Forbidden Passion

They trudged upstairs, and Cindy swung the door open and strolled in. She hadn't been back in two months, and just had the cleaning crew over yesterday. The floor was squeaky clean.

Cindy grabbed two pairs of slippers. Phoebe swapped her shoes, helped Cindy lug her bag into the living room, and spotted Cindy's personal poster that always popped up in her videos.

A huge poster hung behind the sofa, showing a side profile with dramatic lighting and a killer artistic vibe.

Phoebe stood by the sofa, soaking it in, and said, "Every time I see this in your vids, I gotta say, this photo is drop-dead gorgeous."

Cindy pulled out some clothes and handed them to Phoebe, "Go on, hit the shower, get outta those bloody clothes, hurry up." Phoebe took the clothes and headed to the guest bathroom to shower.

The water splashed, and Phoebe stood under the showerhead, eyes closed, head tilted back, letting the water cascade over her face. The cold droplets hit her, and the scene of Theodore jumping in front of the knife replayed in her mind. Phoebe wiped the water off her face.

She muttered, "Stop thinking about it, Phoebe! You chose to divorce for a reason. There's no future with Theodore. Don't get swayed just 'cause he was nice. Remember, you still have Hubert, Boris, and Noomi."

It wasn't until the cold water washed away all her jumbled thoughts that she turned off the valve, grabbed a towel, dried off, and got dressed.

Cindy had already showered in the master bedroom, changed into fresh clothes, and was busy in the kitchen.

The fridge was packed with fresh veggies and meat, thanks to the cleaning service. Cindy picked out a few things and started prepping dinner.

Cindy's recent film shoot was in the boonies, and every day they had bland boxed meals from miles away.

Cindy had been drooling over food pics on her phone every day, and now that she was back, she couldn't wait to whip up a feast.

Phoebe came out with her hair dried and heard the water running in the kitchen. She walked in and saw Cindy expertly washing veggies.

Phoebe asked, "Aren't you beat from just getting back? How about we grab something to eat out?"

"Do you really wanna go out right now? Just chill, I'll cook. I've picked up some new recipes that are better than a five-star chef's."

Phoebe asked, "Need any help?"

"Just hang out and chat with me," Cindy nodded her chin, "By the way, how's the guy who saved you? With all that blood, he must be pretty messed up, right?"

Phoebe looked down, staring blankly at the grout lines on the floor tiles. Cindy nudged her, "What are you zoning out for?"

Phoebe replied, "The guy who saved me was Theodore."

The potato in Cindy's hand slipped back into the sink. She turned, staring at Phoebe in disbelief, "Wait, who?"

Phoebe pursed her lips, "Theodore, he happened to be at that hospital."

Cindy was speechless. After a couple of minutes, she said, "So, what's his deal?"

Phoebe was confused, "I have no idea."

Cindy had been bouncing between Kedora and Caneda for the past two years, and she was more in the loop than Phoebe, especially since she was in the gossip central, the film crew. When folks had nothing better to do, they'd gossip about the Kedora elite. Cindy had heard more than once that Theodore was seeing some young, hot chick from the Ramirez Family. Cindy had seen Sandra from afar. She was definitely a looker, but her eyes seemed oddly familiar.

Later, Cindy realized Sandra's eyes looked a lot like Phoebe's.

Eyes were the windows to the soul, and Sandra's eyes were full of love when she looked at Theodore.

Cindy had also heard another juicy tidbit. Apparently, Theodore had a one-night stand with Sandra two years ago, and she ghosted him the next morning. Theodore searched the whole city for her and finally found Sandra. Sandra owned up to it, and they ended up together, already talking marriage.

But with all that, what was Theodore doing sniffing around Phoebe?

"Phoebe, for the past two years I've been dying to ask, do you really have no feelings left for Theodore, or are you just pissed he saved Vanessa first?" Cindy asked straight up.

Phoebe was stunned for a bit. She licked her dry lips and said, "Does it matter?"

"Yeah," Cindy nodded seriously, "It's super important. It decides whether I should talk him up or trash him."

Phoebe chuckled, "Have you forgotten about my three little ones?"

Cindy was speechless.

She admitted, she had totally forgotten about the triplets. Cindy dejectedly picked up the potato and kept peeling, "Alright, that jerk doesn't deserve to have them." Phoebe smiled. She was once again grateful for her decision to have Hubert, Boris, and Noomi back then because their existence snapped her back to reality. Her future was all about them. Love was a pipe dream. She wouldn't lose herself in it again.

Over at the Ramirez Family mansion, Sandra was chasing Benjamin around. She was exhausted and just stood to catch her breath when her phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Sandra's brow furrowed as she answered, "What's up?"

"Ms. Ramirez, our people got nabbed and are being grilled at the police station. I'm afraid she might spill everything." The voice on the other end was super anxious.

"She's not that dumb; she won't rat us out. What's the deal with Phoebe?" Sandra looked at Benjamin not far away and lowered her voice to ask.

"She's fine. Someone took the knife for her."

Sandra frowned, a cold and sinister look flashing in her eyes, "Who was the busybody, Noah?"

"No." The person on the other end hesitated, not daring to say Theodore's name for a long time.

Sandra lost her patience and snapped, "Stop stammering, who got hurt?"

"It was Mr. Reynolds. He was at the hospital at the time. No one expected him to rush over and take the knife for Phoebe. Ms. Ramirez, what should we do now? Mr. Reynolds got stabbed, and things have blown up. If he investigates..." The person's voice grew more panicked.

Sandra's heart tightened, her face turning pale, "Who took the knife for her?"

"It was Mr. Reynolds, your boyfriend."

Sandra stared blankly ahead, her phone slipping from her hand and shattering on the ground, but the call was still connected.

The person on the other end called out several times before hearing Sandra's weak voice, "Get a lawyer to the police station and have her confess that Vanessa ordered her."

"Yes, I'll handle it right away."

Sandra stood in place, her hand gripping the phone tightly, the broken screen pieces digging into her palm, but she didn't feel it.

She cursed inwardly, 'Phoebe, damn you!'