Chapter 89 Satisfaction
Regina felt dizzy. She shook her head and croaked, "No, it's not."
She instinctively wanted to defend Douglas. "How could it be you?"
Philip had kept calling the person a "rapist," and Regina had started to believe it. She hated that night and the person involved, so she couldn't transfer all that hate to Douglas.
"It was me," Douglas said softly, but it hit Regina like a ton of bricks.
"That night at the Peace Club, you drank too much. I found you stumbling out."
In the aftermath, they became intimately entwined countless times. While Regina's helplessness and pain were palpable, Douglas found a disturbing satisfaction in their encounters.
That night was one he would replay in his mind over and over, yet avoid delving into too deeply.
No one could truly understand the emotions he felt when she fell into his arms, the complex mixture of elation and a profound sense of having something precious reclaimed.
To be precise, before this, he had never truly had Regina.
"I took advantage of the situation and did something terrible. I'm sorry," Douglas admitted, knowing "sorry" wasn't enough.
Regina's mind was shattered by his words. She stared at him, speechless and unable to move closer.
It was a visceral, instinctive response, a defense mechanism in the face of overwhelming shock.
To Douglas, Regina's silence spoke volumes.
As Douglas tried to step forward, Regina bolted past him like a scared deer. She ran to her room and closed the door gently, trying to control herself.
Douglas stood frozen, his entire being tense and immobile.
The air around him felt suffocating, thick with an almost palpable pressure. His gaze remained fixed on her door, every muscle in his body taut as if ready to snap.
Yes, he had envisioned this moment long ago, dreaming of the perfect opportunity to come clean. He had planned and gambled, aiming to minimize the harm he'd caused while selfishly hoping for a way out unscathed.
He knew there was only one way to achieve these goals.
But now, it seemed he had failed.
The next morning at nine, someone knocked on Regina's door. She hadn't planned to go out. She sat on her bed, eyes vacant.
The knocking continued relentlessly, each knock seeming to promise an endless barrage until she responded.
Regina took a deep breath and finally opened the door after hesitating.
"Ms. Valrose, you're finally awake? Get up and have some breakfast," said Betty.
Regina was stunned. She hadn't expected to see Betty. She instinctively glanced past Betty, her eyes searching the empty space behind her. The void in her field of vision mirrored the void she felt inside, leaving her emotions tangled and undefined.
Betty usually got along great with Regina. Her food was delicious, and she was straightforward yet meticulous. She spoke earnestly, like talking to her own child, "I didn't want to keep knocking, but you haven't eaten since yesterday morning, right? You need to eat breakfast today. If you don't, I'll have to nag you. You can go back to sleep after eating."
Regina asked, "Why are you here? Weren't you on a two-week vacation?"
"Things at home got sorted out, and I had nothing to do, so I came back," Betty replied, not mentioning that Douglas had paid her ten times her usual salary to come back and cook for Regina. He just wanted Regina to eat at least two meals a day.
Regina listened and walked to the dining room. Betty had prepared a lot of food, but there was only one set of utensils on the table.
Seeing Regina not touching the fork, Betty quickly said, "Mr. Semona went out early this morning, probably for something important."
Regina didn't speak. She picked up a bowl of light soup and slowly drank it.
"Here, Ms. Valrose, try this," Betty said, handing her a fried crab claw with a clean fork. "And this," she added, giving her a donut.
All morning, Regina kept hearing, "Ms. Valrose, eat this," "Ms. Valrose, try that," "Is it good, Ms. Valrose?" "Do you want some more, Ms. Valrose?"
The more Regina listened, the more she realized something was amiss. Yet, she couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong. It wasn't until Betty addressed her as "Ms. Valrose" once more that the realization dawned on her.
Previously, Betty hadn't referred to her this way. She always called Regina "Mrs. Semona."
Betty's sudden change of address felt awkward, even to her, but this morning, Douglas had insisted on numerous details before leaving, including not mentioning him around Regina and not calling her "Mrs. Semona."
After taking a sip of her drink, Regina stood up. "I'm full."
Betty didn't stop her and let her go back to her room to rest. She didn't disturb Regina again. However, at noon and then again in the evening, Betty gently urged Regina to come out and eat something.
Throughout the day, Regina didn't see Douglas again. She had no idea what he was thinking now, and frankly, she wasn't very clear-headed herself. So, it was probably for the best that they stayed apart.
After a bath, Regina lay on the bed, staring at the crystal chandelier. Her mind finally cleared a bit, and some images surfaced.
She thought of the night she left the Peace Club, their blind date at the coffee shop, and the red hairband she found in Douglas' study, which he had once used to blindfold her and kiss her.
At that time, she felt something was off but kept looking for reasons within herself. She never believed Douglas could be the man from that night.
As more and more details surfaced, Regina realized with growing clarity that from the very beginning, she had been caught in a trap he had set for her.
