BIT

Rebecca stood nervously behind the door, gathering her courage before slowly opening

1. it.

“Sean? What happened?” she asked, trying hard not to show her fear.

“We need to fly to Boston immediately! My mom… she had a heart attack!” Sean blurted out in a panic.

Rebecca’s eyes widened in shock. She clenched her hands, confused, but knew she had no choice but to go to Boston with Sean. After all, they had once helped her through difficult times.

“I’ll get ready,” Rebecca said, hurrying back into the bedroom. A few minutes later, she returned with Lily, sound asleep in her stroller, and a 24–inch suitcase filled with all her cash.

Sean looked utterly disheveled, as if the news of Angela’s illness had completely shattered him.

“Let’s go!” he said, taking the suitcase from Rebecca’s hand and quickly walking out of the condo.

“Your mom will be fine, just like before,” Rebecca said, hesitantly touching Sean’s shoulder as he sat next to her. The cab driver occasionally glanced at them in the

rearview mirror.

Sean took a deep breath and covered his face. “I don’t know, this time I have a really bad feeling.”

Rebecca could sense the fragility in Sean, making her realize that her fake husband truly cared for his mother. This made her wonder how a man who loved his mother so much could harm his own wife.

They arrived at the airport forty minutes later and took the earliest flight to Boston. Throughout the flight, Sean was lost in his thoughts. He, who usually cared so much for Lily, didn’t even acknowledge her.

“Why are we heading home?” Rebecca asked, confused, as she had assumed they would go straight to the hospital, not Angela’s house

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“They’ve already brought her home,” Sean replied stiffly. Rebecca looked at Sean, puzzled, but chose to stay silent. When they arrived at Angela’s house, they were greeted by Thomas, who was standing somberly with a sad expression.

“I’m sorry, Sean.” Thomas said, his voice breaking as he nearly cried.

Rebecca gripped the stroller handle tightly, starting to realize what had happened. She watched as Sean broke down, crying in his uncle’s arms with mixed emotions.

Without asking Sean or Thomas, Rebecca pushed Lily’s stroller into Angela’s house and almost bumped into Ella, who was just coming out of Angela’s room.

“Ella! What happened? Where is Angela?” Rebecca asked, confused.

Ella bit her upper lip, her face stricken. “She’s gone, Becky…”

Rebecca’s eyes widened in shock. It felt like all her bones were being pulled apart one by one. She wasn’t just saddened by Angela’s death but also worried that it would change the carefully laid plans she had made.

She turned around to look at Sean and saw him utterly devastated. “Ella, can you watch Lily for me?”

“Of course,” Ella responded quickly, taking the stroller from Rebecca.

Rebecca took a deep breath, and all her fears of Sean seemed to evaporate, replaced by empathy and concern. She walked over to Sean and hugged him tightly.

“Sean, I’m so sorry…”

Sean rested his head on Rebecca’s shoulder and sobbed like a child. Rebecca gently rubbed his back, saying nothing, allowing him to release his grief in her embrace.

That day, Rebecca watched as Sean busily prepared for Angela’s funeral. From the outside, Sean appeared to be a gentle and extraordinary man. She became increasingly curious about why Sean could have harmed Maggie and hoped she might find the answer there and then. Her eyes accidentally met Ella’s, who was standing in the backyard, staring blankly at the statue of Maggie and Bea.

“Hey,” Rebecca greeted, making Ella turn to her. “Hey, where’s Lily?” Ella asked, noticing that Lily wasn’t with Rebecca.

“She’s asleep upstairs. Beer?” Rebecca offered a can of beer, which Ella accepted

III

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immediately. “I can’t believe Angela is gone so quickly.” Rebecca murmured after taking a sip of the cold beer in her hand. All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

Ella nodded. “But she went peacefully, knowing that Sean had a normal life. She must have been so grateful to you,” she said, looking at Rebecca earnestly.

Rebecca’s stomach dropped. She gripped the beer can tightly, debating whether to ask about Maggic.

“You know, a lot of people speak badly about Sean. I mean, about how Sean treated Maggie, but Sean was a good husband,” Ella suddenly said, making Rebecca’s eyes widen. She wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.

“Ella, how well do you know Sean and Angela?” Rebecca asked, trying hard not to sound like she was interrogating.

“They saved me, Becky, and I’ll forever owe them both,” Ella said, not answering Rebecca’s question.

“Ella, you know what I’m talking about, don’t you? I know Sean is a good man, why I want to hear it directly from you–what really happened between Maggie and

which is Sean?” Rebecca asked cautiously.

Ella swallowed nervously. She glanced around, making sure no one else was around them, then cleared her throat softly. “It was all Maggie’s fault! She cheated on Sean and wanted to run away with Bea to marry another man!” she whispered fiercely.

Rebecca’s eyes widened in shock. She knew Ella could be easily provoked. “Did the domestic violence happen after Maggie was caught cheating? Or did it happen before?” she asked, not wanting to miss the chance.

“Of course, it happened after Maggie was caught cheating! Sean loved Maggie; he adored her! Especially after Bea was born, they were his whole world! Then suddenly Maggie was caught cheating with her yoga instructor, and that’s when Sean started to change. But believe me, Maggie and Bea’s deaths were purely accidents! I can guarantee. that one hundred percent!” Ella looked at Rebecca sharply, trying to convince her.

“Yeah, that’s what I believe too. So, since then, Sean has lived with the guilt?” Rebecca murmured, staring at the statue of Maggie and Bea without blinking.

Ella nodded. “Angela must have told you everything about how Sean withdrew from the world and spent years in the clinic? And that’s true. Becky, I know what Sean did to

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Maggie wasn’t right, but that doesn’t change the fact that Sean was a good husband and father. If only Maggie hadn’t cheated, the domestic violence might never have happened!”

Rebecca nodded, not trying to say anything, because all she wanted to know was the truth behind the domestic violence case that had been buried with Maggie.

“You won’t leave him just because of that, will you?” Ella asked sharply.

Rebecca swallowed hard, not expecting Ella to ask that question.

“Leave?”

Rebecca turned and saw Sean standing a few feet behind them, staring at them with a sharp look.

*****