Chapter 46 What Night?
The soft morning light filtered through the curtains as Rebecca slowly opened her eyes. For a few seconds, she lay still, staring at the ceiling, her mind already awake even though her body felt tired.
Last night’s thoughts were still fresh in her head. She had barely slept, turning from side to side, replaying everything that had happened.
When she finally turned her head, she saw Derek.
He was already awake, standing by the window with his phone pressed to his ear. He was fully dressed in a dark suit, his tie neatly in place, his hair perfectly styled. From the serious look on his face and the low tone of his voice, she could tell it was a work call.
Rebecca didn’t say anything.
She quietly got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. As she washed her face and brushed her teeth, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked calm on the outside, but inside, her thoughts were restless. Last night, she had decided something important. If this marriage was going to work at least on the surface then she needed to play her role properly.
She wasn’t going to let herself look weak anymore.
When she finished, she quickly dressed up for the day, choosing simple but neat clothes. By the time she stepped out of the bathroom, Derek was sitting at the edge of the bed, putting on his shoes.
"You did not say anything about going to work last night," She said casually as she walked to the makeup table. She picked up a small brush and lightly touched up her face.
Derek paused and looked at her, surprised. "I wasn’t supposed to resume now. It’s urgent," he replied.
He didn’t know why, but the fact that she noticed and asked caught him off guard. Rebecca had never shown much interest in anything he did before.
"I’ll come back early," he added as he stood up and reached for his briefcase.
Rebecca looked up at him. Then, to Derek’s surprise, she stood up too.
Normally, she would have stayed behind. Normally, she would have acted indifferent or annoyed. But today was different. She remembered her decision from last night. If she was going to survive this marriage, she had to act like a caring partner, at least in front of others.
“You’re coming with me?” Derek asked, surprised.
“What? No. Just want to see you off like every newly wed should. I need to do it tp show your grandfather and the staff that we're a loving couple,” she said casually.
“I didn't think you'd want to do that,” Derek said still surprised by her decision.
“Well, you don't have to think anymore. Let’s go,” she said winking at him.
Derek paused, looking at her suspiciously. She was unusually happy. What could it be about? Or was it the hormones? He thought but didn't say anything as he led her outside.
The car was already waiting in the driveway, when they walked out of the house. The driver stepped out immediately and opened the door respectfully.
The moment his eyes landed on Rebecca, his expression changed. It was only for a second, but inside his mind, he was completely shocked.
'So boss finally married this woman,' he thought.
He remembered her clearly. How could he forget? She was the woman from that night, the one his boss helped when they'd almost been in an accident on that rainy day. She was the one who had left the hotel the next morning after he dropped off the car and keys.
Rebecca, however, noticed nothing. To her, he was just another driver. She had no memory of him at all especially since she'd not taken a good look at him that fateful night.
She smiled politely and turned to Derek. "Have a good day at work," she said softly, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
Derek looked at her for a moment, surprised by the gesture. "I will," he replied before getting into the car, smiling.
Rebecca stood there and watched until the car drove away. Only then did she turn and walk back into the house, unaware that the driver had recognized her instantly.
The ride was quiet.
Derek leaned back in his seat, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Rebecca’s behavior this morning kept replaying in his mind. She had followed him out. She had wished him well, and kissed his cheek. It was such a small thing, yet it stayed with him and it made him feel a certain kind of way. A feeling he couldn't explain.
The driver glanced at Derek through the rearview mirror several times. He clearly wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start.
After a few minutes, he finally cleared his throat. "Congratulations, sir," he said with a smile.
Derek looked up, confused. "For what?"
The driver chuckled lightly. "Your marriage, sir. I honestly didn’t think you would end up marrying that lady. That night, I thought you were only helping her out. I guess love at first sight does happen," he said, not noticing the confusion on Derek's face.
Derek frowned. "What lady?" He asked confused.
Now it was the driver’s turn to be surprised. He glanced at Derek through the rear view mirror again. "Sir… your wife. The lady you helped that night."
Derek’s confusion deepened. "What night are you talking about?"
The driver hesitated, unsure if he had said something wrong. Still, he answered, knowing if he didn't, he might lose his job.
"The night before I went on leave, sir. I drove you to a club and we were returning to your hotel room at The Quinn's place. We almost had an accident. She hit our car, probably because of the rain and her car stopped working. You offered to help her. You took her to your hotel room because she looked like she needed help, and you told me to take her car for repairs. She left the next morning."
Derek’s heart skipped a beat. So he'd actually met her before.
Suddenly, pieces began to fall into place. The blurry memories, the strange familiarity he felt around Rebecca, the way she reacted to him sometimes, the way she got angry when he told her even if they had met, he would have forgotten about her, her anger, her frustration it all started to make sense.
"That woman…" Derek said slowly. "That was Rebecca, my wife?"
"Yes, sir," the driver replied. "I didn’t know you two would meet again, not to talk of getting married."
Derek leaned back in his seat, his mind racing. So it was true. He had met Rebecca before. Not just met her but helped her. Spent time with her and possibly slept with her.
The reason he couldn’t remember clearly was the same reason he never remembered many women from his past.
"Which hotel?" Derek asked suddenly, he wanted to find out more, there are a lot of potholes in the story, he has to find all the dots and connect everything together.
"The Quinn's place, sir," the driver replied, wondering why he was asking him again when he'd already mentioned it before.
He remembered how he had told Rebecca that night that he didn’t remember women he met only once. It wasn’t entirely a lie. He had never told anyone openly, but it was true: he often didn’t recognize people he had only met once.
Back then, he had exaggerated it on purpose. He'd lied to Rebecca not only because he didn’t want Rebecca expecting anything from him but because he didn't want her finding out he had mild prosopagnosia.
He didn’t bother telling her because he didn't want emotions, attachments, or for her to ask him questions. He never wanted anyone to think they were special to him.
Yet somehow, Rebecca was different.
And now, knowing she was the woman from that night the one he couldn’t remember, but had somehow married made his chest feel strangely heavy.
As the car approached the office building, Derek fell silent again. His chest felt heavy, his thoughts tangled.
This marriage was no longer just a contract. And Rebecca was no longer just a stranger.
Whether he liked it or not, his life had already changed.