Timothy stared nkly, ‘Seriously? That’s it?‘


    2 65 vouchers


    Without another word, Jeffrey left the room and headed up to his top–floor office. He sank into his chair, staring out the expansive windows at the steady stream of traffic below, a heavy sense of frustration settling over him.


    He called Gregory with a few instructions, then briefed Stanley on what to keep an eye on. Finally, he dialed Riley’s number, the tension in his chest still lingering.


    “What’s up?” Riley spoke with her usualid–back tone.


    “Amelia’s awake now,” Jeffrey said.


    Riley froze.


    “Not gonnae see her?” Jeffrey asked.


    “When you think about it, Amelia and I are more like online acquaintances than anything else,” Riley mused, leaning backfortably. “It’s been years… I’d be surprised if she even remembers having me as her disciple.”


    “Does it even matter whether she remembers or not?” Jeffrey said quietly.


    “You didn’t call just to chat about this kind of stuff, did you?” Riley said, sounding almost uninterested.


    Jeffrey got straight to the point. “If Amelia tries to take Reba away, whose side will you be on?”


    Riley stretched out the words. “Hmm, let me think…” <fn4b3b> Official source is Find★Novel</fn4b3b>


    Jeffrey didn’t press her and just waited calmly.


    “It depends,” Riley replied, her tone light and untroubled. “If I’m feeling favorable toward you, I’ll stay neutral. If not… I’ll probably help Amelia. Consider it paying back what she taught me.”


    “Understood,” Jeffrey said simply, and ended the call. He knew what Riley meant. She wouldn’t interfere openly, but if things got messy, she might tell Amelia about his n.


    Just as he hung up, Andrea’s name shed on his screen. She’d been calling nonstop all night.


    Jeffrey hesitated for a moment before answering, “What is it?”


    <b>***** </b>


    Jeffrey hadn’t shown up at the hospital for days, but to be honest, Reba didn’t even care.


    She’d taken the entire week off work just to stay by her mother’s side. She was spending every waking moment with Amelia, guiding her through physical therapy and barely finding a second to think about anything else.


    <b>10:46 </b>Wed, <b>Oct </b><b>1 </b>


    Even though Amelia kept insisting she was fine on her own, Reba refused to leave,


    Now that her mom was finally awake, there was no way she was going to let her face the grueling.


    monotonous routine of rehabs by herself. She just wanted to be with her mom.


    After a few days, Amelia was almost back to her old self–chatting easily with Reba and moving around more freely, though anything that took a lot of effort still gave her trouble.


    One Friday after Amelia’s physical therapy session, Timothy came in to give Reba an update. “Your mother is doing exceptionally well. Most patients wouldn’t see this kind of progress in such a short time. It’s <i>a </i>real testament to her physical strength.”


    Reba’s face lit up at the good news.


    “We were expecting it to take about a month for her to walk normally again,” Timothy continued. “But now, it looks like it’ll only be half that time.”


    Reba’s smile faltered as she did the math. “Two weeks… Today is the 5th. If I don’t get those divorce papers signed by the 12th, my application will be thrown out.


    ‘There’s no chance Jeffrey will just let me walk away in the next seven days. If I push him now, who knows what he’ll do to sabotage Mom’s recovery?‘


    “Ms. Jensen?” Timothy called out, raising his voice a bit.


    “Yes?” Reba snapped back to reality.


    “After each round of therapy, try chatting with your mom a bit more,” Timothy suggested patiently. “It’ll really help fire up her brain and get her talking again—it’s good for her recovery overall.”


    Reba nodded. “Got it.”


    Timothy shared a couple more reminders before stepping out.


    Following Timothy’s advice, Reba started chatting with Amelia. After a while, Amelia suddenly asked, “Is something bothering you?”


    “I’m just worried about the divorce,” Reba said honestly, Jetting herself be Amelia’s little baby for once. “If I don’t finalize everything soon, the application’s about to get canceled automatically. If that happens, I’ll have to redo the entire thing from scratch.”


    Given how Jeffrey’s acting these days, there was no way he’d agree to go through with it. And even if he did, with another month to wait, who knew what could go wrong?


    Amelia looked confused. “Wait, what? Divorce application… automatically canceled?” She’d always thought it was just a matter of showing up with the right paperwork.


    Reba started to exin, then suddenly realized everything. The mandatory “cooling–off period” for divorces in this state was a neww that had been enacted while Amelia was in aa. She quickly brought her


    up to speed on how the 30–day waiting period worked.


    10:46 Wed, Oct <b>1 </b>


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    A look ofplete bewilderment crossed Amelia’s face. “They can do that?” she asked, clearly thrown by the concept.


    “I only have seven days left before the application is canceled, Reba confessed, her voice thick with anxiety. “I’m just scared of what he might do


    “Don’t you worry,” Amelia said, herplexion remarkably youthful for her fifty years. “If the applicationpses, we’ll get you the bestwyer money can buy, and we’ll fight. I am not letting you stay trapped in that marriage.”


    Reba chose her words carefully. “Jeffrey has a powerhouse legal team behind him.”


    Amelia simply smiled, “So do I.”


    Reba stared, genuinely taken aback.


    “Once I’m fully recovered, I’ll handle everything,” Amelia promised, holding Reba’s hand tight. “All you need to do is live your life the way you want, honey.”


    “Alright,” Reba said, finally able to rx.


    After a while, seeing Amelia caught up in her thoughts, Reba called out tentatively, “Mom?”


    “Yeah?” Amelia responded, looking over.


    Reba hesitated, then asked, “You and May… you weren’t really orphans, were you?”


    “No,” Amelia said, finally not hiding the truth. “I’ll exin everything in detailter. But for now, just remember: no matter what, I’m your mom, and I love you more than anything in this world.”


    Amelia had kept all that stuff from Reba, wanting her to grow up in a blissful bubble. But after everything Jeffrey put her through, Reba couldn’t stay innocent forever.


    “So, what’s the story with you and Richard?” Reba asked.


    “It was a mutual arrangement,” Amelia exined, her tone practical. “He needed a wife for his political image, and I needed a husband to shield us from certain people. We were both upfront about it, signed a contract, and got married.”


    Reba nodded, a puzzle piece clicking into ce. “That exins it. He was never really home. I always thought they were just a busy, deeply–in–love couple. He was good to us, but his career always came first. And now his distant behavior finally makes sense.’


    “And the Jensen Group going under…” Reba mused. “Was that part of your agreement, too?”


    “I let him know about all the risks and gave him plenty of advice,” Amelia said calmly. “But he wanted to do it his way, so… that’s just how it ended up.”


    Reba couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t you ever start your own business?”


    <b>10:46 </b>Wed, Oct 1


    She thought. And who are these people Mom keeps mentioning? Is she talking about the Jensen family?


    Amelia paused, then waved her hand dismissively. “Wasn’t worth the effort.”


    Secing Amelia wasn’t eager to discuss it, Reba let it slide. After chatting for a while, Reba said she’d head back to Reba’s Manor to freshen up and change clothes. Amelia didn’t mind–she simply reminded her to stay safe.


    On the way back, Reba found herself unconsciously tightening her grip on her phone.


    She wasn’t just heading home to change clothes. She also needed to talk to Jeffrey about handing in her resignation.