Chapter 890 Rupture
After that late-night talk, Theodore headed back to the guest room. Phoebe knew he was still mad, but she didn't think he'd stay pissed for this long.
That night, as she lay in bed, Hubert, Boris, and Noomi snuggled up beside her like always. Nothing had changed, yet she felt this sudden, overwhelming emptiness.
The next morning, Theodore left for work without a word. Phoebe stood by the roadside, watching the silver-gray Maybach drive away, and stomped her foot in frustration.
Not long after, Guadalupe pulled up in the car. Phoebe bent down to get in, feeling a bit uneasy. She decided she’d go to the Reynolds Group at lunchtime to talk to Theodore.
They lived under the same roof; did he plan to stay this distant from her?
At the office, she was busy all morning. As lunchtime approached, she told Lori not to order lunch for her and was about to leave when an unexpected visitor arrived.
It was Edward, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
The Vanderbilt Group had recently been under investigation, causing unrest within the company. Fortunately, nothing significant was found, and once the investigation team left, Edward finally had time to visit Phoebe.
In the spacious office, Phoebe stood up and joined Edward on the guest sofa. Lori brought in two cups of coffee and quietly left.
Phoebe sat properly, took a small sip of her coffee, and looked at Edward. "You look like you've lost quite a bit of weight."
Ever since Donovan had told her about Edward's scheming in Starfall City, Phoebe had mixed feelings whenever she saw Edward.
If Donovan hadn't told her himself, she would never have believed Edward capable of such things.
They had grown up together, and now, seeing him appear so gentlemanly while harboring such malicious thoughts, Phoebe felt a chill run down her spine.
If someone so close could be so calculating, who in the world could she trust?
Edward quickly noticed the change in Phoebe's gaze. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "What's wrong, Phoebe? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Phoebe blinked and said, "Maybe it's because we haven't seen each other in a while. I've been thinking a lot about our childhood lately, and it makes me feel nostalgic."
Edward smiled warmly. "Yeah, time flies. We're almost thirty now. Time waits for no one."
Phoebe couldn't help but feel sentimental. She had known Edward since the day she was born, and thinking about what she was about to say made her sad.
She took another sip of her coffee, the bitter taste lingering in her mouth. She looked at Edward and said, "Yeah, the other day, while I was choosing a preschool for Hubert, Boris, and Noomi, I suddenly remembered our first day of kindergarten."
"You were only this tall back then," Edward gestured, "with your little pigtails, looking especially cute."
Phoebe smiled. "You weren't much taller than me, and you were chubby. There was a kid in our class who always pulled my pigtails and made me cry. I remember every time I cried, you would stand in front of me and fight that kid."
The memories took them back to their childhood. Edward had always been her knight, never leaving her side. Whenever someone bullied her, he would rush over and beat them up.
Because of this, Delilah was often called to the kindergarten to apologize to other parents and then take them home, punishing Edward by not letting him have dinner.
Back then, Phoebe would secretly hide food and give it to Edward when Delilah wasn't looking.
Edward, hungry and undemanding, would eat whatever she gave him. Once, the food wasn't clean, and Edward ended up with acute gastroenteritis, vomiting, and diarrhea. As Edward grew thinner, Phoebe became deeply worried and blamed herself.
After that, Delilah couldn't bear to let Edward go hungry anymore and never punished him by withholding dinner again.
Talking about their childhood, they had endless stories to share, but the more they reminisced, the more melancholic they felt. Suddenly, Phoebe asked, "Edward, when did you change?"
Edward was taken aback, his smile freezing. He looked at Phoebe, realizing that all her buildup had been leading to this question.
"I've never changed, Phoebe. The one who changed is you," Edward said, staring straight at her.
He sensed that today would be the day they completely broke apart. For a moment, he wanted to escape, but his feet felt glued to the floor, leaving him nowhere to run.
Phoebe pressed her lips together. They looked at each other, both feeling that the person in front of them was a stranger, no longer the one they remembered.
Phoebe sighed deeply. "Edward, I've always tried to avoid our relationship reaching this point, but it seems fate had other plans."
Edward gritted his teeth and then let out a bitter laugh. "Phoebe, from the moment you got entangled with Theodore, we could never go back to the way things were."
Phoebe remained silent.
Edward's eyes filled with sadness. "There's something I've never understood. Why didn't you want to intern at the Vanderbilt Group back then? Why did you insist on going to the Reynolds Group? Had you already fallen for Theodore?"
Phoebe's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected Edward to think of her that way. "You know why I didn't want to go to the Vanderbilt Group."
"Yeah, you wanted to prove to my mom that you could make it on your own, even without the Vanderbilt Group. But I just wanted to keep you close. I felt anxious whenever I couldn't see you," Edward said.
During that time, he was always on edge, especially when he saw Phoebe accompanying Theodore at events. The way Theodore looked at Phoebe made him uneasy.
It was the look of a man admiring a woman.
He often called Phoebe, and if she didn't answer even once, he would demand to know what she was doing and why she hadn't answered.
Phoebe would always say she was in a meeting or at an event. As she got busier, she suggested moving into the company dorms, which made Edward's temper flare.
They had a cold war for over half a month. When Phoebe's project ended, she tried to make amends. Although he was still unhappy, he would immediately forgive her whenever she tried to make up.
But soon after, they would have another cold war, and Phoebe would try to make up again. This cycle continued until Phoebe got tired. The last time they fought, Phoebe suggested they take a break.
It wasn't exactly a breakup. She said they should take some time apart to cool down. Edward couldn't stand her constantly traveling with Theodore and not seeing her.
So Phoebe suggested they take a break and not see each other for a while. In a fit of anger, Edward broke up with her.
Phoebe was heartbroken for a long time. She had even decided to resign from the Reynolds Group. But before she could submit her resignation, she and Theodore had an unexpected encounter, which led to an unplanned pregnancy.
A series of unexpected events left her reeling, and by the time she came to her senses, she and Edward had already gone their separate ways.
Phoebe spoke softly, "Edward, we've known each other since we were kids. You know my character. When I was with you, I would never cheat."
Edward looked down, a self-deprecating smile on his face. "Yeah, you wouldn't cheat. But I loved you, and because I loved you, I was afraid someone would take you away."
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