I’m not rejecting you. I just want to stay close to Mom, Reba replied, refusing to take the bait. “Even though she’s been <i>awake </i>for days now, sometimes it still feels like a dream.”


    What if it wasn’t real<i>? </i>What if she imagined it? What if she stepped away for too long and her mother slipped


    back into aa?


    Sensing her fear, Jeffrey reached over and took her hand. His grip was firm, steady, and real. “It’s not a dream,” he said gently. “She’s awake. This is real”


    “Jeffrey, Reba <b>said </b>softly. Maybe it was because the car was so small, <i>or </i>maybe it was the way he’d just spoken to her, so gently–either way, she couldn’t help but want to ask him something, even though deep down, <b>the </b>already knew the answer


    <i>“</i><i>Yeah </i>Jeffrey replied gently


    “If I hadn’t kept the deal,” Reba asked, staring at that ridiculously good–looking <b>face </b>of his, “would you really have gone <i>after </i>my moven?”


    Jeffrey met her eyes. He wanted to say no–but <i>he </i>knew that if he ever let her see him soften up, she’d think she could leave whenever she felt like it. So he meeled himself and let his voice go cold. “Thinking of running


    Reba quickly shook her head. “No, just asking”


    “If Jessica’s warning wasnt chan enough for you, I can make it even more obvious,” Jeffrey murmured, softly tracing her slender hugens–his tome gentle, but his words sharp. “And <b>just </b>so you know,n’s been slipping out of his bodyguards sight lurex?


    “That’s not necessary” Reba said, pushing down her feelings. “I’ve got the message”


    “Good girl,” teffrey teased, ying with her pale fingertips. “Don’t go dreaming up ways to wreck what we’ve


    Reba fell silent. If I leave, what happens to jessica? To fan? she thought. I know Jeffrey wouldn’t actually killi shemu. Bant when he’s angry, he’s terrifying. Could I really trade their safety for my freedom? What kind of person would that make me?


    The neat day. Amelia picked up on Reba’s off mood. At lunch, she eyed her daughter, who looked perfectly monal and asked directly. “What happened when you got backst night?”


    <b>“</b>Tah” Reba froze for a second, caught off guard,


    “You’ve been distracted all morning” Amelia said. No one knew her daughter better.


    Jest didn’t sleep weil Reba uid, a rare lie for her I was having nightmares all night.”


    “bun about?” Anita prewed


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


    35Voil


    Reba didn’t have to lie this time. “I keep dreaming that you waking up was just a dream. That I open my eyes and you’re still lying there, not moving.”


    It was the fear that had been haunting her, making everything feel fragile even now.


    Amelia smiled softly, her tone full of affection. “Sweetheart, you really do worry too much.”


    Reba tried to brush it off, but Amelia could see right through her. If it were just bad dreams, her daughter wouldn’t carry such a weight in her eyes. A mother always knew.


    After her afternoon rehab session, Amelia revisited the topic. “When you got backst night, did Jeffrey say anything to you?”


    “What?” Reba replied, feigning ignorance.


    “Like threatening you with your friends if you ever thought about leaving?” Amelia asked, her tone casual as if she were discussing the weather.


    Reba’s face gave her away instantly. ‘How does she know? Is she psychic?‘ She feltpletely exposed.


    “I really thought he was different from those other men,” Amelia sighed, bitterness edging her voice. Seeing Reba’s reaction confirmed her suspicion. “Turns out they’re all the same, resorting to cheap threats when they feel powerless.”


    Back when Reba had Samuel, Amelia had deliberately held off for months before even considering transferring her assets. She’d believed Jeffrey was decent enough to trust with her daughter. After all, how a man acts during and after a pregnancy says everything.


    But now? Threatening loved ones and talking about moving money? It was weak. Thank god I never signed those papers, she thought with relief.


    “Those other men?” Reba echoed, Reba echoed,tching onto that part.


    “Don’t let his words get to you,” Amelia said quietly, leaning in. “It’s a sign he’s desperate. As long as you keep your resolve and don’t back down, no one will get hurt.”


    Reba studied her mother’s face. There was so much she didn’t know about Amelia, like the orphanage, a topic that had always been off–limits. But looking at her now, Reba sensed a strength born from a past far harder than she’d ever imagined.


    Reba started, hesitating. “Back then, did someone ever-”


    “Reba.” Amelia’s voice was gentle but firm. She didn’t want her daughter stuck in a world shaped by men like Jeffrey.


    “What?” Reba responded.


    “Do you trust me?” Amelia asked.


    Reba answered without a second thought. “I do.”


    “Then trust me, and keep moving forward, I’ll handle the rest, Amelia promised. “Let me take care of everything”


    Reba was her precious daughter, the one good thing that came after all the pain. All the wanted was for her to be happy, free to follow her heart.


    “If someone had said that to you back then, would things have been easier? Reba asked, her voice soft with emotion.


    Her heart ached for her mother. Even though Amelia rarely spoke about her past, Reba could tell it hadn’t been easy. ‘How much has she endured to bring me into the world?’ she wondered. And where has my father been through all of it?‘


    “There was someone,” Amelia said calmly. But in the end, it was just Amelia learning to get back up and trust herself after trusting the wrong people.


    “You know, I was actually really happy back then,” Amelia said with a grin, gently brushing Reba’s cheek. “If someone crossed me, I’d give it right back. After Leo hurt me, I pped him and kicked him where it hurt.


    “I lived on my own terms. I never held back, whether I was returning a favor or settling a score.”


    “I made my own money, aced my sses, learned all kinds of crazy skills, and pulled off some pretty wild stunts, too. Back in Honn, everyone called me Boss.”


    Reba could almost picture her mother in her youth. Amelia must have been carefree and bold among friends, confident and graceful in the world, always wearing that proud, fearless smile.


    She didn’t ask why Amelia had eventually agreed to marry Richard; something must have pushed Amelia into it. <fne822> Discover more novels at FιndＮovel</fne822>


    “Mom, I could never be even half the person you were,” Reba said quietly, her voice full of admiration.


    Amelia brushed a strand of hair from Reba’s face, her gaze tender. “You know why I didn’t push you to study finance or management back then?”


    Reba shook her head. “No clue.”


    “Two reasons,” Amelia told her. “First, you’re way too honest and straightforward, and that world would eat you alive. You’d see sides of people you’re better off not knowing.


    “And most importantly, I already have more than enough money tost you a lifetime. You only need to learn what you love. That’s all that matters to me.”


    Reba wrapped her arms around her mom, holding her tight.


    Amelia rubbed Reba’s back gently. “Don’t worry about anything. I’m here. I’ve got you. Always.”


    Reba whispered, “And I’ve got you, too, Mom.”


    She still didn’t fully understand why her amazing mother had left Honn for Jsburg, or why Amelia’d cut ties with everyone from her past. Whatever it was, it must have hurt enough that Amelia wanted apletely


    fresh start.


    With that thought weighing on her heart, Reba softly called out, “Mom”


    Amelia’s whole face softened, warmth in her eyes, “Yes?”


    vouchere


    Reba’s words brimmed with affection. “I love you, Mom. No matter what, I’ll always be here for you. Always.”


    Amelia paused, a little stunned, and then whispered, “Sure.”


    After that talk, Reba finally made up her mind. She decided to meet up with her friend Jessica and talk things through. If she really was going to leave, she at least owed Jessica a proper goodbye.


    <b>AD</b>