Chapter 6

Rebecca was shoved aside roughly before she even processed the situation. She crashed against the coffee table, hitting her head hard against the edge, drawing blood. Her face turned pale from the pain, and she hissed while looking at Stephan, who'd suddenly barged into the room. His eyes weren't on her, though. He held Giselle's pierced fingers gently, disinfecting them before putting band-aids on. The heartache in his eyes was unmissable. Rebecca finally understood what the point of Giselle's act was. She trembled as she got to her feet. Then, she bent down to pick up the bloodstained tiara, holding it out before Giselle. Stephan thought Rebecca was showing off, and his anger surged. He wanted to snap at her, but she spoke before he could do anything. "You can have it if you like it that much. Here, take it." Her reaction was unexpected. Giselle was so stunned that she even forgot to keep squeezing out tears. Stephan didn't understand what Rebecca was playing at. He frowned and said, "Mom and Dad got that for you." For her? No, it was for their daughter-in-law, which she wouldn't be for much longer. Rebecca put the tiara down. "I'm a germaphobe, and I don't want something with someone else's blood on it. She can have it." After that, she turned and left the office without bothering to see the looks on their faces. Stephan's frown deepened when he saw how calmly Rebecca had reacted. Since marrying her, he'd learned that she had two hobbies—purchasing property and collecting jewelry. That was why he used those two items to coax her whenever she got mad. So, how could she not want the tiara when it was a priceless collectible? … Stephan didn't return on Rebecca's birthday. Everyone asked where he was during the birthday celebration. They even asked Rebecca whether he was off preparing a surprise for her. After all, he'd been glued to her side in the past. She couldn't care less where he was. All she wanted was to celebrate her birthday. She would be 27 after this day, and she would soon start a new life. Why would she bother wasting time and energy on people and things that would soon become part of her past? Rebecca didn't answer the questions. Instead, she shook a bottle of champagne and popped it. She exclaimed, "Happy birthday to me!" She sounded so liberated and light-hearted that everyone laughed. Then, they held up their glasses in a toast. "Happy birthday to our prettiest, most adorable, and most charming Mrs. Lodge!" Mrs. Lodge? Rebecca laughed. "I'm not Mrs. Lodge anymore. Stephan and I have already—" The rest of her sentence was drowned out by the sound of the door creaking open. The guests in the living room turned to see Giselle helping a drunken Stephan into the house. She looked lost and flustered as she stood by the door. She flushed with so many pairs of eyes on her, and she started stammering. "I-I'm sorry for intruding. I was just bringing Mr. Lodge home." It was Rebecca's birthday. Why had Stephan gotten drunk outside? The guests couldn't help but wonder about that. Meanwhile, Rebecca looked calm. She put down her wine glass and headed to the door, wanting to help Stephan in. However, he refused to let go of Giselle. He even wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, making her face burn. Everyone was stunned by this, but Rebecca acted like she didn't see anything. She tugged harder at Stephan. He pushed her away impatiently and buried his face in Giselle's neck, asking huskily, "Why do you smell so good?" The guests were all stunned into silence. Giselle looked embarrassed, but her gaze was smug. Still, she had to keep her act going. She said, "Mrs. Lodge, Mr. Lodge is so drunk that he doesn't know what he's saying. Please don't mind him. He only forgot about your birthday because he was too busy." Rebecca's stomach turned from how fake she was. However, she couldn't be bothered to expose Giselle's act. She stepped back and made way for Giselle to proceed. "The bedroom is the leftmost one on the second floor. Help him up."