Forbidden Passion

Theodore's words echoed in Phoebe's ears like a thunderboltthunderclap, leaving her pale-faced and feeling a wrenching pain in her heart. Her eyes grew sore and swollen. She reached for the medicine on the bedside table and swallowed it in one gulp, the bitter taste of the liquid causing her stomach to convulse.noveldrama

Suppressing the urge to vomit, she stood up and walked towards the door. "I'll take the bowl down."

With the way things hadve escalated between them, it was impossible for them to share the same bed tonight. She briskly left the room with the bowl in her hands.

As the door closed behind her, she heard another loud thud. She didn't know what unfortunate item had become Theodore's venting tool this time.

She stood in the hallway for a while until her pain subsided, and then she went downstairs.

Mrs. Reynolds and the maid were in the living room, watching variety shows and munching on sunflower seeds. When they saw Phoebe coming down with the bowl, the maid quickly got up and took it from her. "Phoebe, why did you bring it down yourself?"

Phoebe forced a smile. "I wanted to take a walk outside and happened to bring it down."

"It's so late, are you sure you want to go out? Is Theodore asleep? If he's not, ask him to accompany you. It's not safe for you to go out alone," Mrs. Reynolds interjected.

She was indeed unhappy with Phoebe becoming Theodore's wife, but regardless of her dissatisfaction, it was her son who had gotten the other woman pregnant.

The men of the Reynolds family were known for taking responsibility for their actions.

Now that Phoebe had married into the Reynolds family, as long as she gave birth to a healthy grandchild, her humble origins could be overlooked.

Just look at Christian and his wife, they're quite affectionate towards each other.

Phoebe lowered her gaze, fixating on the tip of her shoe. Mrs. Reynolds was a romantic person, having prepared matching slippers and sleepwear for Phoebe and Theodore.

If she knew that they had fallen out of love two and a half years ago, would she be heartbroken?

"He's really tired today, I'll just walk around the garden, not go out," Phoebe said as she made her way towards the door.

It was only when her figure disappeared into the hallway that the maid approached Mrs. Reynolds and whispered in a hushed voice, "I noticed that Phoebe's eyes were red, did they have a fight?" Mrs. Reynolds frowned, placing the seeds back into the fruit plate. "I'll go check on them."

*

The Reynolds family estate was vast. Phoebe walked around the lawn and arrived at the lake. The cool breeze of the summer night tousled her long hair, making her figure appear even more fragile. Her phone buzzed incessantly in her pocket, and she knew who was calling. After a while, she finally decided to answer.

The person who persists tirelessly is none other than her mother.

She suspected that if she didn't answer, she could endure a whole night of calls.

Phoebe took a deep breath and answered the phone. Mrs. Ziegler's angry voice came through her cellphone, "Phoebe, what's wrong with you? I've been calling all day!, Wwhy didn't you answer?" "Mom," Phoebe moved the phone further away, "can you please stop bothering me?"

"I'm bothering you?" Mrs. Ziegler said incredulously, her voice becoming sharp, "I care about you, and you're saying I'm bothering you? Do you have no conscience?"

Phoebe closed her eyes, "Do you really care about me? Do you care about whether I can secure Mrs. Reynolds' position, whether I can continue to benefit you? If you truly cared about me, you wouldn't have gone behind my back and forced Theodore to marry me!"

The night breeze blew gently, and Phoebe heard her own breath gasping for air.

She finally said it out loud..

These words had been hidden in her heart for so long, she had originally intended to bury them deep inside. She and Theodore had been married for three years, what was the point of delving into how they got married? "So that's what you think of me, Phoebe, you are truly heartless." Mrs. Ziegler became furious, panting heavily on the other end of the phone.

"Isn't it true?" Phoebe didn't want to argue with her, but the words came out firmly, "I said it before, I can support a child on my own, I don't rely on anyone, why did you need to go to him?"

Two people who disliked each other, forced to come together because of that reckless night, because of the unexpected child, how could they be happy?

Their marriage started off so wretchedly, how could it be happy?

Mrs. Ziegler softened her tone, "If I didn't go to him, are you saying you would have married Edward? Phoebe, when did you become so naive?"

"I never considered marrying him." Phoebe's eyes were stinging with pain, a blink away from tears. Until now, the memory of that night still tore her apart.

That evening, Theodore took her out to entertain, at the banquet, she blocked several glasses of alcohol for himer.

He had told her before that his secretary didn't need to block alcohol for him. If there came a day when he needed his secretary to help him block alcohol, it wouldn't be long before Reynolds Group went bankrupt.

Later on, he got drunk, and she helped him to the hotel room to rest. He was too heavy, and once they entered the room, both of them stumbled and fell to the floor because of the carpet.

That impact stunned her, and when she regained her senses, she realized she was pinned beneath Theodore, which frightened her, so she struggled.

But her struggle awakened a sleeping lion, and in the end, she was devoured by him to nothing but bones.

"You are my own flesh and blood!, Hhow could I not know what you're thinking?" Mrs. Ziegler said, "Even if this hadn't happened, you and Edward are worlds apart. Mrs. Vanderbilt would never agree to Edward marrying you." The flames roared, burning fiercely. "I told you, I never thought of marrying him," Phoebe said.

Listening to her stubborn words, Mrs. Ziegler sighed softly. "Phoebe, whether you believe it or not, when I went to Theodore and asked him to take responsibility, it was the best choice for you."

Phoebe couldn't bear to listen any longer and forcefully hung up the phone. Leaning against the railing, she suddenly felt nauseated.

*

Mrs. Reynolds went upstairs and stopped outside Theodore and his wife's room. She raised her hand and knocked on the door several times, but no one answered. She bent down to take a peek through the crack and saw that there was a light. on inside. So, she pushed the door open and entered directly.

There was no one in the room, but she did see a tall figure standing on the terrace, surrounded by white smoke. Whether it was the darkness enveloping him or something else, his silhouette appeared desolate and lonely.

She walked through the bedroom and onto the terrace, reaching out to take the cigarette from his hand.

Theodore turned his head abruptly, and when he saw her, his newly lit eyes instantly dimmed. He licked his dry lips, and the scent of nicotine lingered between them. It was bitter, and a little harsh.

"Why have you come up here?" Theodore asked.

Mrs. Reynolds extinguished the cigarette and wrinkled her brow at the smell of smoke all over him. "Didn't I tell you to quit smoking? Why are you still smoking?"

Theodore gripped the railing with both hands and said, "I was irritated, so I smoked two."

"Is it because of Vanessa is coming back?" Mrs. Reynolds asked when she saw him freeze. She spoke with dissatisfaction, "And the argument with Phoebe, is it because of her?"