Five Years of Marriage to Mr. Bradford (by Koi Fish) novel Chapter 491

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Chapter 491

Rebecca felt a heavy knot of frustration twisting in her chest. She was the one who had declared they were now strangers, yet here she was, rescued by his the moment trouble struck.

“Don’t think I saved you on purpose,” Vance said, as if he had read her mind.

She turned to glare at him, as if saying, “Now your instincts are so sharp? Weren’t you so blind and muddle-headed before?”

“Hugo Ballard called me, and I happened to be able to provide the location,” he continued in a calm, detached tone. “It could have been anyone, even a total stranger. The suspects were taken off the ship by the police. Hugo has been away from Soliaridge these past two days, so if I didn’t board, who would?”

All the vague resentment and bitterness she had been carrying suddenly lodged in her throat.

“Besides, ultimately, it was me…”

“Found her?” someone called from the other end of the ship.

“Yeah!” Vance stood up, knowing it was the police.

An officer came up, asking Rebecca numerous questions and taking detailed notes.

Only then did she learn that, for the safety of the crew and cargo, the two men had already been removed from the vessel by speedboat and taken ashore. The officer and Vance had stayed behind to search for her and would disembark at the next port.

“How far is the next port?” Rebecca asked anxiously. “How long will it take?”

This was a cargo ship with few passengers. The farther they traveled, the more it felt like they were swallowed by the vast, inky sea. The sight of the darkness ahead sent a shiver down her spine.

“About two to three hours,” the officer replied before walking away.

Rebecca didn’t feel comfortable following him. She opened her mouth, then closed it again and let out a quiet sigh.

Vance finally noticed. “Are you scared?”

She ignored him, and he glanced around. “Afraid of the dark? Afraid of those guys?”

Her expression clearly said that she didn’t want to talk to him.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” he added. “I’ll stay with you the whole way on this ship.”

Her irritation flared. “You’re scarier than any criminal, and you don’t even realize it?”

r

He froze, understanding what she meant. Some wounds, even if she chose to forget them, could never truly be erased. He sat down beside her without another word, guessing that she didn’t want to hear his voice now.

The weather was pleasant that night, with a clear sky full of stars that shone brilliantly over the open sea. Rebecca curled up with her knees to her chest and would not look up.

The starlight stung Vance’s eyes. A voice from the past echoed in his mind, “Vance, look! Are those stars twinkling up there, or just osmanthus blossoms?”

He had rarely stopped to watch the stars; tonight made it only the second time. It felt like a distant echo of when he was 16.

Every faint sparkle overhead carried him back to summers he could never return to. Suddenly, a shooting star streaked across the sky, trailing a fiery tail as it fell.

“Rebecca, look! A shooting star!” he called out instinctively.

She had her chin resting on her knees and only caught the final flicker of its tail vanishing into the darkness.

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“Did you make a wish?” he asked, still gazing at the streak.

“Yeah,” she replied curtly.

“I hope it comes true,” he said, smiling at her..

“You know what I wished for?” she scoffed.

He paused, surprised that she answered. “Would you tell me?”

He assumed it was probably for Josette’s health or a lifetime of happiness with Desmond.

“I wished that you would be sterile yet somehow have a house full of kids, lose money on every deal, stay broke and miserable, die alone, and never find peace,” she rattled off in one breath.

He only smiled at her words, but that grated on her nerves. “I really did. Don’t you believe me?”.

“Suppose I do,” he said. “You still hate me that much?”

From his tone, she could tell that he didn’t believe a word. Of course, she hadn’t made that wish; she had just wanted to spite

him.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Hating you takes effort, and you’re not worth the energy,” she snorted. “You made a wish, too?”

That didn’t fit the man she knew. He never believed in superstition and had only sneered at classmates making wishes before

exams.

Even blowing out birthday candles had seemed like torture to him. Yet now he had wished on a shooting star?

“I did. But I can’t tell you. As you once said, telling would stop it from coming true.”

“Who cares?”

It was probably about Anna anyway. Just days ago, he had told her that he wanted a simple, quiet life with Anna.

Rebecca buried her head in her knees again. The night grew deeper, and the air turned colder.

She shivered, then sneezed.

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