The mysterious letter

In the dining room, Rebecca, Whitney and Ella were seated patiently, waiting for Eric to bring the food.

As soon as Eric dished out the food, Rebecca eagerly took her first bite.

"This tastes so good." She commented.

Eric smiled, he knew her compliment was genuine, not just to make him happy. Her facial expression revealed it.

He took his apron off his body and took the seat next to Ella.

"I'm glad you like it."

After that, they all ate in silence. Only the sounds of plates and cutleries clicking could be heard.

"I'm so glad you are back, I thought I lost you forever." Eric broke the silence.

"Me too." Rebecca replied with a charming smile on her face.

Eric returned the smile. "So tell us, who took you? And why did they let you go?"

Ella and Whitney exchanged a knowing glance. They didn't get the chance to warn Rebecca about telling Eric the truth.

"Well..."

Rebecca was still thinking of what to say, when Ella chipped in.

"She said they got the wrong person. She wasn't the target, but the person looks like her. So when it was confirmed she was the wrong target, they let her go." Ella made an explanation.

Rebecca sighed quietly. Fortunately, Ella intervened before she had to respond, saving her from an awkward explanation.

"Ohhh." Eric mumbled, wondering why Ella had to answer him instead. "Thank heavens you're safe. I couldn't shake off the memory of what the masked men said, it got me troubled."

"What statement?" Rebecca asked, trying to recall how the whole incident happened.

"You remember when the priest asked them why they wanted to stop the matrimony?" He asked.

Rebecca nodded slowly.

"What was the man's reply?" He further asked.

"He said their boss couldn't stand seeing his lady getting married to someone else, hence he sent them to stop the wedding ceremony." She replied, reluctantly.

"Exactly. I was surprised, it got me thinking ever since you were taken. But now I feel better knowing it was a mistaken identity." Eric chuckled at his own words.

Rebecca laughed lightly. "I'm all yours, baby."

  Whitney had a look of dissatisfaction on her face as she stared at them. She was irritated by their display of affection. Not that she was jealous of her friend or anything, but ever since what Eric did that day, she couldn't bring herself to like him anymore.

"So what are you guys gonna do about your wedding?" Ella asked, earning her a glare from Whitney.

Rebecca moved her gaze to Eric, waiting for him to reply the question.

"I really don't know. I'd say Rebecca and I don't need the wedding anymore, she can move in with me permanently and we'll begin our life together." Eric said.

Whitney coughed immediately, almost choking on her food. "I won't allow my best friend move in with someone she isn't married to." She objected.

"Chill, Whitney. Rebecca and I almost got married, we made preparations, you saw it with your eyes. If those men didn't interrupt, then we would have been married by now... Besides, you can't decide for her." Eric stated.

"I can decide for her. She is my best friend, we grew up together and I want the best for her... She ain't moving in with you and that's final!" Whitney snapped.

Rebecca took a deep breath. "That's enough. After what I've been through lately, I don't need this argument."

"I'm sorry, I was the one who brought it up." Ella apologized. She didn't know it would escalate to that.

"It's okay" Rebecca flashed her a reassuring smile. "Let's just eat."

After they finished with their food, Eric left the house, with the intention of going to the police station to drop the case.

Rebecca and her friends took the free time to clean the house, they shared the chores amongst themselves.

While Ella was about to change the bedsheet, she came across a black envelope under the pillow.

"What is this?" She muttered in curiosity.

  She checked to see if anyone was coming into the room and when she didn't see anyone, she opened the envelope and her brows furrowed when she saw it was a written letter.

"Did Rebecca write this for someone?"

Her eyes scanned the letter, and they widened in shock as she finished reading it.

She quickly squeezed the letter and hid it in her pocket when she heard footsteps approaching.

Just as she was about to hide the envelope, Rebecca entered the room with Ella.

"Oh sweet saviour!" Rebecca squealed as she threw herself to the bed.

  She was so tired. She and Whitney were done with their job.

"Get your *ss up! I want to change the bedsheet." Ella informed.

Rebecca reluctantly stood from the bed. "Whatever! A fresh bath might help."

She took off her clothes and tied a towel around her chest. "Make sure you are done before I get back." She threatened playfully and then dashed into the bathroom.

Ella sighed in relief.

"Is something bothering you?" Whitney suddenly asked. She noticed how tensed Ella looked.

"No, I'm good." Ella replied.

Whitney shrugged her shoulders and focused on her phone, but she immediately turned to Ella. "What's that?"

Ella looked at the black envelope in her hand, knowing fully well Whitney was referring to that. "Just an empty envelope."

"It looks pretty." Whitney commented.

Ella stood quietly, contemplating on whether to tell Whitney or not. After a long deliberation, she decided to let the cat out of the bag.

She took out the letter from her pocket, and then handed it over to her.

Whitney collected it with raised brows. She opened the squeezed paper and a light gasp escaped her lips when she saw the context.

"How did you find this????"

"I saw it under the pillow."

"Do you think Rebecca has seen it?" Whitney asked in a whisper.

"No. The envelope was sealed, I was the one who opened it." Ella replied in that same tone.

"Should we tell her about it? How on earth did this even get here?" Whitney had a lot of questions.

"I don't think it's a good idea. Let's just pretend we didn't see anything." Ella decided.

She walked away from Whitney and went to get a new bedsheet from the wardrobe, while Whitney remained there, staring at the letter with different thoughts in her mind.