Chapter 88 It Was Me
Regina's eyes lingered on the final line of the message, her lashes fluttering with a heavy tremor.
She didn't know how much time had passed before, with trembling fingers, she dialed Douglas' number.
He picked up after one ring.
Douglas, struggling to mask his unease, ventured, "Where are you right now?"
Hearing his voice made Regina even sadder.
She didn't answer his question. Instead, she asked, "Why did you come to Normon City?"
"To be with you for the radio drama recording, and I have something to tell you."
Regina's mind was a mess. She didn't connect the dots that Douglas was actually Dougal.; she thought he just came for the event.
"Sorry, I can't record today. I've talked to the producer, and we need to postpone."
"Why?"
Her thoughts were too chaotic to focus on anything.
"Can you not ask right now?" Regina looked out at the white expanse, her voice trembling. "Can we still get tickets to go back to Oriant City today?"
Douglas felt a bit relieved hearing she wanted to go home.
"Yes."
"Then let's go home."
"Okay."
Regina hung up and sent Douglas her location.
Soon, he was there.
Seeing her red eyes, Douglas felt a pang in his heart.
He walked over and pulled her into his arms.
Despite being enveloped in Douglas' broad, warm embrace, Regina remained rigid and cold.
He held her silently for a long time.
Finally, Douglas said, "Alright, let's go home."
He had many questions, but seeing her like this, he held back. It felt like any more questions would just hurt her more.
That night, they went back to Oriant City.
Douglas noticed Regina trying to act calm, but her every move showed her defensiveness and resistance.
After she sat silently on the couch for two hours, Douglas approached, bent down to carry her to the room, and she instinctively shrank back.
It was as if she was reacting to some extreme stress.
Douglas' outstretched hand froze mid-air.
He seemed to sense something intangible, and a cold glint shadowed his eyes.
He stood by her side for a while.
"I'll take a shower first. I'll sleep after that. Don't worry about me. I'm just in a bad mood. Maybe I'll feel better after some sleep."
Regina still believed she could forget everything, even if it hurt.
Distracted, she walked to the bathroom, undressed, and stood under the shower, scrubbing her skin hard until it turned red.
It seemed like Regina wanted to peel off her own skin. It was absurd.
Thinking back to that night, Regina found it both absurd and pathetic.
Regina took an unusually long shower. It wasn't until Douglas knocked on the bathroom door to remind her that she snapped back to reality, drying herself off before slipping into a fresh set of pajamas and emerging from the bathroom.
She lay on the bed, eyes closed, trying to sleep, but the memories of that night kept flooding back.
Outside, Douglas sat on the couch, chain-smoking.
The living room was dark, the only light coming from his cigarette.
Douglas had always been perceptive.
Even the smallest change in Regina's expression usually caught his attention, let alone her obvious distress now.
Leaning wearily against the sofa, Douglas watched as the cigarette burned down to his fingertips. He seemed oblivious to the discomfort, even intentionally pressing the ember into his palm as if deriving some twisted pleasure from the pain.
The next day, Regina still hadn't left the bedroom.
When Douglas opened the door, she was sitting on the bed, staring blankly.
Hearing him approach, she finally looked up.
After a sleepless night, Regina knew she couldn't keep this up.
Regina said, "I have something to tell you."
That night, that stain, she couldn't shake it off.
No matter how Douglas would see her after this, she had to say it.
"Did Philip come to see you? What did he say?"
To her surprise, Douglas spoke first, as if he already knew, pinpointing her experience.
Regina looked at him in disbelief.
Douglas' eyes were fixed on her.
The room felt eerily quiet.
"Did Philip tell you that the person with you at the Seasons Hotel that night wasn't him?
"Did he mention the Seasons Hotel to you before?"
"Yes."
Regina clenched her sweaty palm.
She thought, 'Why did Philip go to Douglas about this?
'When did Douglas find out?
'Why didn't he ask me immediately?
'After all, I'm his wife.
'His wife has once been with a...'
The word 'rapist' hadn't fully formed in her mind when Douglas said, "I'm sorry, I've been hiding this from you."
Facing her shocked gaze, he confessed, "The person that night was me."
Regina's long nails were bent and broken against the palms of her tightly clenched hands, but she didn’t even flinch.
She held her breath, staring at Douglas.
She wanted to speak, but no sound came from her dry throat.
Douglas grabbed her tightly clenched hand, prying open her fingers one by one.
As the tension released, Regina went limp, like someone on the brink of collapse.
"It was me," Douglas said after a long pause. "The person you had that encounter with at the Seasons Hotel… it was me. To put it another way, the rapist you thought you knew was me."
