Five Years of Marriage to Mr. Bradford (by Koi Fish) novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35

“You need a house, right?” Rebecca asked again.

Adeline blinked, then nodded, puzzled by her intent.

“There’s a way,” Rebecca scoffed.

“What?” Emmett and Adeline asked in unison, their eyes alight with greedy anticipation.

Grabbing her bag, Rebecca declared sarcastically, “I’ll divorce Vance, and your girlfriend can marry him instead. Not to mention a house, she gets everything he owns. Cut out the middleman.”

The trio sat stunned, jaws slack, but Vance burst into laughter, which caught Rebecca off guard. She’d expected offense, but glancing down, she saw amusement lingering on his face.

Regardless, dinner was ruined. She turned and strode out, her family too dazed to stop her.

She jabbed the elevator button, uncaring how Vance would handle the fallout. As the doors opened, he emerged from the apartment, joining her inside.

They descended in tense silence until he pressed B1. “What was that today? Why so fired up?” Rebecca drew a deep breath. “Vance, I gotta ask you something.”

He paused. “Go ahead.”

“In your mind, how much is my leg worth?” she asked, pointing at her injured leg.

He faltered. “Why ask that?”

Her eyes burned with unshed tears, her heart aching fiercely. “I need to know. How much more are you planning to pay for this leg?”

Met with his silence, she persisted. “I know you don’t like them, and I understand why you indulge their every whim. It’s all because of this leg. Does it have a price limit in your head? How long will you keep compensating for it?”

“Rebecca…” he began, but the elevator doors slid open.

The waiting person hesitated at the sight of Rebecca’s reddened eyes and Vance’s imposing stance.

Vance nodded politely, then gripped her shoulders, turning her toward him to shield her tears from view. The conversation halted.

They reached the underground lot, Vance’s hold tightening unconsciously until she was pressed firmly against him.

In the car, he started the engine but didn’t drive off immediately. After a heavy pause, he spoke. “As I said, just be a good wife. Don’t stress over these trivial things. They mean nothing to me.”

“Yeah,” she choked out, her voice thick with emotion. “To you, money is insignificant. Houses and cars are mere drops in the ocean to you. But to me, it feels like I sold you this leg, and you’re forever paying installments. Five years is enough. Let’s end this, okay? Debt is cleared, and we go our separate ways.”

A melancholic song filled the silence: “I heard you married on a lonely night. No smile upon your face in sight. I never dared to ask or see. What if the blame belongs to me? Back then, I was too young, too wild. Careless words, a reckless child. I hurt you deeply. I made you bleed. Some wounds cut far beyond what we need. A heart so kind–how does it live on through? What can a lifetime ever do? So let me say I’m sorry now. With guilt I carry, I don’t know how. One careless touch, one foolish play. Can ruin someone’s whole lifetime away…”

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