Forbidden Passion
Chapter 456 Am I the One You Want?

Phoebe frowned. "Theodore, you're being unreasonable. I only found out you were coming the morning we left. How could I have known Edward would be here?" "You didn't seem surprised to see him," Theodore snapped.

Phoebe didn't want to argue. "You're right, I wasn't surprised because I saw him when I got out of the car this morning. Theodore, don't overanalyze things."

Theodore took off his jacket and walked over to Phoebe, pressing her against the wall, his breath heavy with frustration.

"Stop giving me reasons to overthink, Phoebe. I saw you two exchanging looks," Theodore warned.

Phoebe closed her eyes. "You used to exchange glances with Vanessa all the time. Did I mention anything about it?"

"That was normal interaction," Theodore replied.

"Normal interaction?" Phoebe sneered, looking up at his angry face. "You picked her up from Lindell Harbor, gave her a diamond ring, and even a company. How is that normal?" "When did I give her a diamond ring?" Theodore asked.

Phoebe pushed his hand aside, whipped out her phone, and scoured Vanessa's News Feed for the photo. Yet, Vanessa's feed was squeaky clean.

"I saw her post a photo. Where did it go?" Phoebe frowned, suspecting Vanessa's posts were hidden from her.

"I never gave her a ring, Phoebe. Stop making things up," Theodore said.

Phoebe bit her lip. "Fine, even if you didn't give her a ring, you gave her a company. You handed over my sweat and tears to your first love. Did I complain about it?"

"I'll give it to you. Do you want it?" Theodore suddenly said.

Phoebe was stunned.

Theodore looked at her, almost smiling. "You don't want it. You don't want anything I give you. Phoebe, what do you really want?"

It was the first time Phoebe had seen Theodore like this. He seemed like a restless beast trapped in a cage. She opened her mouth but couldn't speak.

She thought, 'I don't want anything. I just want you! But am I the one you want?'

Theodore cast his eyes downward and fixed them on her. As he watched her battle for words, a chill crept into his heart. Without a word, he gently pushed past her, swung open the door, and exited. Phoebe slid down the wall, covering her face with her hands. Soon, her palms were wet with tears, and she felt a dull pain in her chest.

After a while, she stood up, found some ointment in her suitcase, and picked up Theodore's jacket from the bed.

Phoebe went to the hotel lobby and saw two people on an old sofa. Theodore, with a cigarette dawdling in his mouth, gazed rebelliously, while his hand was being held by another.

Violet sat next to him, gently disinfecting his wound. "Mr. Reynolds, you're so badly injured. How could Ms. Ziegler not help you?"

Theodore exhaled smoke and glanced at her coldly. "Don't mention her in front of me."

Violet lowered her eyes, feeling pleased. It seemed Theodore's words in the snow were insincere.

"Alright, we won't mention her. Mr. Reynolds, how about my performance tonight?" Violet asked.

Theodore had no idea what she had performed. He pulled his hand back. "Your skills are lacking. You need more practice."

Violet's heart skipped a beat. "I understand. So tonight..."

Theodore put out his cigarette, stood up, and said, "Thanks for bandaging my wound. When we get back to Kedora, go to Queen Entertainment and find Vanessa. She'll set you up with resources." Violet's mind raced with thoughts of the opportunities. It seemed cozying up to Theodore was paying off. She nodded excitedly. "Thank you, Mr. Reynolds. I'll make the most of it." Theodore turned and left.

As he walked towards her, Phoebe quickly ran up the stairs. Back in the room, she stuffed the ointment back into her suitcase and hung the jacket on the coat rack.

Phoebe rushed into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. She heard the door open outside, and her heart pounded.

She took a deep breath, waited for her heartbeat to calm, and then went out.

Theodore was sitting on the bed, smelling of smoke. Phoebe noticed a band-aid on his hand and looked away.

She lifted the blanket and lay down.

Theodore glanced at her, seeing her back turned to him. He pressed his lips together and went to the bathroom.

Throughout the night, they didn't exchange a single word.

The next morning, Theodore got up to find Phoebe already gone. They were heading to the next place. After breakfast, the convoy set off.

The deeper they went into the mountains, the colder it got. Three days later, they reached their final stop, near the northernmost point, where it was freezing and known for auroras. It was Phoebe's first time in such cold. Every time she spoke, white puffs of breath came out, and her ears and cheeks turned red.

Phoebe hadn't experienced frostbite in years, but now her fingers were swollen and red. However, she always wore gloves that no one noticed the condition.

Lately, Phoebe and Theodore found themselves embroiled in a silent conflict, maintaining a professional facade in public but giving each other the cold shoulder in private.

This is what it meant to share a bed yet dream diverging dreams.

Kristoff said, "Ms. Ziegler, I heard there's a amazing church here. After we deliver the supplies, we should check it out."

Phoebe, not quite feeling it at the moment, asked, "How far is it?""

Scratching his head, Kristoff replied, "It's not far at all. And trust me, it's absolutely stunning.""

Phoebe said, "You guys go ahead. I'll pass."

"Come on, let's go together. It's really something you shouldn't miss," Kristoff urged.

Phoebe looked at Theodore, who was loading supplies in the distance. The tension between them had lingered for days, and now they were preparing to depart. Was it time to bury the hatchet and reconcile with him?

As she contemplated approaching him, a sudden movement caught her eye. A slender figure rushed towards Theodore, reaching him before Phoebe could even take a step."Mr. Reynolds, I heard there's a church nearby. How about we check it out this afternoon?" Violet, donning a vibrant red hat, suggested cheerfully.

Theodore responded with a dismissive tone, "I'm not really into that."

Violet hurriedly covered his mouth. "Oh, come on, Mr. Reynolds, let's go together."

Theodore leaned back to avoid her hand. "You guys go ahead. I won't."

Violet had tried everything in the past few days but hadn't gotten any closer to Theodore. He had said he would give her resources that night. Did she misunderstand?