Sam raised his gaze to look at Rebecca.She seemed somewhat lost and confused while looking at her wrist."If you wanted to escape, you wouldn't have followed me into the restaurant."He furrowed his brow and turned the menu toward Rebecca. "See what you'd like to eat. If there's nothing you like, I'll order for you."Rebecca looked at the menu. She wasn't particularly fond of ordering, even for breakfast."You go ahead."She then settled into her chair. Her gaze wandered around the restaurant and eventually returned to Sam's face.Sam remained nonchalant, as usual. "I'll order just the usual. If there are any leftovers, Caleb can have them. He should be here in about ten minutes." Once the order was placed on his phone, Sam checked his wristwatch. Then, he started texting.Rebecca felt ignored.It would be perfectly normal for two familiar people to interact like that.Some of the other tourists in the restaurant were busy with their phones while they ate, while the rest
Rebecca couldn't quite pinpoint her feelings at that moment. She knew she felt shocked from reading the announcement on Sam's phone.Since Jessica returned to the Brown family, many people criticized her and called her an unwanted illegitimate child.Even her parents called her that.There were countless moments when she wished her biological parents would come back for her.Now, reality stared her in the face. She had blood relatives in the world.She had parents and siblings.The revelation was indeed staggering. Yet, her heart remained calm.Instead of the excitement one would expect from finding long-lost family members, she found herself strangely unfazed.It was as if things had always been this way. She was always their little sister.As the news began to sink in, the waitress delivered their breakfast.Seeing the breakfast Sam had ordered her, Rebecca felt her doubts had vanished.There was cereal, oatmeal, eggnog, chicken nuggets, and so on. They were all Rebecc
Rebecca remained silent.In her current memory, she did not know there were people in the world who cared about her.Parents, siblings ... These were words that only existed in her fantasies.She had imagined having a father who would love her more than Benjamin and a mother who would pamper her more than Karen.She had even desired a kind-hearted person to take her away and help her forget everything related to the Brown and Winston family. Even if she had to live a poor life, she wanted to get rid of them.But fantasies could only remain fantasies.Whenever she woke up, the pain was even more overwhelming. She realized there was no point indulging in those fantasies.Living in a world where she had no hope was better than being trapped in a bizarre space that she could wake up from at any moment. It hurt even more than the reality.Since there was no hope from the beginning, why bother?Eventually, she stopped imagining things.Yet, now, it felt like the dream she once had
The meal went on smoothly. Sam and Caleb cleared all the food while bantering. As they were too full, they continued to sit and chat for a long time in the restaurant.Rebecca didn't even have to ask specifically about her family. She learned a lot from the playful exchange between the two brothers. It turned out that many people were worrying about her.Her parents had been eagerly waiting for her to come home. She even had a brother who was 12 years older than her. She even had uncles, aunts, and cousins.Of course, Sam and Caleb had been the busiest during the time she was away.They traveled far and wide to find her.Come to think of it, if she were in their shoes, would she be willing to spend so much effort searching for her own family?Some parents couldn't even do that, like Benjamin. He would rather have more daughters to marry off to wealthy families than care about their well-being.Rebecca didn't know whether her past self would choose to search for her family, but s
Caleb fell silent.Sam was indeed right.By the time they had returned to the hotel yesterday, it was already midnight. He wanted to wake up and take over Sam's place in case David left with Rebecca.However, his body gave in to exhaustion. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Sam's message.While the time he woke up might not have been particularly late, the fact remained that he didn't wake up at the time he had planned. He let Sam sit alone by the hotel window all night.If Sam hadn't seen Rebecca leaving the hotel this morning, or if they had both fallen asleep, they wouldn't be talking here now.So, despite Rebecca's reasonable request, Caleb knew it wasn't his place to speak.The atmosphere turned tense at the table.Rebecca dared not speak either, but the disappointed expression on her face was too obvious. It seemed as though she needed a chance to explain herself. Otherwise, this issue might weigh on her forever. Sam stared at her for a while and finally broke the
Handing a hostage back to the kidnappers ...The words hit Rebecca's heart like a bullet. She felt so heartbroken that she couldn't think of anything else.She fell silent for a moment. Then, she struggled to say, "Let's just ... Let's just leave."It wasn't just because of Sam and Caleb. She already saw the manager's swollen face behind the glass.Just two hours ago, the manager politely greeted her and smiled at her when she left. He even asked if she wanted breakfast.Now, it looked like someone had beaten him to a pulp. His face was unrecognizable.What would happen if Sam and Caleb followed her inside? Maybe it was better to just leave right now.Upon hearing her words, Sam and Caleb were shocked. They asked at the same time, "Are you sure?"Rebecca hesitated briefly. She bit her lip and glanced at the hotel lobby where the manager was being beaten up by the men in black suits.She even vaguely saw David approaching the entrance from inside the hotel. Fear began to ov
The sea breeze stopped blowing and the animals and insects grew silent. In this moment of silence, Rebecca watched the man in front of her smile."Who do you want me to be?" His tone now was gentle and persuasive, unlike his sheepish tone from earlier. It was as if he was telling her that he could continue pretending to be Dan if she wished it.However, once the veneer was shattered, it was over. She couldn't turn it into the real thing by pretending. She knew the answer but chose to ask despite it. Now, she had to face harsh reality.Suddenly, Rebecca let out a laugh. She didn't know if she was laughing more at the absurdity of her reality or at her stupidity. Why did she have to come back? None of this would have happened if she left with her brothers earlier. She wondered if it was fate that things turned out this way, and unfortunately, it seemed so.David started to walk toward her. His bodyguards in black suits followed, each step thundering off the cobblestones."Don't co
That's true. How could she be sure? If she ignored what Sam told her about David's evil deeds and just looked at her legs, it was obvious to the kind of person David was. So, how could she be sure that he would keep his word and release everyone if she went to him? Was it worth believing the man who lied to her about being Daniel?Rebecca stopped in her tracks at Caleb's words. Sam immediately added, "Becca, listen to Caleb and come back here. You are not our burden. You never were and never will be. No matter what, Cal and I will never allow you to give yourself up for us."The incident at Tillfort Peaks was a lesson for all. Sam believed he didn't need Rebecca to save him each time. Even if they only had each other, he was certain he'd be able to protect her. If he wasn't able to bring her with him, he still couldn't stay and watch her leave – not when he could stop it. "Come over here, Becca. Don't you trust Sam and I?" Caleb was being extremely careful. His voice was edged wi