Chapter 116 Grief Changes People
The house felt unusually quiet that Thursday afternoon.
After Derek left for work, Rebecca tried to keep herself busy, she tried to focus on her work, but her mind kept drifting back to the same thoughts over and over again.
The late nights.
The sudden phone calls.
The way Derek barely touched his food.
The way he always said, "It’s work," and left without looking back.
By afternoon, she could no longer ignore the heavy knot in her heart. She picked up her phone, stared at Amelia’s name for a few seconds, then called her, She is the only one she could rely on. The only one she could talk to now.
"Rebecca?" Amelia answered almost immediately. "Hey… is everything okay?" She asked when Rebecca said nothing.
Rebecca hesitated before speaking. Her voice came out softer than usual.
"Can you come over?" she asked quietly. "I… I just need someone to talk to."
There was a brief pause on the line, then Amelia’s tone turned gentle but serious. "Of course. I’ll be there soon."
About thirty minutes later, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway broke the silence. Rebecca walked slowly to the door before the maid could open it. When Amelia stepped inside, she immediately noticed Rebecca’s tired expression and the faint worry in her eyes.
"You look like you haven’t slept properly," Amelia said softly as she removed her sunglasses.
Rebecca forced a small smile. "I’m fine. Come in."
They moved into the living room together. Rebecca gestured for her to sit, then took the seat opposite her. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn’t awkward, just heavy, like Rebecca was still trying to find the right words.
Amelia watched her carefully. "What’s going on Rebecca?" she asked gently, when Rebecca made no move to say anything.
Rebecca clasped her hands together on her lap, staring down at them as if they held the answers.
"It’s Derek," she finally said.
Amelia’s expression became more attentive. "What about him?" She asked, leaning forward.
Rebecca took a slow breath, then began to speak, her words coming out slowly but steadily.
"He’s been coming home very late," she said. "Almost every night now. Sometimes it’s past eleven… sometimes close to midnight."
Amelia frowned slightly but didn’t interrupt.
"He always says it’s work," Rebecca continued. "Meetings, urgent matters, things that can’t wait. And I try to understand. I really do. I know he has a lot of responsibilities now, especially after his grandfather’s death."
Her voice softened, filled with confusion.
"But it’s not just the late nights," she added. "It’s everything else too."
She looked up at Amelia, her eyes filled with quiet worry.
"He barely eats when he gets home," she said. "Sometimes I prepare dinner myself, thinking maybe that will make him sit with me for a while. But he just says he’s tired or that he already ate outside. Even when I know he probably didn’t."
Amelia’s brows drew together slightly, but she made no move to interrupt her.
"And the calls…" Rebecca’s voice dropped to a whisper. "They always come in the evening. His phone will ring, he’ll check it, and his whole expression changes. Then he steps away to answer, speaks quietly, and suddenly he has to leave."
Amelia leaned forward a little. "Leave? As in… go out again?"
Rebecca nodded slowly. "Yes. He’ll say it’s something urgent at work. He’ll grab his keys and go, just like that. And before he comes back, it’s almost midnight."
The words hung heavily between them.
Rebecca’s fingers tightened together. "I don’t complain," she said softly. "I just tell myself he’s stressed. That he’s grieving. That he needs space."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"But… it keeps happening. Over and over again."
Amelia remained silent, letting her continue.
Rebecca blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears gathering in her eyes. "I don’t know what I did wrong," she whispered. "I don’t know if it’s even my fault to begin with."
Amelia’s heart clenched at the vulnerability in her voice, she hated hearing the self doubt in Rebecca's tone.
"I keep asking myself if I’m not doing enough," Rebecca went on. "Maybe I should talk more. Maybe I should try harder to make him feel better. Maybe I’m just… not enough for him right now."
She looked down again, her shoulders slightly slumped.
"He used to talk to me," she added quietly. "Even on his busiest days, he would still tell me about his work, his worries, everything. Now it feels like there’s a wall between us, and I don’t even know when it was built."
A tear finally slipped down her cheek, and she wiped it away quickly, embarrassed.
"I trust him," she said, almost defensively. "I really do. But this distance… it scares me. It feels like he’s slowly drifting away, and I’m just standing here watching it happen."
Amelia moved from her seat to sit beside Rebecca. She gently took Rebecca’s hands in hers, squeezing them softly.
"Hey," she said in a calm, reassuring tone. "First of all, you didn’t do anything wrong. Do you hear me?"
Rebecca sniffed lightly but didn’t speak.
"You’ve been supportive, patient, and understanding through everything," Amelia continued. "You stayed by his side after his grandfather died. You gave him space. You cared for him. That is not the behavior of someone who is failing in their marriage."
Rebecca’s lips trembled slightly. "Then why does it feel like I’m losing him?"
Amelia paused, choosing her words carefully. "Grief changes people," she said gently. "Sometimes they don’t even realize how distant they become. Derek might just be overwhelmed and trying to handle everything alone."
Rebecca looked uncertain. "You really think that’s all it is?"
"It could be," Amelia replied softly. "And even if it’s more than that, the answer isn’t to blame yourself. The answer is to talk to him when the time is right. Calmly and honestly. Tell him how you feel without accusing him."
Rebecca exhaled slowly, as if the words lifted a small weight off her chest.
"I’m just scared," she admitted in a small voice. "Scared that if I ask too many questions, I’ll push him further away."
Amelia shook her head gently. "If your relationship is strong, honesty won’t break it. Silence will."
Rebecca leaned back slightly, absorbing her words. The tension in her shoulders eased just a little.
"I just want things to go back to how they were," she whispered. "When he would come home, eat with me, and talk to me like nothing else in the world mattered more, I want him to court me."
Amelia gave her a soft, comforting smile. "Then don’t lose hope yet. Sometimes people just get lost in their thoughts for a while. It doesn’t always mean they’ve stopped caring."
Rebecca nodded slowly.
They sat there for a few minutes in quiet companionship, Amelia’s presence steady and reassuring. The house still felt quiet, but now the silence didn’t feel as suffocating as before.
For the first time that day, Rebecca felt a small sense of comfort.
Even though her worries hadn’t disappeared, she no longer felt completely alone with them.