Chapter 34 A Test
"Yes," she replied, her tone suddenly sharp yet playful. "Being with so many women that you can’t even remember their faces. That takes talent."
Derek frowned slightly. "That’s not what I meant."
"Sure," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "Don’t worry. I’m not judging."
That was what she said, but from her tone, you could tell she was.
She felt small, insignificant, like just another face he could forget, another addition to the list of women he had slept with.
Her mood shifted completely. She turned back to her phone, scrolling again, this time with irritation.
Derek noticed the change immediately and raised a brow. "Are you okay?" he asked.
She didn’t look at him. "I’m fine," she replied, focusing on anything else in the room but him.
"You don’t sound fine," he said, wondering why her mood had changed so drastically.
"I said I’m fine." She snapped, surprising both of them. She looked at him to see that he was staring at her with a shocked expression. "Sorry, I'm just tired. It’s been a long day," she added to deflect his suspicion.
She lay back on the bed and pulled the blanket over herself, turning her back to him.
"I want to sleep," she said. "Goodnight."
Derek sat there for a moment, staring at her back. Something felt very off. He lay down as well, keeping his distance.
As he stared up at the ceiling, he couldn’t stop thinking about her reaction, the sudden shift in her mood, and the sharpness in her voice. They had been talking normally a while ago, but now it felt as if the distance between them had grown significantly.
He didn’t understand what he had done wrong. But something told him he had crossed a line. But she wouldn't even say it. This was one of the reasons he hated marriage.
Morning arrived quietly, as soft sunlight filtered through the large windows of the dining room.
The house felt calmer than it had the night before, as if the walls were trying to forget the tension that had filled them.
Rebecca entered the dining room slowly. The house was larger than she had expected, and she noticed a few house staff lingering nearby.
She had barely slept; her mind had been filled with restless thoughts about the wedding, about Derek, and about the strange life into which she had suddenly been thrust.
She wore a simple morning dress, her hair pulled back neatly, her face calm even though her heart wasn’t.
Derek was already seated at the table, scrolling through his phone while sipping coffee. She could tell he wasn't a morning person from the scowl on his face.
At the head of the table sat Edward, Derek’s grandfather. He looked fresh and alert, dressed neatly as always. His presence commanded the room effortlessly.
"Good morning, dear," Edward said warmly as Rebecca approached.
"Good morning, sir," Rebecca replied politely, offering a small smile before taking her seat.
Derek glanced up from his phone. "Morning."
Breakfast was served shortly after. It was toast, eggs, and tea. For a few minutes, the only sounds were the clinking of cutlery and quiet chewing.
Then, Mr. Hemsworth cleared his throat to gain their attention.
"So," he began casually, "did you both sleep well?"
Rebecca paused slightly before answering. "Yes, sir," she said politely, even though the truth was far from it.
She had tossed and turned all night, her body unaccustomed to the unfamiliar environment, and it wasn’t until early morning that she had finally forced herself to sleep a little.
Derek shrugged. "It was fine," he replied before returning to his food.
Mr. Hemsworth studied them both carefully, as if trying to read between their words. Then he leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"I suppose it’s time I cleared something up," he said.
Derek frowned slightly. "Cleared what up?"
Mr. Edward turned his attention to Rebecca first. "My dear, I owe you an apology."
Rebecca stiffened. "An apology?" she asked, surprised; she couldn’t remember Mr. Hemsworth offending her in any way.
In fact, she was supposed to be apologizing for the ruckus Liam caused at the wedding.
"Yes," he said calmly. "What happened yesterday, my reaction, my words and all. To be honest, I did not truly intend to call off the wedding because of what that young man said. I know that’s what you and everyone else thought I would do."
Rebecca blinked in surprise. He hadn't wanted to call off the wedding? Then what had he gone to discuss with Derek? She turned to Derek and frowned when she saw how he also looked surprised.
Derek straightened. "What do you mean you didn’t intend to?"
Mr. Hemsworth folded his hands on the table and leaned back in his seat, his breakfast momentarily forgotten. "I was testing you, Derek."
Derek stared at him. "Testing me?"
"Yes," the old man replied without shame. "I wanted to see what kind of man you would be under pressure."
Rebecca looked between them slowly, totally confused.
Mr. Edward continued, his tone steady. "When that boy accused Rebecca, you had every chance to walk away. You weren’t married yet. You could have told me the marriage was off, and that would have been the end of it especially since you weren't even ready to get married in the first place."
Derek clenched his jaw. "So all of that… was a test?" he asked, irritated.
"Yes," Mr. Edward said. "And you passed."
Rebecca tightened her fingers around her teacup as she watched their conversation unfold.
"I saw how you stood your ground," Mr. Edward went on. "How you defended her. You didn’t shout. You didn’t panic. You didn’t abandon her even when you didn't know her. You didn't care about what that young man said even when there was a chance he could've been right. That told me everything I needed to know."
Derek exhaled sharply. "So if I hadn’t defended her… you would have called everything off?"
Mr. Edward nodded. "And you would have lost everything."
Derek scoffed lightly. "So what about the marriage? Is that a test as well?" he asked, wanting clarification.
"I told you before," Mr. Edward replied calmly. "I would only hand things over to you once you were married and responsible. But I also begged you to go ahead with it and give it your best shot. I'm glad you're ready to do that."