:.
Jeffrey kept hisposure, betraying no hint of emotion at Andrea’s query.
His unresponsiveness unsettled Andrea.
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“As long as I haven’t earned a death sentence, I’m the only one who gets to decide my fate,” Jeffrey responded, his voice calm and deliberate. “Even if you did save my life, that doesn’t give you the right to make decisions. for me.”
Andrea’s fingers clenched her sleeves tighter, feeling a heavy weight pressing on her heart.
Jeffrey’s rationality was almost terrifying. He was indeed a madman when it came to logic.
“Is there anything else you need?” Jeffrey inquired.
“No,” Andrea replied, feeling utterly drained and helpless from his brief response. “You can leave.”
Jeffrey gave a subtle nod and exited the room.
Andrea observed as his figure gradually vanished from sight. Her heart should have been crushed, but at that very instant, her fixation only intensified.
A voice echoed persistently in her mind, “If Reba can have him, so can you. He doesn’t love you because he met Reba first. If Reba were gone, he’d finally see you.”
Andrea thought, ‘That’s right. It’s all Reba’s fault. If she weren’t there, everything would have changed. Eliminate Reba, and he’ll have no choice but to truly see me.
Jeffrey left the hospital and went straight to Maple Garden. He showered and changed at his ce before heading to Reba’s.
Seeing him, Reba tried to shut the door, but he easily pushed his way in. At that moment, Reba realized how important a security camera was.
“This is trespassing,” Reba used.
Jeffrey handed her his phone, coolly saying, “Go ahead and call the police.”
Reba was speechless, thinking, ‘What can he do except this?‘
She’d have called without hesitation if not for Samuel.
“Yes,” Samuel chimed in, stepping forward with his smartwatch glowing. “Hello, police officer. A man broke into our house. My mom told him to leave, but he won’t.”
Reba paused, one eyebrow arched in surprise.
Jeffrey looked bewildered.
<b>12:21 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
They both stood there, momentarily taken aback.
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The officer’s voice came through on Samuel’s smartwatch immediately. “Are you and your mom safe at the moment?”
“We’re safe,” Samuel answered, his tone mature for his age. “But this man has been entering our home without permission multiple times, and it’s causing a lot of distress for us. I’d appreciate it if you coulde and have a word with him.”
After asking a few more questions and getting their address, the officer ended the call.
Reba hesitated before asking, “Sweetie, did you really just call the police?”
Samuel nodded. “Yes, I did.”
Jeffrey was speechless, wondering, ‘He’s my son. How can he treat me like this?‘
“Mr. Hanson is connected to me, so you’ve tolerated him, but ignoring him just lets him push further. If we keep backing down, he’ll get worse. We need to face this head–on,” Samuel said earnestly.
Reba was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Samuel to speak up so strongly..
She reached out to affectionately ruffle his hair, her voice warm with pride. “You’re absolutely right, honey.”
Jeffrey observed their exchange. Instead of irritation, he felt an unexpected sense of pride. Samuel was brave enough to call the police to safeguard Reba.
It was a good thing. Indeed, Samuel’s devotion to Reba was remarkable.
He was so protective of her that he’d readily side against Jeffrey if it meant keeping her safe.
“Mr. Hanson, I’ve contacted the police,” Samuel dered, standing by Reba’s side, his height barely reaching her waist. “If you leave now and wait for them outside, they might go easier on you.”
Jeffrey walked up to Samuel. “Didn’t your dad ever tell you not to call the cops right in front of the bad guy?”
“No,” Samuel answered honestly, without hesitation. “He’s always with other women. Too busy for me.”
Jeffrey clenched his jaw and pinched Samuel’s cheek. “You’re really good at making things up. I don’t recall your parents teaching you how to lie so well.”
Samuel frowned, wincing. “Ouch. That hurts!”
“What are you doing?” Reba pulled Jeffrey’s hand away, making him release Samuel.
Feeling her touch after such a long time, Jeffrey naturally nced at her slender, pale hand. He couldn’t resist joking, “I’m pretty sure victims don’t just grab the bad guy’s hand like that.”
Reba and Samuel were kind of speechless.
Samuel was surprised he had the nerve to say that and retorted, “You are so shameless.”
12:21
“Well, if I hadn’t been shameless, you wouldn’t even be here,” Jeffrey replied calmly.
Reba and Samuel fell silent again.
They both sensed that Jeffrey was behaving oddly today, not overtly, but there was a definite, subtle shift in his demeanor from what they’d seentely.
<i>“</i>Come help me with something,” Jeffrey said, taking Samuel’s hand. ncing at Reba with a casual smile, he added, “Mind if I borrow him for two minutes?<b>” </b>
Reba looked at Samuel, who gave her a thumbs–up.
Without stopping them, she simply reiterated, “Two minutes.”
“Sure thing,” Jeffrey agreed, getting up and leading Samuel by the hand. He took Samuel <i>to </i>his own ce. As they entered, Samuel looked around, a bit taken aback by the fresh look of the apartment.
As soon as Jeffrey released his grip, Samuel gazed up at him, confused. “So, what exactly are we getting here?”
Jeffrey went into the study and retrieved a file folder. “Just some documents that show I’m really connected to your mom. The police will want evidence when they arrive.”
Samuel was stunned. He asked, “Why did you need me for this?”
“If you’re with me, your mom won’t just shut the door,” Jeffrey exined, grabbing the folder full of and picking up a few other bags as well. “No <i>way </i>I’m getting in again after you called the cops.”
“You’re such a jerk,” Samuelined.
“Ditto,” Jeffrey replied, heading out the door together with him.
papers
Reba frowned when she saw Jeffrey enter with his arms full of bags and that file folder. She couldn’t figure out what he was nning.
“I promised I’d rece your clothes, remember?” Jeffrey said, unloading the bags onto the couch. He added, “Last time at the amusement park, I told you I’d make it up to you.”
Reba was momentarily speechless. Seriously, it had been days since that happened.
She was starting to wonder if this was all part of his n.
As Reba was about to kick Jeffrey out, three police officers arrived. They investigated the 911 call, gathered details, and discovered that Jeffrey and Reba were still legally married, in the middle of their divorce cooling–off period.
“Legally, you two are still married,” one officer exined to Jeffrey, “but since you’re in that cooling–<b>off </b>period, you need her permission toe in. Showing up uninvited still counts as trespassing.”
Jeffrey kept it polite, offering a slight nod. “I understand. I only came over to drop off something <b>I </b>promised to give her earlier.”
12:21 Thu<b>, </b>Sep 25
“What exactly is it?” one officer asked.
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Jeffrey gestured to the pile of clothes next to the couch and took a moment to exin the whole story.
After the formalities, the police gave Jeffrey a verbal warning. Since he was apologetic and hadn’t really troubled Reba, they saw no harm done, reprimanded him, and left.
12:21 <b>Thu</b>, <b>Sep 25 </b>