Chapter 33 Impressive
The house was quiet as night slowly settled in. Rebecca stood in the bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The soft yellow light above her made her face look pale and tired.
She barely recognized herself anymore. So much had changed in just one day: marriage, Liam, the shock of discovering that Derek was her husband. And now… this.
Sleeping in the same room as Derek. Why did Edward had to come to the house to stay? Was it to make sure Derek wasn't treating her badly or what? Why had he even agreed to the wedding after what Liam did? Was it normal?
Her chest felt tight as she turned on the tap and splashed water on her face. The sound of running water was the only thing grounding her. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply, then slowly let the breath out.
Though this wasn't the first time she had shared a room with Derek, this felt too intimate. The first time had been as strangers; now they were married, and his grandfather expected them to behave as such. How was she supposed to be intimate and act lovingly towards Derek?
Suddenly, a memory of their first night together came rushing back.
She vividly recalled the hotel room: the dim lights, the smell of expensive perfume. She remembered how tired she had been, how broken. Climbing onto the bed beside him had been instinctive, just a simple need for warmth and comfort in her frustration and pain.
She remembered his body beside hers after the sex, solid, warm, and familiar. But Derek didn’t remember any of it.
That was what hurt the most: he didn’t recall the night he had given her the most greatest sex of her life.
With a soft sigh, she reached for her towel. She took her bath slowly, letting the warm water run over her body, hoping it would wash away her thoughts. But it didn’t. If anything, it made them louder and the more she tried to get it off her head, the more she found her body wanting his touch.
It must be her hormones. She told herself as she continued with what she was doing.
After drying herself, she put on a simple nightdress, not wanting anything fancy or revealing, just something comfortable. She didn’t want to give Derek the wrong idea. This marriage wasn’t real, not in the way people thought.
At least, that was what she kept telling herself. When she finally stepped out of the bathroom, the bedroom felt too quiet even though Derek was already there.
He had also freshened up and changed into casual clothes: a simple T-shirt and sweatpants. It was the most casual she had seen him. He stood by the window, hands in his pockets, staring outside as if lost in thought.
For a moment, Rebecca just stood there, watching him.
Something about the scene felt strangely familiar, like déjà vu.
Derek turned when he sensed her presence. His eyes met hers briefly before he looked away again.
"Has your grandfather settled in for the night?" she asked, still observing him.
Mr. Hemsworth had decided to take the room across from theirs to keep a closer eye on them; according to him, they needed to sleep together.
"Yeah," he replied, nodding.
Another awkward silence followed, this time less tense than before.
Rebecca walked toward the bed and sat on the edge, careful to keep her distance. She picked up her phone, pretending to scroll, even though she wasn’t really reading anything. Her mind was too busy.
A few seconds later, Derek sat on the other side of the bed, leaving a noticeable gap between them.
The bed felt both too big and too small at the same time. Neither of them spoke.
Derek shifted slightly on the bed. "There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you," he said suddenly.
Rebecca stiffened. What does he want to know now? She wondered.
She didn’t look at him. "You’ve already asked me a lot of things today," she replied calmly.
He chuckled lightly. "Fair enough."
She kept her eyes on her phone, trying to distract herself.
"But this one keeps bothering me," he continued. "I just can’t shake the feeling."
She sighed softly. "Feeling about what?"
Derek turned slightly towards her. "About us," he said, catching her attention despite her focus on her phone. "About whether we knew each other before now. And I'm not talking about the hospital scene."
Rebecca froze for a moment as her heart skipped a beat. She slowly lowered her phone and looked at him. "You’re asking that again?"
"Yes," he replied frankly. "I know it sounds strange, but… this doesn’t feel completely new."
She frowned, now intrigued. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," he explained slowly, choosing his words carefully, "being in the same room with you feels familiar. Like I’ve done this before."
Rebecca swallowed, her heart racing. She forced a small laugh. "That’s impossible."
"Is it?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Derek, if you had seen me before, you would remember. Won't you?"
He studied her closely. "That’s the thing," he said quietly. "I’m not so sure about that."
She raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"
He leaned back against the headboard and sighed. "Honestly, not to feel proud or anything, but I’ve been with too many women so I really can't remember even if we've been together."
His words hit her like a slap to the face. Too many women, enough that he couldn't even remember the one carrying his unborn child.
She didn’t respond, but something inside her shifted. Her grip on her phone tightened as her fingers curled around it.
"So, if I had seen you before," Derek continued casually, unaware of the effect his words were having on her, "I might not remember. That wouldn’t be surprising."
Rebecca felt a wave of anger rise inside her. It wasn't loud anger; it was the quiet, burning kind.
She forced a smile and turned to look at him. "Wow," she sai
d lightly. "That’s… impressive."
He blinked. "Impressive?" That wasn't what he'd expected her to say. But then again, why does he care?