Ignoring the warning bells going off in her gut, Rachel began to invite Derek to her apartment for lunch, dinner, and sometimes breakfast. She did that under the guise that having him around made Zoe happy, whereas, in truth, she was the one who wanted him around her every time.
During these cozy moments, they began to tell each other more about their background and growing-up experiences. Derek even opened up to her about his parents’ toxic marriage and how his mother had died tragically in a plane crash with her Russian lover. Rachel also confided in him about how her father had abandoned them when she was twelve years old and ran off with a woman he met at rehab where he was admitted for his drinking problem. She told him how heartbroken she’d been ten years later when they got the new
