Filed to story: Rebecca Perry and Vance Bradford Romance Book PDF Free
Vance lowered his head and gently blew on her wound. ” Let’s get you some ointment so it won’t leave a Rebecca had never seen him so tender toward anyone before. Even after her car accident, when she had sustained multiple injuries all over her body, including the crippling of her leg and scars everywhere, he had never shown this kind of naturally flowing, deep – seated heartache. He had asked her if it hurt, telling her to cry it out. That was not heartache, it was guilt.
Did Vance feel pain, too? Rebecca understood why. His entire life would bear the weight of her. It was a burden he couldn’t escape, so how could he not hurt? The love of his life was right there beside him, yet because of her existence, they couldn’t be together openly and legitimately. How could that not cause him pain? He was torn between his conscience and the impulse to break free from his constraints. The constant internal conflict must be agonizing. How could it not hurt? Wouldn’t it be better to just let her go?Back home alone, Rebecca sat facing the ten watch boxes laid out before her. She stared at them for what felt like an eternity, tempted to grab each box and hurl it viciously against the wall. But she refrained, knowing impulses wouldn’t solve anything. Once her emotions had finally settled, she opened a second – hand trading app on her phone and began searching for buyers of luxury items. Soon, she found a local dealer and arranged for them to come pick up the items the next morning at ten o’clock, which was precisely the time when the housekeeper would go out to buy groceries.
With that matter handled, she turned on her computer and immersed herself fully in researching the procedures for applying for a visa. The troupe that Lauren was with would be departing in just one month, which meant her own time to leave was truly entering its final countdown. Seated in front of the computer, her mind free of distractions, she scrolled through one post after another. Her emotions surged with a mix of calm and exhilaration – the world had never felt so peaceful, yet so invigorating at the same time. Before she knew it, the entire evening had slipped away.
She was so deeply absorbed in her task that she didn’t even notice when Vance returned home. ” What are you doing? ” His voice suddenly sounded from the doorway behind her, startling her into hurriedly closing the laptop. Vance had come back, maintaining his usual mild demeanor as if nothing at all had happened. He walked over to her side and asked in a low, gentle voice, ” Watching a show? It must be really good if you’re still up this late watching it. ” This was his way of making small talk when there was nothing else to say.
Rebecca kept her hand pressed firmly on the laptop, holding it shut tightly. The web pages inside hadn’t even been closed yet.
” It’s a show you wouldn’t like.”
“I haven’t watched it yet. How do you know I wouldn’t like it? ” He reached out to lift the laptop lid. She tensed up, holding it down resolutely. Assuming she was still upset, he stopped trying to pry it open and instead squatted down beside her, looking at her profile. ” Still angry with me?”
“No. ” Her feelings encompassed many things: disappointment, despair, frustration…
But anger wasn’t among them. Anger would imply that a bit of coaxing from him could make everything right again, that there was still hope for their marriage. But she had no such hope left. Five years had been more than enough. ” I swear, nothing is going on between Catherine and me. We’re just classmates and friends. She came back from abroad, and the group got together to welcome her and catch up, ” he said, reverting to his customary patience and gentleness. ” The misunderstanding at the mall today was purely accidental. Please, believe me.” Met with her silence, he continued, ” We were supposed to have dinner with your parents, but we couldn’t make it. Shall we reschedule for another day? ” She shook her head, not interested in visiting her family at all. Her parents and her brother would only keep telling her how incredibly fortunate she was, as a cripple, to have married someone like Vance. ” You don’t want to go? It’s been over a month since we visited your parents. Don’t you miss them? ” he said, his voice even more coaxing. She looked into his eyes, seeing no genuine passion behind the tenderness.
That gentleness was like a pre – programmed routine embedded in him, activating automatically whenever the situation called for it. ” Vance, ” she sighed, ” aren’t you tired? ” He was taken aback, seemingly not understanding what she meant. She smiled bitterly. ” You have someone else in your heart, yet you still force yourself to show concern for me every day, asking after my well – being. Aren’t you exhausted from it all? “
Vance’s pupils shook. ” I don’t…”
“Stop deceiving yourself, ” Rebecca interrupted. ” Some things, once brought into the open, don’t look so pretty, and it won’t do either of us any favors in terms of face. Divorce really would be better for both of us. Catherine fits your ideal image of Mrs. Bradford far more than I do.”
“Rebecca! ” Vance cut her off. ” Are you still fixated on her? I’ve explained this countless times already.”
“The one who can’t move past Catherine isn’t me, ” she said, holding his gaze steadily. ” It’s you. ” He was stunned once more.” Rebecca…”
“We both know the truth, don’t we? ” She tried to keep her tone calm and measured, making it clear she was approaching this as a serious discussion rather than an emotional outburst. ” It’s time to put a period at the end of our five years. Let’s part ways with dignity and let the grievances of the past fade away. ” Vance stared at her for a long moment before finally standing up. ” You’re overthinking things. In time, you’ll see that Catherine’s return won’t change anything. It’s late now. Get some rest.”
“I know you feel guilty toward me, but you don’t have to anymore, ” she said. ” I truly don’t need a marriage built on guilt. Let me go, and free yourself too. Wouldn’t that be… ” Before she could finish, he shrugged off his jacket and headed straight to the bathroom. She looked at the jacket he had tossed onto the small sofa. In the past, she would have picked it up, hung it neatly, fetched his pajamas, and placed them just outside the bathroom door. Not this time.
For the past five years, she had always thought that since her legs weren’t fully functional and she didn’t work outside the home, she couldn’t contribute meaningfully to the household in terms of income or growth. Vance had arranged everything at home so perfectly that she felt like a mere ornament, placed there for display but serving no real purpose. Unable to help in other ways, she had at least tried to care for him to the best of her ability. What she might have overlooked was that perhaps he didn’t need her small, insignificant acts of care.
Maybe what he really wanted was a wife who could present well in public – someone who could stand by his side at events or accompany him when dealing with clients. She just couldn’t understand why he was still clinging to this loveless marriage. When Vance emerged from the bathroom, he went straight to bed without a word, clearly signaling his refusal to continue the conversation.
Rebecca didn’t bring it up again. Every attempt at communication drained her mentally and emotionally anyway.
She had better use that time to think about her own future, working hard toward the direction she truly desired. Once she could leave, whether they were divorced or not wouldn’t matter much. Lying in bed, she nurtured all kinds of thoughts, not about Vance or Catherine, but about her upcoming schedule. In a month, she would join Lauren’s troupe for the European tour, and by the time that wrapped up, it would be nearly time for school to start. She glanced at the man beside her. Vance was already sound asleep.
In the dim, gray light, she could only make out a vague outline of his profile. The distance between them on the bed, wide enough for three people, felt impossibly vast. She no longer blamed him, even wishing him a happy life without her. The one thing she felt truly grateful for now was that they had never consummated their marriage, and they had no children. If they had, navigating this separation would have been exponentially more difficult.
She never could have imagined that the very thing which had once obsessed her thoughts and broken her heart would turn out to be a fortunate circumstance. She slept well that night, better than she had in ages. She didn’t even wake up naturally the next morning. It was the sensation of someone moving nearby that roused her. Opening her eyes, she saw Vance somehow sitting on her side of the bed.
