Chapter 45 Jealous?
The drive back to the house passed in tense silence. The city lights blurred past the windows, but Rebecca stared straight ahead, arms folded tightly across her chest.
Derek on the other hand, glanced at her more than once, his brows furrowed, his grip on the steering wheel tightening each time. He wanted to say something, anything to diffuse the tension a bit but nothing seemed right.
When they arrived at the house, the lights in the sitting room were still on as the butler opened the door for them.
Edward sat on the couch with a book resting on his lap. He looked up as they entered, immediately noticing the stiffness in their movements, the space between them that hadn’t been there earlier.
"You’re back already," the old man said gently, studying their faces. "Did you enjoy dinner?" He asked as he looked them over.
"Yes," Rebecca answered at the exact same moment Derek said, "Yes."
The synchrony made them both pause, as they looked at each other.
Edward raised a brow, a knowing look flickering briefly across his face, but he smiled anyway. "Alright then. It’s late. You two should get some rest, it has been a long day," He said as he went back to his book.
"Good night, Grandpa," Derek said.
"Good night, Sir," Rebecca added politely as they both walked over to their room.
Once inside their room, the silence returned, heavier than before. Rebecca moved toward the dresser, taking off her earrings and placing them down carefully.
Derek stood near the door for a moment, watching her reflection in the mirror. Her shoulders were tense, her movements sharp and controlled, like she was holding herself together by sheer will.
Without saying a word, Rebecca looked at him for a while before she headed toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Derek exhaled slowly and ran a hand through his hair as he closed the door behind him. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at the floor, his mind replaying the night over and over.
The restaurant. The woman, before she had interrupted them they had been getting along well, he was even finding out so much about her childhood before she came.
'Why does Rebecca's anger bother me too much?' He thought as he leaned back, resting his elbows on his knees.
Before Rebecca, he’d never cared if someone walked out on him angry. He’d never followed, never replayed conversations in his head, never questioned himself like this.
Women came and went, and he had never for one day cared or be careful about his words or the way he responded to them.
'So why was her anger different? And why did the idea that he might be the reason for it sit so uncomfortably in his chest?' He thought as he ran a hand down his head again.
Just then the bathroom door opened, and Rebecca stepped out, now dressed more casually. She avoided looking at him as she moved toward her side of the room.
"Rebecca?" Derek called before he could overthink it. “Let’s talk please.”
She stopped but didn’t turn to look at him.
"Why are you angry?" he asked, his voice quieter than usual, he didn't want to do anything to aggravate her anger more. "You were angry at the restaurant, and you’re still angry now. I want to know why."
She laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. Turning to face him, she crossed her arms.
"Why?" she repeated. "You really don’t know?"
"No," he replied honestly. "I don’t."
She took a step closer. "It’s because of the life you live, Derek. Because with you, there’s no privacy. Women just… show up. Anywhere. Anytime. Like it’s normal."
Was it because of the woman? Was Rebecca feeling jealous? He frowned slightly but stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. He hoped not though.
"At the restaurant," she continued, her voice rising just a little, "you didn’t even respect me enough to introduce me. You didn’t say I was your wife. You didn’t stop her when she touched you like that."
"I didn’t touch her back," he said defensively.
Rebecca shook her head. "That’s not the point, she was flirting with you and you can't tell me you didn't know."
“Wait, is that why you're angry? Because another woman was flirting with me? Are you jealous?” Derek asked before he could stop himself.
Rebecca looked at him incredulously, wondering where he was getting the idea from.
“Me? Jealous of what?” she asked incredulously.
Despite the disbelief in her eyes, Derek still went ahead and said, “I don't know. You tell me.”
Rebecca shook her head. “You must really think so highly of yourself if you think I'm angry because I'm jealous,” Rebecca said with a scoff.
Derek studied her for a moment. “If it's not jealousy, then what is it?” he finally asked.
She sighed, frustration pouring out now that she'd decided to tell him. "I know we are not a real couple but even if we’re only married on paper in your words, shouldn’t you at least treat me like your wife in public? What if someone else saw that? What would they think? That our marriage is fake? That I’m just some woman sitting across from you while others feel free to flirt with you?”
She paused, before adding more softly, "If case you must know, I'm not angry because I'm jealous like you think. I'm angry because that scenario was humiliating."
The word hit him harder than he expected. He straightened, realization slowly settling in. He hadn’t thought about how it looked. Or how it felt to be on the receiving end of his silence.
"I didn’t mean to make you feel that way," he said, his voice steady but sincere. "Thinking about it, I think you’re right. I handled that badly. I should've done something."
Rebecca watched him closely, as if trying to decide whether to believe him.
"I’ll make sure something like that never happens again," he continued. "Outside this house, we’ll act like a couple. Like husband and wife. I won’t let anyone disrespect you again."
She searched his face for a long moment, Then, slowly, her shoulders relaxed, "Fir the sake of this arrangement, I hope you don't do that again,” she said quietly as she walked over to the bed and sat down.
Derek noticed the change immediately. She looked lighter and calmer. The anger that had followed her from the restaurant slowly faded, replaced by something closer to relief. He found himself watching her more closely than he meant to, and it confused him.
So it really was about the woman? He thought.
He studied her, a small smile tugging at his lips as he realized how expressive she waa and how easy it was to read her emotions once he paid attention.
Just then another thought crept in, uninvited.
Why does she care this much? Why did seeing him with another woman affect her so deeply? It couldn't just be about their arrangement.
He let out a soft chuckle under his breath, shaking his head. Maybe she was just serious about appearances. Or maybe she hated disrespect. That made sense.
Still, the way she reacted… the way she got angry whenever other women were involved.
Derek’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he thought of the other time she'd got upset when he mentioned he'd been with lots of women.
This can’t be our first meeting.
The idea settled in his mind, refusing to leave. There was something about Rebecca, something familiar, something layered beneath her sharp words and expressive emotions.
This time, instead of brushing the thought away, Derek decided he wanted answers.