Forbidden Passion
Chapter 572 I Just Don't Want to See You

Phoebe yanked her hand back, wincing, and shot Evelyn a dirty look. "Why'd you hit me?"

Evelyn gave her a stern glare, then turned to Theodore with a forced smile, "Stop hogging the food, get some for Theodore, too." "He's got hands, doesn't he?" Phoebe snapped back.

Evelyn just stared, speechless.

Under the table, Evelyn kicked Phoebe and gave her a look. Phoebe, super annoyed, thought Theodore was a jerk for using Evelyn to boss her around. Fuming, Phoebe grabbed the plate and dumped a heap of endive onto Theodore's plate. She knew he hated endive and wanted to see him choke it down. Theodore raised an eyebrow, catching her trick of rebellion. Even if it was poison, he'd still eat it if it came from Phoebe.

He shoved the endive into his mouth, the bitter taste spreading, and chewed like a robot.

Evelyn chimed in, "Phoebe, don't just give Theodore endive. There's chicken and fish. I make a mean grilled fish. Donovan loved it."

Mentioning Donovan made the room go silent.

Phoebe buried her head in her food, ignoring Theodore next to her. She couldn't believe he had the guts to show up.

Did Theodore feel no guilt at all facing Evelyn?

The meal was a drag. After dinner, Evelyn said it was late and they should head home since they had work the next day.

Phoebe didn't want Evelyn to worry, so she grabbed her bag and reluctantly followed Theodore out.

As soon as they left, Phoebe walked the other way.

She couldn't stay at Golden Apartment; she had other places to be. No way was she going back to Imperial Apartment to play house with Theodore. Theodore quickly caught up and grabbed her wrist, his voice low, "Where are you going?"

"I'm crashing at Cindy's for a few nights. She won't kick me out. Mr. Reynolds, it's late. You should go home." Phoebe tried to pull away but couldn't. Theodore tightened his grip, pulling her close. His breath was hot on her face, "Still mad?"

Phoebe pressed her hand against his abs, glaring, "Mr. Reynolds, Donovan just died. You think I can forget that?"

Theodore sighed, "Phoebe, I told you, it wasn't on purpose."

Phoebe shot back, "If it was, you'd never set foot in my house again. Even if it wasn't intentional, you still messed up. You think I can just forget that?" Theodore stared into her eyes, losing patience, "So what do you want?"

"I don't want anything. No revenge, no payback for Donovan. I just don't want to see you." Phoebe couldn't bring herself to hurt Theodore, but she could at least stay away from him. Theodore's eyes flashed with anger. He grabbed her chin, his gaze sharp, "Are you trying to make this a big deal?"

Phoebe stayed silent.

Theodore yanked her closer, his eyes practically drilling into her soul. "Phoebe, I'm really sorry about Donovan. If I hadn't used him as bait, he wouldn't have had that accident. But don't think you can use this to ditch me. I won't let it happen!" Phoebe's eyes were full of sarcasm. "Donovan once told me that my dad's death was tied to your Reynolds Group's shipping company. I didn't believe him then, thought he was being manipulated to mess with us. But now, it seems he might've been onto something."

"Phoebe!"

"My dad's case is ancient history, but Donovan's death is on you. Losing people from my Ziegler family isn't enough? You wanna see us completely ruined?" Phoebe's voice was icy, each word cutting into Theodore's heart. Theodore's intense gaze made Phoebe uneasy. His fingers dug into her chin painfully, and they stood there, locked in a silent standoff.

After what felt like forever, as the cold wind picked up, Theodore suddenly let go, turned around, and walked away without a word, leaving Phoebe in the freezing night.

It wasn't until Theodore's figure vanished that Phoebe took a deep breath. She staggered back a few steps, leaning against a streetlamp, panting heavily.

The cold wind howled as she stood there, shivering. When she was thoroughly chilled, she picked up her fallen bag and left Golden Apartment.

Phoebe didn't go to Cindy's. Ever since she found out about Cindy and Patrick's secret fling, she felt it was awkward to visit.

She found a clean hotel, checked in, and decided to crash there for a while.

Vanessa stood at the end of the hospital corridor, watching the bare trees sway in the cold wind outside. A smug smile crept onto her lips. She'd just heard that Theodore and Phoebe had been apart for days.

Donovan's death was enough to crack their fragile marriage. She just needed to push a little more, and they'd be done for good. Footsteps approached from behind. Vanessa turned around and saw who it was. Unfazed, she said, "Why are you here?" Ruby slowly walked up to Vanessa and suddenly slapped her, making her head snap to the side and her lip split.

The taste of blood filled her mouth. She turned back, glaring at Ruby with anger. "Feeling better now, Ruby?"

Ruby clenched her fists, teeth grinding. "Did you have anything to do with Donovan's death?"

"No!"

Ruby grabbed Vanessa's collar, her eyes blazing with hatred. "I found out his car was sent for maintenance before going to the beach house. Did you mess with his brakes?" Vanessa looked at her with pity. "Ruby, you want me to take the blame for Donovan's death to ease your guilt?"

"You!"

Vanessa grabbed Ruby's wrist, prying her hand off her collar. "I may be a lot of things, but I'm not a killer. I didn't harm Donovan. His death has nothing to do with me." "I don't believe you!" Ruby glared at Vanessa.

Vanessa had once tried to set Donovan up. Although he survived, it was because Phoebe arrived in time, not because Vanessa had a change of heart.

Vanessa pushed Ruby's hand away. "Believe it or not, I didn't kill him. Maybe it was just his fate. If you hadn't argued with him and stayed behind, you might've died with him." "Vanessa!" Ruby lunged, grabbing her by the neck. "How can you be so cruel? I'll never forgive you!"