“I don’t want to have to repeat myself,” Jeffrey said, using his usual tactic of control. “We’re alone in this room now. Who knows what might happenter?”


    “Threatening me? Is that all you know?” Reba shot back, her thoughts filled with contempt. ‘He’s really shameless,’ she thought.


    Jeffrey’s eyes locked onto her with overwhelming intensity, making it hard to breathe. Reba felt an uneasy dread gnawing at her from within. She quickly looked away, refusing to meet his eyes, but gave up struggling.


    Jeffrey, knowing how stubborn she was, bent down right in front of her. Hisrge hand carefully lifted her ankle, and with those slender, pale fingers of his, he gently peeled off the sloppily stuck Band–Aid.


    Since he knew she couldn’t handle pain, he softly blew on her wound the whole time, trying to soothe it for her.


    Watching him being so patient and gentle, just like always, Reba just couldn’t figure out why he’d want to spend his whole life looking after Andrea. “Jeffrey.” She called him.


    Without even looking up, he kept tending to her wound, his movements gentle as ever.


    “Why are you with Andrea?” Reba asked seriously. The question was heavier this time.


    Jeffrey’s hand stilled mid–motion. His eyes suddenly clouded over with emotion impossible to read.


    Remembering what she’d saidst time, he swallowed back the exnation he’d been about to give, then shot her own words back at her. “Didn’t you say it didn’t matter?”


    Reba forced herself to swallow down every feeling, burying it deep inside. The room sank into silence, and the silence between them hung heavily in the air.


    Jeffrey finished wrapping her ankle with practiced care, double–checked his work, then quietly got up and took a seat beside her on the couch.


    “Try to keep it dry for the next couple of days if you want it to heal faster.” Jeffrey reminded her, handing over the bag of meds. “Every night, just follow exactly what I did.”


    Reba took the bag, sounding almost indifferent. “Okay.”


    “Didn’t you say it didn’t matter? So why are you mad now?” Jeffrey could read her like a book, right down to those tiny shifts in her mood. He knew she was throwing his words right back at him.


    “I’m not mad,” Reba said, sounding as calm as ever.


    But deep inside, she knew she was a little pissed off. She knew it made no sense, she knew it was irrational, but she just couldn’t stop herself.


    “I know why you’re mad,” Jeffrey said. He got how stubborn and proud she was. “But do you really want to hear the real answer?”


    Reba hesitated for a second, her mind going nk. To her, the answer didn’t really matter anymore. No matter what he said, it wouldn’t change a single thing between them.


    Regardless of why he was with Andrea, it was true that he had decided to support Andrea for life. It was also true that he had forced Reba to apologize and had transferred assets during their marriage, ignoring Reba’s contributions to the family.


    There were just too many problems standing between them. From that moment, she knew that they couldn’t go back.


    Seeing her expression, Jeffrey knew exactly what she was thinking. His hand involuntarily clenched, and it felt as though a jagged, barbed knife had pierced his chest and then been yanked out, leaving him bleeding and in agonizing, unbearable pain.


    For a brief moment, he felt the urge to demand why she couldn’t choose him just once, firmly and without hesitation. But he was acutely aware of what her answer would be if he posed that question.


    “Whenever youe back, that’s when I’ll give you your answer,” Jeffrey said, masking everything behind his usual calm. “If there’s anything you want to know, just ask. I’ll tell you everything.”


    Reba curled her lips into a mocking grin. “Keep dreaming.”


    Jeffrey shot right back. “I’m not kidding.”


    “Just give it up already,” Reba said coldly, never once wavering on this. “I’d rather beg for scraps and starve to death than evere back to you.”


    “Don’t act so sure about things you can’t predict,” Jeffrey replied, voice steady and low. “And don’t forget, your words have a habit ofing back to bite you.”


    Reba didn’t want to talk to him anymore. Her dislike for him had reached a peak, but she also couldn’t swallow this indignation, so after a moment of silence, she retorted with emotion, “Why do you always insist on holding me back?”


    “Because you’re Reba,” Jeffrey replied.


    go


    “Then I’ll just go change my name.” Reba shot back, her mood clearly sour. “Maybe you should find yourself another Reba if that’s all it takes.”


    Jeffrey’s eyes held a mix of emotions as he looked at her. In the end, he didn’t argue back, fearing that it would only make her angrier.


    After a while, Reba’s emotions had calmed down a bit. Just as she was about to tell Jeffrey to leave, there was amotion outside the door. The door opened, and Samuel’s small figure rushed in, calling out. “Mommy.”


    Reba was stunned for a moment. She hadn’t expected Samuel to arrive so fast.


    “Are you alright, Mom? Where did you get hurt?” Samuel looked her up and down, his gaze finallynding on her bandaged ankle. “Is it your foot?”


    “Just a little scrape. Nothing big.” Reba reassured him, gently tousling his hair.


    70


    35 vouchers


    Samuel’s tension melted away, and he straightened up like a little champ, giving Jeffrey a skeptical stare. “So this is what you call a serious injury?”


    Jeffrey was cool as ice, not even blinking. Samuel frowned, his voice sharp for his age.


    “Serious?”


    “The cut’s not big, but if it gets infected and we don’t treat it, she might actually lose her foot,” Jeffrey said, totally deadpan, making it sound like a real medical warning when it was pretty much impossible.


    Samuel and Reba just stared, lost for words. “You liar,” Samuel said, knowing that his excessive worry had caused Reba to meet Jeffrey alone.


    Jeffrey arched his brow. “What did I lie about?”


    Samuel nced at Reba’s bandaged ankle, then fixed Jeffrey with a skeptical stare, clearly not buying his story. He didn’t say a word, but his meaning was obvious.


    “I didn’t really check your mom’s wound at the time. Who knows if there was any rust on that broken ss<b>?</b>” Jeffrey said, dead serious, making it sound totally legit even though he was just making stuff up.


    “You swear?” Samuel challenged, eyes narrowed, refusing to let it slide.


    Jeffrey just shot him a level look, totally unfazed. “Swear to what, exactly?”


    Samuel stared right at him, his little mouth slightly open as he asked, “You came in just to check on Mom’s injury, right? If that’s not true, then you and Mom have zero chance, ever.”


    Jeffrey’s hand, which had been absently rubbing his phone, stilled. ‘He knows just how to put me on the spot, he thought with a mix of amusement.


    “Swear and I’ll believe you,” Samuel said, lifting his chin. “Then I won’t even hold this lie against you.”


    “Swearing means nothing,” Jeffrey said coolly, barely moving his lips. “Why waste your breath on that kind of stuff? Just ask your mom what I did after I came in.”


    Samuel nced at Reba. She really didn’t want to take Jeffrey’s side, but with her kid staring at her, she couldn’t lie. “He just bandaged my foot. That’s it.”


    Since Reba said so, Samuel believed her. However, he nced at the door he had left open and, in a clear voice, said, “Mr. Hanson, Mommy and I are going to rest now. You can leave.”