\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent felt a sharp, hollow ache in his chest. He froze, eyes widening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What miscarriage?\u00a0<\/p>\n
When had Rebecca even been pregnant? Why hadn\u2019t she told him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Questions slammed into him, one after another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca usually picked up on the first ring, but this time, the call didn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
even connect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He started typing a text, his thumbs moving fast, but stopped cold when he saw a message she\u2019d already sent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish you both happiness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
You both?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why would she phrase it like that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did she know about him and Gianna?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A heavy unease began to rise in his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, his phone buzzed. It was Gianna.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He answered immediately, hoping against hope it was Rebecca calling back, but disappointment washed over him the second he heard Gianna\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVince?\u201d Gianna sounded worried. \u201cThe nurse said Becca was hurt, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How is she?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11.05\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent hesitated \u201cShe\u2019s fine,\u201d he lied his voice tight. \u201cShe just needs some rest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t want Channa to worry. But more than that, he didn\u2019t want her to carry the shame of knowing Rebecca had found out about their betrayal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hung up and drove home to find Rebecca.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But when he pulled up, the house-usually warm and lit up-was completely dark\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the dining table sat a gift box. Inside, the divorce papers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he slowly untied the ribbon, Rebecca\u2019s words echoed in his memory, \u201cYou\u2019ll like it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wondered what on earth she could have given him that she was so sure he\u2019d enjoy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He opened it. The divorce agreement lay right on top.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood there, stunned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long time, he numbly called Rebecca\u2019s office, needing to know if she was really just on a business trip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca isn\u2019t on a trip,\u201d her boss said. \u201cShe\u2019s been permanently stationed abroad.\u201d Vincent went cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t know?\u201d the boss continued. \u201cThat\u2019s strange. She offended a colleague a while back just to help you out, and that person has held a grudge ever since. She loves you so much; it makes no sense for her to leave for good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent stood rooted to the spot, his mind blank.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He remembered how he\u2019d accused Rebecca of overreacting when Gianna got hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11.05\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 4\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
He remembered Rebecca\u2019s bloodshot eyes after she\u2019d stayed up all night fixing his project proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He remembered her vomiting after drinking just to help him secure a deal, only to look up, smile, and say, \u201cIt\u2019s okay. I\u2019d do anything for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He used to dismiss her help, thinking she was just getting in the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, those sacrifices felt heavy, precious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet, he had ignored her time and again for Gianna.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had betrayed her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Rebecca, knowing the truth, hadn\u2019t demanded answers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, she had chosen to leave to preserve their dignity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Intense guilt spread through his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent crouched down, burying his hands in his hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time, despite all his brilliance, he questioned what exactly he had been chasing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had always thought he loved Gianna.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now that Rebecca was gone, why wasn\u2019t he happy?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why was he in so much pain?\u00a0<\/p>\n
For seven straight days, Vincent locked himself in his room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tried desperately to convince himself that he loved Gianna.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca was gone; he should be celebrating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet the whole time, he didn\u2019t answer a single call or text from Gianna.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11.05\u00a0<\/p>\n
286 NOUchors\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Gianna finally pushed the door open, Vincent was on the floor, frantically scribbling \u201cI love Rebecca\u201d on a sheet of paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stopped in her tracks, taking in the mess on the floor and his red, swollen eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her gaze swept over the scattered papers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice trembled. \u201cDid you ask Becca for a divorce?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent looked up with a bitter smile, his voice raspy. \u201cShe did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thermos slipped from Gianna\u2019s hand and crashed to the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2026 she knows everything?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent remained silent, but that was answer enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Vince. It\u2019s all my fault,\u201d she said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t control myself, and I let things get this bad. You have to go find Becca.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s eyes were numb. \u201cFind her for what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood up and reached for Gianna\u2019s hand, trying to deceive himself. \u201cIt\u2019s good that she bowed out. Now no one can disturb us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gianna looked down at the sheets scattered across the floor. She saw that he had written \u201cRebecca\u201d over and over again. She stepped back, dodging\u00a0<\/p>\n
his hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wiped away a tear, her voice harsh with emotion. \u201cVince, wake up! Look at all these notes. Do you actually love me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent stiffened, clinging to his denial. \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gianna saw the lie he was telling himself and let out a bitter laugh. \u201cI\u2019ll give you a week. If you\u2019re truly sure you love me, we can talk. If not\u2026 you go find Becca and apologize properly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
51.66%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:05\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 4\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent frowned, wanting to refuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But for some reason, he didn\u2019t argue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had liked Gianna for so many years; he didn\u2019t believe those feelings could just change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Gianna left, the house felt even emptier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the first day, Vincent sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the speaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The image flashing through his mind wasn\u2019t Gianna\u2019s smile, but Rebecca as a child, chasing after him and calling out, \u201cVince, wait for me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the second day, he walked into the kitchen and noticed the spice jars were arranged exactly how Rebecca liked them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Salt on the left, sugar on the right. He could almost hear her voice, \u201cIt\u2019s easier to grab this way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the third day, he went to the office Looking at the files, he could only remember how Rebecca had alienated her colleagues for his sake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the whole week, he didn\u2019t send Gianna a single message. He didn\u2019t even\u00a0<\/p>\n
think of her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The only thing occupying his mind was whether Rebecca might get lost abroad. Was she eating well?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was she sad when she thought of him at night?\u00a0<\/p>\n
He finally realized with clarity that his feelings for Gianna were just a childhood obsession.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Rebecca-the girl who had always trailed behind him-had long become a habit in his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A habit so deep he had forgotten that habit is love.\u00a0<\/p>\n
73.40%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:05 C\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the night of the seventh day, Vincent packed his bags and booked the earliest flight to where Rebecca was stationed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before boarding, he texted Gianna.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I was wrong.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have mistaken a childhood obsession for love and dragged you into it for so many years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I certainly shouldn\u2019t have ignored and hurt Becca because of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to find her and make amends.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
93.59%%%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:05\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Nothing Fell Apart by Mark Twain 4 \u00a0 Chapter 4\u00a0 Vincent felt a sharp, hollow ache in his chest. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-unfaithful-husband-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22837\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}