Betrayed and Dumped She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 467

Rebecca stared at Joan’s message, her eyes fixed on the screen. She left the chat, about to pull up her contacts, when her phone started ringing. She picked up right away. “Stephen?”

He answered with a tired sigh. “Sorry. Something happened. I don’t think I can make it to the restaurant tonight.”

Rebecca’s heart dropped. Her grip on the phone tightened until her knuckles hurt. It took her a moment to find her voice. “What happened?”

Stephen sounded worn out. “I got in a car accident on the way. I hit someone. I’m at the hospital now.”

“Are they badly hurt?” Rebecca asked, worry making her voice shaky.

“No, it’s not serious. Don’t worry about me. I’ll text you when I’ve finished dealing with everything.” He paused, apologizing again. “I’m sorry for making you wait. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”

Rebecca’s eyes softened, her voice quiet. “Okay.”

After the call, Stephen looked over at the hospital bed, his face unreadable. Joan was watching him, her dark eyes full of emotion. She tried to smile, but it came out sad and a little bitter. “Is that all I am to you now? Just some victim?”

Stephen’s reply was cool and distant. “You’ve been a stranger to me for a long time.”

He turned to leave, but Joan called after him. “Stephen, are you just going to walk away again? The doctor said my foot’s really hurt. I might end up with a limp. Can you really just leave me like this?”

Stephen turned, his eyes cold, his words sharp. “Stop playing innocent.”

Joan’s voice faltered. “What does that mean?”

He looked at her, his gaze steady. “You know exactly what I mean.”

Sitting on a bench, Stephen closed his eyes, letting his thoughts drift back to the past hour. He’d pushed a meeting to make it to the restaurant on time, asking Liam to fill in for him. Everything was on track until he’d pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road, and out of nowhere, he hit someone.

He remembered the shock of hearing someone hit the ground. Just a second before, there hadn’t been anyone in front of his car. How had this happened? Instinct took over. He unbuckled his seatbelt, got out, and hurried to the front of the car. “Miss, are you alright?” he asked.

The girl in the white dress turned, wincing in pain. “My foot hurts so much. I think it’s broken.”

Stephen’s whole body went still when he saw her face. For a moment, it felt like time stopped.

Joan.

He’d hit Joan. Of all people, it was her.