In his haste, Benjamin had dropped his wallet.
On impulse, Rebekah picked it up.
Early in their marriage, she'd noticed his wallet was worn out.
She'd saved up for months to buy him a new one with her own money. At the time, his expression had remained cool, but his voice held a trace of emotion. "The first gift from Mrs. Forrester. I'll carry it forever."
But the wallet on the floor wasn't the one she had given him. He had always used the old one.
She opened it, and a photograph caught her eye.
It was Candice and Benjamin.
They looked younger in the picture, as if it had been taken years ago.
Candice had her arms wrapped around him intimately, wearing a wedding dress and beaming at the camera. Benjamin's eyes were soft, a gentle smile on his lips.
The photograph had a faint seam down the middle. He had cut out Candice from her own wedding photo and spliced it together with one of himself.
A wave of weariness washed over Rebekah. The smile on his face was a blinding insult. For years, he'd refused to hang their wedding photos above their bed like other couples did. He'd always said that love should be kept in the heart.
Now she understood. It was because he felt she wasn't worthy of standing beside him in a wedding dress.
Only Candice was the bride he truly wanted.
In the bottom right corner of the photo, in Benjamin's elegant script, were three words:
*My only love.*
Beneath it was a date.
It was the day they had gotten married, the same day Candice had left the country.
The pieces of her memory clicked into place. Lying in bed, Rebekah let out a hollow laugh. Everyone had envied her, believing she had married the best husband in the world. But who would have known that the woman Benjamin dreamed of day and night was her adoptive sister?
The sun began to set, and the day drew to a close. Neither Benjamin nor Shawn returned.
A deep exhaustion settled in Rebekah's soul. Her pathetic, years-long marriage had to end.
Watching the sunset through the window, she dialed a number. "Brother," she said, her voice steady, "I've made up my mind. I agree to be officially recognized by the family."
A year ago, a phone call had turned her world upside down. Rebekah had learned that she wasn't an orphan after all.
She paused, a thought occurring to her. "But not for another three months."
Three months from now was the anniversary of her grandmother's death. Grandma Fletcher was the only person in the Fletcher family who had ever been truly kind to her. Before leaving this city, she wanted to say a proper goodbye.
Three months was enough time to recover and divorce Benjamin.
…
Abroad, at the Manderley Estate.
Home of the Powell family, the wealthiest in the world.
A distinguished man in a bespoke suit hung up the phone, his face a mask of disbelief. He turned to the three equally elegant figures in the room, his voice filled with joy. "Our little sister has agreed to come home!"
…
Once she was well enough, Rebekah was discharged from the hospital.


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