Chapter 43 Pregnancy Hormones
Vanessa’s breath hitched despite herself. “Liam and I? What about him? What about us?” she asked quickly, but the softness was gone from her eyes.
“While he was my fiancé. While I was planning a life with him. You were in his bed, and his life, smiling in my face but crawling into his arms behind my back.”
Silence fell heavy. For a brief moment, Vanessa looked genuinely stunned. Then her lips slowly curved into a smile. Not sweet this time, but sharp.
“So,” she said softly, clapping once. “You finally know.”
Rebecca’s chest tightened painfully. “You don’t even deny it?”
“Why should I?” Vanessa shrugged. “He wanted me. I didn’t force him.”
“He was engaged to me,” Rebecca hissed. “You’re my sister.”
Vanessa laughed quietly. “Half-sister,” she corrected. “And don’t act like you didn’t see it coming. Men get bored, Rebecca. Liam was bored.”
Rebecca’s hands shook at her sides. “You destroyed my life.”
Vanessa stepped closer, her voice dropping. “No. Your life was already fragile. I just took advantage of the cracks.”
Rebecca raised her hand, stopping herself just inches from Vanessa’s face. Her eyes burned with unshed tears and fury.
“Get out of my life,” she said through clenched teeth. “And stay away from my husband.”
Vanessa’s smile widened. “Oh, Rebecca,” she whispered. “You don’t get to decide that.”
Before Rebecca could respond, the restroom door opened. Derek’s voice echoed from outside. “Rebecca?”
Vanessa’s expression shifted instantly. Her eyes wide, face pale with concern as she turned toward the door immediately.
“She wasn’t feeling well,” Vanessa said quickly, slipping back into her act. “I was just helping her.”
Rebecca stared at her, chest heaving, realizing with cold clarity that this war had only just begun.
Vanessa stepped aside quickly, her concern perfectly rehearsed. “I’ll give you some space,” she said softly, touching Rebecca’s arm lightly as if in comfort. “You should rest. Stress isn’t good for the baby.”
Before Rebecca could shrug her off, Vanessa slipped past Derek, her heels clicking faintly as she disappeared down the corridor, hoping that her last statement would create a rift between Derek and Rebecca.
The moment she was gone, the air felt lighter but no less heavy.
Derek turned fully to Rebecca. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly, his eyes searching her face. Up close, she looked worse than he’d thought. She looked pale, and tense. Like she was holding herself together by sheer will.
Rebecca exhaled slowly, steadying herself. “I’m fine,” she said, though her voice betrayed a slight tremor. “I just needed a moment.”
Derek frowned. “You don’t look fine.”
She forced a small smile. “I really am. Pregnancy hormones, maybe.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. “Alright. Let’s get you back before they start wondering.”
He offered his arm. After a brief hesitation, Rebecca took it. As they walked back toward the dining room, Derek slowed his steps to match hers. His grip wasn’t tight, but it was firm and protective.
Behind his calm expression, his mind was racing. Something was wrong.
He replayed the scene in his head: the way Rebecca had looked when he’d called her name, the way Vanessa had answered too quickly, and smoothly. Like someone finishing a sentence she’d rehearsed.
Rebecca hadn’t met Vanessa’s eyes. Not once. Derek’s jaw tightened slightly.
This wasn’t sisterly concern. This was tension. History. Something ugly buried beneath polite smiles. And whatever it was, it was affecting his wife.
As they stepped back into the dining room, Derek made a silent decision. He wouldn’t press Rebecca. Not yet.
But he would find out exactly what Vanessa was hiding and why Rebecca looked like she’d just survived a quiet war behind a locked door
Lunch continued like Rebecca hadn't just told Vanessa what she knew and Rebecca also didn't say anything to Vanessa.
By the time they finished lunch, the afternoon sun was already beginning to fade, giving way to the evening glow.
The rest of the lunch had been very noisy, much to Rebecca's anger and irritation. Vanessa had talked the entire time, filling the space with meaningless chatter, but Rebecca had barely heard a word. The moment the chef had carried the plates back to the kitchen Rebecca felt like she could finally breathe again.
Vanessa didn’t linger. She hugged Mr. Hemsworth warmly, gave Derek a smile that lingered a second too long, and waved at Rebecca like nothing was wrong before getting into her own car and driving off.
The silence she left behind was heavy as they walked back inside.
Inside the house, Edwards excused himself almost immediately, claiming he needed rest. Rebecca watched him go, relief washing over her. She hadn’t realized how tightly she’d been holding herself together until he disappeared down the hallway. As soon as his door shut, she let out a sigh of relief.
Derek noticed immediately, just like he had since the lunch date. He watched her as she walked over to their room. He took a moment before walking to the room as well.
When he got to the room, he found her already seated on the bed. He stood by the door for a moment, hands in his pockets, as he watched her remove her shoes slowly, as if her body were weighed down by more than just exhaustion.
"You okay?" he finally asked after a few minutes of silence.
Rebecca nodded before replying. "I’m fine." She was exhausted, both mentally and physically. Seeing that conniving witch and pretending she knew nothing had taken a toll on her.
But Derek didn’t look convinced. After a brief pause, he said, "Get ready tonight. We're out."
Rebecca looked up at him, surprised. "Going out?"
"Yes. Dinner. I'm booking a table for us." He replied as if it were the most natural thing for her to know.
She blinked. "Why?"
Derek shrugged lightly as he moved deeper into the room, then took a seat on the couch. "We talked about it earlier. Date days, remember?"
She hesitated. "I know we did, but we also had a long day today," she said, shaking her head.
"We had a long day, yes, but we also had a plan beforehand," he replied.
"Okay, let's just prepare for it, please," she said. She was tired, and the last thing she wanted to do was argue with him.
"Just… get dressed. We’ll leave by 6 p.m.," He finally said, then walked out of the room to prepare.
After he had left, Rebecca stood up and walked over to the bathroom to start getting ready.