Chapter 8

"Shut your damn mouth, you little punk! This marriage won't be over until Rebecca says it is! You got no right talking divorce to her!" Melissa hit and scolded Theodore fiercely. Even at her age, Melissa managed a few blows before she was out of breath.

"Theodore, you apologize to Rebecca right now. Don't upset your grandmother anymore!" Sam finally spoke sternly. Even though Sam was old, his words carried immense authority. Theodore froze, looking at Sam.

Sam continued, his face stern, "You're a grown-up now. You should know what to do! Do you need me to spell it out for you?"

Suddenly, a cough echoed through the room. Everyone was startled, looking anxiously at Melissa. Theodore rushed forward to support her. Melissa coughed a few times, then looked at Rebecca and the children. Her voice was raspy as she said, "Rebecca, honey, this is all Theodore's fault, but… could you forgive Theodore for the children's sake? If you two divorce, the children won't have a whole family. If that punk ever lets you down again, you come to me, and I'll teach him a lesson!" Melissa's voice was filled with weariness and a hint of pleading.

Debra was furious. That old witch was playing the sympathy card! Melissa was sick and might not have many days left. If Rebecca didn't give in now and something happened to Melissa, people would say Rebecca was responsible for Melissa's death! This was just ruthless! "Hey, what's all this about?" Debra interrupted. "Rebecca just had twins a few days ago. She's exhausted and needs her rest. Can't you give her a break while she recovers?"

She turned to Rebecca. "Honey, you hardly slept last night with the little ones waking up every hour. Now that the babies are finally quiet, get some rest. Otherwise, you'll have to get up again to feed them."

Rebecca blinked and looked at her mother. Debra helped Rebecca lie down and carefully covered her with a blanket.

"Alright, Rebecca needs to sleep now. Everyone, let's give her some space and go out," Debra said, ushering everyone out.

Debra's tactics were just as effective as Melissa's. One used age and illness to guilt Rebecca into forgiving Theodore, while the other used Rebecca's exhaustion as a counterattack. Debra not only shot down Melissa's request but also managed to politely get everyone out of the room.

Since Rebecca had lain down to rest, everyone had no choice but to leave and give her some peace and quiet. But Debra couldn't just kick them out of the house entirely. As much as she wanted to, Rebecca and Theodore weren't officially divorced yet. The house was still legally Theodore's, part of the Edwards' property. If they wanted to stay in their own home, she couldn't force them to leave.

So, Sam and Melissa moved into the villa. Not only did they move in, but they also demanded that Theodore move back and live there permanently. They ordered Theodore to treat Rebecca well and to stop being a jerk! Deep down, Theodore didn't want to, but due to her frail health, he couldn't risk upsetting her and making her condition worse. So, he had no choice but to agree to move back.

Meanwhile, at Mitchell Villa…

A loud crash echoed through the room as an expensive bottle of lotion shattered against the mirror, leaving shards of glass scattered across the floor.

"Weren't they supposed to get a divorce? Who the hell told Sam and Melissa about this?!" Janet, pregnant, threw her makeup in a fit of rage, trembling with anger.

"Janet, please calm down. You need to think about the baby," her manager, Lisa Adams, anxiously tried to soothe her.

Janet's face was dark with fury. She ordered, "Lisa, I want someone on this right now. Find proof that Rebecca deliberately leaked that information to Melissa. I'm giving it straight to Theodore." Lisa was surprised. "Janet, are you saying… Rebecca was the one who told Melissa?"

"Who else could it be?" Janet sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "My baby is about to be born, and if it's a boy, Theodore's father, Michael Edwards, will definitely agree to our marriage. She's just getting desperate!"

Lisa hesitated. "But Rebecca had twins, a boy and a girl… She already has a son."

Janet scoffed, "So what? Rebecca's just some adopted kid my parents took in. If I don't like her, the Mitchell family doesn't give a damn about her, let alone give her a penny! Michael wanted an heir, and he loves money. If both Rebecca and I give the Edwards family sons, he will definitely choose me as Theodore's wife, not an adopted nobody like Rebecca! Cut the crap, Lisa. Go get to it. If you find something, great. If not, make something up. We have to make everyone believe that Rebecca's the one behind all this."

"Got it," Lisa quickly agreed.

"Oh, one more thing," Janet added. "Once I have the baby, I'll be ready to make a comeback. Keep an eye out for any opportunities for me."

Lisa was stunned for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

Rebecca woke up from a nap and realized it was already late at night. She instinctively reached for the light to check on the children. She reached for the bedside lamp and clicked it on, waking Debra, who was sound asleep beside her.

Debra blinked, still a bit groggy, but quickly became alert. She looked at Rebecca with concern. "Becky, what's wrong? Are you thirsty? Do you want some water? Or do you need to use the bathroom? Mommy will go with you." As Debra spoke, she started to get up.

Rebecca quickly grabbed her mom's hand. "No, Mom, it's okay. I just wanted to check on the babies."

Debra paused and smiled. "Alright, I will bring the babies over." The babies had been sleeping for a while now. It was probably time for a diaper change anyway. A wet diaper wasn't good for the babies' health.

Rebecca also got out of bed. She had been lying down for most of the day and felt a bit stiff, needing to stretch. Seeing this, Debra quickly fetched a thick coat for her and draped it over her shoulders to keep her warm.

"Make sure to wear more clothes when you get up. Don't catch a cold," Debra reminded.

"Okay, thanks, Mom…" Rebecca said, but Debra quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. Debra glanced cautiously outside, took out her phone, and communicated with her daughter via text.

As Rebecca read the message, she finally understood why Debra hadn't exposed their true relationship earlier. It turned out that Debra was worried that if the Edwards family found out about her connection to the Carter family, they would refuse to go through with the divorce, throwing her future into jeopardy. Once the divorce was finalized, it would be the right time to reveal the truth.

Rebecca thought about this and then picked up her phone, typing a message in the notepad: [Thank you, Mom.] Just three words, but they spoke volumes of their deep bond. After reading each other's messages, they quickly deleted them, leaving nothing to chance.