Meanwhile, Rebecca finished dinner with Paul and Judy. Since she hadn’t driven, she was about to call a cab home.

Suddenly, Judy gasped. “Oh my gosh, I totally forgot something at the office. I’ll grab a cab and head over. Paul, you take Rebecca home, okay?”

Right then, a taxi pulled up. Before Rebecca could say a word, Judy had hopped in and the car had already pulled away.

Rebecca stared, then realized what just happened. Was Judy… setting her up?

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