Filed to story: Rebecca Perry and Vance Bradford Romance Book PDF Free
If separated from him, she would become a pitiful, unwanted soul incapable of surviving independently. And now, it was clear that he thought the same way. “I can do it,” she replied firmly. For the first time, she stood her ground with determination, eager to prove her strength and fight for her dignity. Yet he merely smiled, as if dismissing her words as nothing more than a momentary fit of pique. He placed the carefully deboned fish in front of her and said, “Eat up.
I’ll permit you to stay upset for a little while longer, but once the meal is over, you can’t be angry anymore.”
“I’m not angry. I want a divorce,” she insisted, unsure how to make him see that her request wasn’t just an impulsive outburst born from frustration. “You see,” he set down his fork, “today, I pushed back two meetings and a business discussion specifically to spend time with you and make you happy. Tomorrow and the day after, I might not have nearly as much availability. Let me repeat this. Catherine is a good friend to all of us. She’s part of our crew.
I treat her the same as I do Aiden and the others. She really likes you and has always wanted to become friends with you. With this attitude of yours, how am I supposed to introduce her to you properly?”
“Then there’s no need to introduce her at all,” Rebecca replied, not believing for a second that Catherine truly wanted to be friends with her. Vance’s voice sharpened. “Rebecca!” She had known that, whenever the topic involved Catherine, his patience wore thin, and his temper wasn’t as controlled. “Eat up.
Afterward, we’ll go to the mall, buy whatever you like, and then head over to your parents’ house for dinner. It’s been quite a while since you’ve gone back to see them, hasn’t it?” he said, adding more food to her plate. Unwilling to deprive herself, she picked up her fork and began eating what she could. Regardless of the situation, she needed to ensure she maintained her health first and foremost. There was no point in taking out her frustrations on her stomach. “That’s the right approach,” Vance said, his voice returning to its gentle tone.”But from now on, don’t bring up that word again.” She paused for a moment, then lowered her head and continued eating in silence. After finishing the meal, she had no desire to go shopping, but Vance insisted on it, driving them directly to the mall without further discussion. Over the course of their five-year marriage, the number of times Vance had accompanied her on a shopping trip could be counted on one hand. In fact, the occasions when they had appeared together in public at all were exceedingly rare.
The mall’s lighting was intensely bright, even during the daytime, creating a glaring atmosphere that she found uncomfortable. Clutching her purse, she walked cautiously in his shadow. The first floor was lined with counters displaying luxury bags, watches, and jewelry. “Anything you like?” he asked, turning around. She didn’t want to buy anything at all. She just wanted to go home. But before she could respond, someone called out from a distance, “Mr. Bradford!”
“It’s a new business partner I’ve recently connected with. I’ll go over and greet them quickly,” Vance explained.”You can browse around on your own for a bit. I’ll come find you shortly.” Vance’s clients were all people she didn’t know. She watched as he walked over and shook hands with a gentleman not far away, then stood there awkwardly. Amid all this opulent luxury, there was nothing that caught her interest or that she wanted to purchase. Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a sales associate. “Miss, it’s your turn.” She turned around, realizing that she had inadvertently positioned herself in the queue at one of the luxury brand stores.”Oh, no, thank you,” she said hastily, quickly stepping away from the line. She wandered through the mall until, at a certain high-end watch counter, she caught sight of a familiar figure-Catherine. As she looked at the brand of watches on display, something heavy seemed to sink deep within her chest, and without fully realizing it, she found herself walking toward the counter. Accompanying Catherine in browsing the watches was Aiden. As Rebecca approached closer, the conversation between the two became increasingly audible. “If you like it, just go ahead and buy it,” Aiden said.
Catherine hesitated. “But this doesn’t seem right. Even though Vance gave me his supplementary card and told me to use it freely, I can’t bring myself to buy something this pricey.” Rebecca stopped in her tracks, unable to take another step. Her heart felt as heavy as her feet. “The supplementary card… Vance’s supplementary card…”
“Since he gave it to you, he obviously meant for you to use it. When has Vance ever been the type to say one thing but mean another?” Aiden reassured her. “We’ve been friends for so many years. You know his character better than anyone.
If he gives something, it’s with full sincerity.”
“I guess you’re right.” Catherine nodded, beginning to turn her wrist this way and that to show Aiden the watch from various angles. Rebecca saw it, too. “How does it look?” Catherine asked. “I really love this model. I’ve wanted it since college. Vance promised me he’d buy it for me upon graduation, but then…” A wave of mocking yet bitter amusement welled up in Rebecca’s heart. But then, every year on her birthday and their wedding anniversary, Vance had given her watches of this same model.
Originally, she had thought that even if Vance didn’t put much heart into it, at least he remembered her important dates and their anniversaries. The gifts might have been repetitive and lacking in thoughtfulness, but they were at least valuable. Now she realized that he did care. It was just that none of it had ever been directed toward her. “Well, Vance is fulfilling that promise now, isn’t he?” Aiden laughed. “You can buy whatever you want these days. He can afford it all.”
“Then I’ll go ahead and charge it?” Catherine said, her excitement visibly growing by the second.
Meanwhile, in another part of the mall, Vance had finished exchanging pleasantries with his business contact. The man, who was there to pick up his wife from shopping, learned that Vance was accompanying his wife as well and suggested they go over to say hello. As Vance walked in her direction, Rebecca quickly ducked out of sight, hiding behind a Roman column. Catherine spotted him and waved her hand enthusiastically. “Vance, over here!” Peering out from behind the column, Rebecca saw Vance and his business contact making their way toward Catherine.
She immediately linked her arm through Vance’s and began swaying it playfully. “I want to buy this watch. Is that okay?”
“Sure,” Vance replied, his gaze softening. The sparkle in his eyes brought his entire face to life, a stark contrast to the bland, emotionless demeanor he always wore at home when he was with Rebecca. “Thank you. I’m going to swipe the card now,” Catherine chirped, waving the supplementary card. The business contact smiled warmly. “You guys have such a deep bond. It’s so touching, Mr. and Mrs.
Bradford.” The pair blinked at the appellation, but neither of them attempted to correct the misunderstanding.
After a moment of awkwardness, Vance and Catherine quickly adjusted to the mistaken roles. They began chatting and laughing effortlessly with the business contact. Standing together, they looked like a well-matched couple. Rebecca watched silently, taking a photo with her phone. As she turned to leave, the sharp “needle” buried deep in her heart pricked her once more. A sharp, intricate pain that rapidly spread through her chest, even causing a sour ache at the tip of her nose.
Just as she was about to exit the mall, a voice called out, “Rebecca?” She turned to see someone waving vigorously from the descending escalator. To her surprise, it was her instructor from the dance academy. “Mrs. Lemke?” she exclaimed, her heart lifting with joy. Lauren Lemke quickly descended the escalator and approached, taking hold of Rebecca’s hands with evident joy. “It’s really you, Rebecca! It’s been five years since we last saw each other. How have you been?” A wave of sadness washed over her. Five years had passed, and she had lived like a useless invalid.
Facing Lauren now, she felt embarrassed. Still holding Rebecca’s hand, Lauren asked, “Are you busy? If not, let’s find a place to have some afternoon tea.” Rebecca wasn’t busy at all. In the past, her deep-seated insecurity might have led her to shut herself off further, politely declining any connection to her old dance world and its people. But ever since she had opened that album of dance photos and videos on her phone, it felt as though a fissure had cracked open in her darkened sky. Suddenly, she yearned for light to pour in. She nodded, her eyes shimmering with tears.”Sounds good.” Lauren led her to a cozy teahouse located in the center of the first floor, and she asked, “How are the others? What have they been up to?” She had distanced herself from that world so completely and for so long that she had withdrawn from every single group chat with her former peers. “Do you really want to know?” Lauren gave her a perceptive look, aware of her situation. The promising student who had been guaranteed a spot in graduate school suddenly gave it up. Naturally, questions had arisen, and Lauren had even made a special trip to Soliaridge to visit her once.
Rebecca nodded emphatically, and Lauren proceeded to fill her in. Five years was indeed enough time to transform a person’s life entirely. Her classmates had all moved forward in remarkable ways. Some had joined dance troupes and risen to become principal dancers. Others had pursued advanced studies abroad and now held doctoral degrees. A few had stayed on at the academy as instructors, nurturing the next generation of talent. Everyone had taken a big step forward in their respective paths. Only she had remained stagnant. But starting from today, she vowed to make a change.
