Chapter 28 Dream
Two hours after that phone call, Rachel received a one-minute, seventeen-second video from the private investigator.
Its quality was crystal clear. The door opened, and Steven walked out, wearing a white bathrobe, his chest exposed. The faint scratches and red marks on his collarbone were unmistakable.
Even the clothes strewn across the floor inside the house were captured in the frame.
Rachel's mind was instantly overwhelmed by the direct impact of the scene.
Steven and Nancy had been together for over a year. She knew about the hickeys and the intimate things they did.
But seeing it with her own eyes still made her heart ache uncontrollably.
The harsh reality gradually eroded all the love she'd had for him over the years.
Her chest was now filled with disappointment.
Her once clear and calm eyes were now hollow and lifeless, a faint shimmer of tears clouding them.
She watched the minute-long video over and over again, like a form of self-torture, killing her heart in the love she once had with Steven.
She didn't know how she fell asleep, but Steven didn't call or video chat that night.
In her dream, she saw Steven holding Nancy in their marital bed, doing all sorts of intimate things. Then she dreamed of having a daughter with Steven, a happy family of three. But the scene shifted to her holding her daughter's lifeless body while Nancy leaned into Steven, flaunting a two-carat diamond ring on her finger.
In the end, she was in complete darkness, countless hands pulling at her. She struggled desperately, but to no avail.
When Rachel woke up, her pillow was soaked with sweat.
She sat up in terror, looking around at the familiar room, feeling momentarily disoriented.
The dream was a chaotic mess, so much so that she could barely remember the details.
But the despair, the overwhelming sorrow, the heart-wrenching pain remained, tears streaming down her face.
She paused, slowly raising her hand to touch the tears on her cheek, her thoughts gradually returning to reality. A strong sense of lingering fear engulfed her.
Finally, it was the familiar ringtone that pulled her out of the emotional abyss.
It was Steven calling.
Her heart tightened, and she instinctively clenched her fist before relaxing it and picking up the phone. Steven's gentle, affectionate voice came through the receiver, "Hey babe, you up?"
"Yeah."
She responded with a heavy nasal sound.
Steven's voice was laced with a smile, "Just woke up?"
"Yeah."
"I was really busy last night, had a few drinks, didn't get back to the hotel until after eleven. I didn't want to wake you, so I didn't call. I'm sorry, babe."
"It's fine." Rachel wiped the tears from her face. "Did you take anything for the hangover this morning? Do you have a headache?"
There was a brief pause on Steven's end before his voice, now softer, replied, "I didn't drink much, no headache now. Babe, I love you."
Rachel was taken aback, her throat tightening, "Why are you saying this all of a sudden?"
"Because I didn't say it last night. I need to make up for it, babe. I really love you."
Was that so? Then why?
Wasn't it he who was making love to Nancy last night?
How dare he say that?
For a moment, Rachel wanted to scream at him, but a sliver of rationality held her breakdown in check.
"Okay, I know."
Rachel licked her lips, but she just couldn't tell him she loved him too.
Steven asked, "By the way, babe, has that person who called you before contacted you again?"
"What call?"
"The one saying I was with another woman at a hotel."
Rachel's heart skipped a beat. "No, have you found out who it was?"
"No, I couldn't trace it."
"How could you not trace it?"
"I know, it's strange. I even had a friend who's good with computers look into it, but no luck. The number doesn't exist. Maybe you wrote it down wrong?"
"That can't be. I double-checked it after writing it down."
She had a suspicion. The private investigator had probably posed as a delivery person last night. He was just testing her, seeing if she still cared about Steven, then shifting suspicion back to the number's owner.
"Alright, if you can't find it, just let it go."
"Okay."
"Now get up and have breakfast. I have a meeting to attend."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Rachel let out a long breath, got out of bed, took a shower, changed the sheets, and went downstairs for breakfast.
Today, Autumn had to go to Stargaze Gallery to review the process for the solo exhibition on the 6th.
She put on makeup to look as good as possible, but when she arrived at Stargaze Gallery, she still looked a bit less spirited compared to the radiant Nancy.
"Good morning, Rachel."
"Morning."
At the elevator, they were joined by two colleagues. After exchanging greetings, one of them noticed Nancy occasionally touching her waist and teased, "Feeling sore?"
The other immediately caught on and teased, "Looks like you had a busy night. Your boyfriend must have been quite enthusiastic."
Nancy blushed and playfully glared at them, "Stop joking around. It's not like that."
Her last sentence was said with such bashfulness and embarrassment, her face full of happiness.
"Yeah, right. You're blushing."
Under their combined teasing, Nancy eventually fled to Rachel's side, pouting, "Rachel, look at them. Help me out here. Tell them to stop teasing me."
All their previous conversation and Nancy's current shyness and liveliness were a form of humiliation for Rachel.
But she had to smile nonchalantly, "Your boyfriend let you come to work on time today, so he wasn't that enthusiastic."
"Why are you teasing me too?" Nancy pretended to be upset, "You're so annoying!"
The other two colleagues laughed, "Ms. Davis has a point."
They continued teasing Nancy as they headed up to the second-floor office.
Once in the office, Rachel's smile faded, her gaze turning cold.
Autumn arrived at ten-thirty, and it was past noon by the time they finished going through the process. Autumn had lunch with Rachel and didn't even mention Nancy.
On the second day of Steven's "business trip," Rachel received another text message.
[The illegal accounts of Radiant Beauty Spa are divided into three books, located in a safe behind the desk in Heather's study. Inside are client lists and transaction amounts, including a plan for illegal activities. Safe code: 089361.]
Rachel was stunned, her eyes wide with surprise.
This text,
How do they even know this?
But how could she get her hands on them?
She remembered that Heather's study was at the far end of the third floor, near the elevator, which had surveillance cameras.
Just as she was thinking, a call came in.
It was Heather.
She quickly answered, steadying her voice, "Mom."
"Rachel, have you had lunch?"
"Yes, I have." Rachel replied, "Mom, what's up?"
"Radiant Beauty Spa is still closed, so I have nothing to do. I was wondering if you have time to come over for some afternoon tea and chat with me."
Rachel had been looking for an excuse to go back, and this was perfect.
She quickly agreed, "I'll be there soon."