Chapter 56 Will You Forgive Me?

Chapter 56 Will You Forgive Me?

Rebecca's POV

Sunlight flooded the room. I sat quietly on the bed, listening to another knock at the door.

My chest tightened. Who could be outside? Could Everett be back already? I wasn't sure, so I stayed silent.

Steven's voice came from the other side. "Rebecca, are you awake?"

Hearing him, I relaxed. It was Steven. I'd just spooked myself.

"You can just come in. Why are you knocking?"

He pushed the door open, backing in.

I stared at him, confused. Why was he entering backwards? His behavior seemed odd.

He turned around quickly and set a plate of breakfast on my lap.

The meal wasn't elaborate, but something twisted in my chest.

Steven really was thoughtful. I started second-guessing last night. Should any of it have happened? I shouldn't have asked him to stay—that was crossing a line to begin with.

He picked up the knife and fork from the edge of the tray and handed them to me. "If you don't want to get up, you can eat in bed today."

I bit into the golden fried egg, and that hollow feeling inside eased temporarily. Sometimes a little self-indulgence isn't such a bad thing.

The clock chimed ten, and I finally came back to myself.

Bella and I had only chatted briefly, but an hour had already slipped by. Time was moving faster than I'd realized.

Steven looked at me, his tone taking on weight, as if he was saying something important.

"I need to head out for a bit. If you have class, just go on your own, okay?"

I tore off a piece of bread and popped it in my mouth, nodding. "Sure, I'll be fine. Go do what you need to do."

Steven nodded, but his eyes lingered on me. "Alright, then I'll pick you up after school this afternoon."

He'd clearly appointed himself my keeper, monitoring my every move.

This feeling of being looked after, being watched over—I didn't hate it. I even felt a little thrill of pleasure.

"Of course that's fine, but I need to practice in the music room today, so I might run a bit later than usual."

Steven didn't seem bothered. "That's okay, I can wait at the school gate."

He took the empty plate from my hands. "If you want more rest, lie down for a while. I'll be heading out soon."

I nodded obediently. I knew I could manage on my own, but being taken care of like this made the morning feel gentler somehow.

I rolled around in bed with the blanket for a while, but finally decided to get up. At the very least, I should say goodbye to him properly.

He'd already made me breakfast, brought it to me, and washed the dishes after. Whether out of politeness or something deeper, I should see him off before he left.

I walked to the door and called out as he was opening it. "Be safe out there."

He glanced back at me, and the warmth on his face vanished instantly. As he prepared to leave, it was like he'd slipped on armor, returning to that cold, distant expression.

"Mm."

After the door closed, I stood by the hallway railing, debating whether to head downstairs or go back to my room to clean up first.

I wavered for a few seconds, then decided to go back to my room, tidy up quickly, and then leave.

I'd just turned around when someone knocked on the front door again.

I figured Steven had forgotten something and come back.

But it was Everett who pushed through.

The moment he walked in, he looked exhausted, his clothes rumpled and hanging off him, his face ashen. I hadn't even gotten close, but I could practically smell the alcohol radiating off him.

My eyes caught on his neck, where several red marks made my stomach drop. I looked away and turned to leave.

He caught up in a few strides and grabbed my wrist. "Rebecca, why did you leave last night? Why didn't you wait for me?"

We were closer now, and I caught the scent on him clearly—besides alcohol, there was a familiar perfume.

My head started pounding. This was Daphne's scent. I'd smelled it before when she'd slapped me.

That smell made me recoil instinctively. Just a hint of it made me queasy.

I shoved Everett away and rushed toward the bathroom.

He followed right behind. I dropped to my knees by the toilet and threw up everything I'd just eaten.

Tears streamed down my face, and I shook uncontrollably from how wretched I felt.

Everett stood outside, knocking frantically. "Rebecca, what's wrong? Talk to me!"

I stared at the bathroom floor, seeing only disappointment. How I wished last night had all been just a dream.

But the smell on him shattered even my last shred of denial.

I slowly stood and opened the bathroom door. The second it swung open, Everett lunged forward, his hands gripping my shoulders.

His expression looked sincere and panicked. If this was an act, he deserved an Oscar.

"Rebecca, are you okay? Where does it hurt?"

I frowned and pushed him off, not wanting him to touch me anymore, so I backed up two more steps to put distance between us.

Hurt flashed across Everett's face. "Rebecca, what are you doing?"

"If you're upset I didn't take care of you yesterday, I admit it—that was my fault."

I stared at him, a bitter smile twisting my lips. So he actually knew it was wrong, but in my book, this was way more than just "not taking care of me properly."

"You told me yesterday that party was for me. Now say it again—who exactly was it for?"

Everett reached for me again, but I dodged.

"No, Rebecca, let me explain."

I stood there without cutting him off. Otherwise, I wouldn't still be here.

"It was Daphne who said she wanted to help celebrate for you. That day happened to be her birthday too, so you could both celebrate together—like killing two birds with one stone."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut.

The phrase "killing two birds with one stone" echoed in my head for a beat before I shoved it aside. I just felt like I'd been treated as an afterthought.

I looked at him, unable to hide the disappointment in my eyes. "Everett, I'm your girlfriend. This is how you treat me?"

Tears spilled down my cheeks. My chest ached in waves, like someone was carving something out of me over and over.

Seeing my reaction, he suddenly dropped to his knees in front of me and started slapping his own face.

"Rebecca, please forgive me, okay?"