“Well, if you’re happy, don’t I deserve a little reward?” Jeffrey murmured, his voice low and teasing as he took
her hand.
Reba shot him a sideways nce. She knew he could see right through her and was just saying it to get a rise out of her.
“Fine. Here’s your reward: Go back to work and make your money,” Reba snapped. “And stay away from me until you’ve earned enough.”
But Jeffrey wasn’t angry. He was intrigued. This fiery Reba felt more real, more alive than ever. After that, neither of them spoke for the rest of the ride. Reba kept her eyes glued to the window, while Jeffrey never took his eyes off her.
*****
At the hospital, Jeffrey was the perfect son–inw. He was polite and calm, asking Amelia about her health with just the right amount of concern.
But Amelia wasn’t buying it. She’d been around the block too many times to be taken in by an act. She knew <i>a </i>man like Jeffrey was far more dangerous than Ryan could ever be.
Once the small talk was done, Amelia cut right to the chase. “I hear you’re very close to another woman.” <fnaa8a> Newest update provided by F?nd-Novel</fnaa8a>
Jeffrey didn’t even flinch. “You must mean Andrea.”
“I do,” Amelia said.
“Andrea saved my life when I was a kid. I owe her,” Jeffrey said, his voice steady and deliberate. “Everything I do for her is just to repay that debt. There’s nothing romantic between us.”
“But you hurt Reba because of her,” Amelia stated tly.
While Amelia was in hera, Reba had visited constantly, talking to her for hours. Amelia had heard everyst word. She knew exactly what her daughter had been through.
“That was my fault, and I’m willing to apologize and make it right,” Jeffrey replied smoothly. “She wanted a divorce, and I was angry. I lost my head and did some things I regret.”
“And what about transferring the marital assets? About denying everything she contributed to the marriage?” Amelia stared him down. “That’s more than just losing your head.”
“I never touched our assets. That was just a threat to stop her from talking about divorce. You’re wee to check the records if you doubt me,” Jeffrey stated calmly. “As for what I said about her… They were just words. I was angry.”
To Jeffrey, Reba was more than just the woman who gave him a family. She was the only light in his dark
world.
Jeffrey’s words brought Reba nofort. It didn’t matter if he was telling the truth now. The damage was
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already done. No exnation could fix what he’d broken inside her. The pain had been real, and it was still
there.
“Jeffrey, you need to divorce Reba,” Amelia said. “I raised that girl to be happy. I didn’t spend my life protecting her just so you could make her miserable. You’re not right for her.”
Reba was stunned. She never thought her mother would say it so bluntly.
Jeffrey, however, wasn’t surprised. He’d seen thising. “I understand where you’reing from,” he said calmly. “But my marriage to Reba is important to me, and I don’t believe in quitting when things get tough. Please, give me another chance.”
Amelia just stared at him. ‘He’s much smoother than Ryan,‘ she thought acidly. ‘He knows how to y the part, how to apologize, and keep his cool.
‘But it’s pointless topare two different kinds of garbage. My daughter isn’t going to settle for the shinier piece just because it’s polished.’
“Reba isn’t happy with you,” Amelia stated inly. “You two need to go your separate ways<b>.</b><b>” </b>
“With all due respect, what’s between Reba and me is our business,” Jeffrey insisted. “And I will do what <i>it </i>takes to earn your blessing for us to stay together.”
At that, Amelia knew there was no point in arguing further.
Just then, May walked in and immediately picked up on the weird vibe in the room. Her eyes darted between them as she approached. “What did I miss?”
“All done?” Amelia asked.
“Would I be standing here if it wasn’t?” May quipped, sliding a bank card into Amelia’s hand.
Amelia took it and passed it straight to Reba. “Here. This is for you now. For whatever you need. And onest thing…”
She nced at Jeffrey before she continued, her voice sharp and clear. “I want you to transfer the money Jeffrey spent on my medical bills back to him. We are not hurting for money, and we don’t owe anyone anything.”
Jeffrey didn’t say a word. It hit him then: Amelia despised him even more than her daughter did.
Amelia’s mind missed nothing. “Add in the interest, Reba,” she added. “So the next time you argue, he can’t throw it in your face.”
“Okay,” Reba replied.
“You are Reba’s mother,” Jeffrey said, his voice smooth as silk. “It was my duty and my pleasure to help.”
He knew Reba got her iron will from her mother. And he realized with cold certainty: If he couldn’t get Amelia on her side, he would never get Reba back.
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When Amelia was angry, she didn’t mince words. “You even made it sound like Reba, your own wife, had no legal right to her share of the assets in a divorce.
“So 1, an outsider, certainly know my ce. No, thank you. I know better than to owe you anything”
She nced over at Reba. “Sweetie, did you finish the transfer?”
Reba checked her phone screen. “It’s done.”
May had already cleared a high transfer limit when she set up Amelia’s new ount, so Reba sent the money in a single transaction.
A momentter, Jeffrey’s phone buzzed with a deposit notification. His jaw tightened as he saw the amount.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll let you go,” Amelia said coldly. “May, Reba<b>, </b>and I need to talk.
“All right. Take care,” Jeffrey replied.
Amelia merely grunted in dismissal.
Jeffrey got to his feet and stared at Reba, who had stayed silent the entire time. “Reba,” he said, his voice dangerously soft. “Aren’t you going to walk me out?”
Reba blinked. ‘Seriously? He can’t find the door himself? Please, give me a break,’ she thought.
But Jeffrey didn’t budge. He just stood there, making it clear he wouldn’t leave until she escorted him.
Knowing he was doing it on purpose, Reba gave in. “I’ll be right back, Mom,” she told Amelia. “You and May go ahead and talk.”
“Okay,” Amelia said.
The second the door clicked shut behind them, May shook her head. “The nerve of Jeffrey, pressuring Reba right in front of you. I’d hate to think what he’s like in private.”
A shadow crossed Amelia’s face. She’d never expected Jeffrey to be this person. When he and Reba first started dating, she had had her doubts, worried Reba was just a passing fancy for him, a new toy.
But Jeffrey had seemed to prove Amelia wrong. He appeared to truly love Reba. Amelia had finally let her guard down, and then the ident happened. By the time she woke up, everything was broken.
“So, where will you go?” May asked gently. “Take Reba to Honn? Somewhere else?”
Both Honn and Jsburg were megacities with great schools and job markets. But May knew Honn was full of bad memories for Amelia–a ce she would never willingly return to.
Amelia fell silent for a moment. “I haven’t decided,” she said atst. “I’m still weighing our options.”
*****
Reba went through the motions of walking Jeffrey to the hospital exit. The moment he was near his car,
she was done, turning on her heel to go back inside.
He shot out a hand and grabbed her wrist. “Aren’t you going to say something?” he demanded, his eyes boring
into hers.
Reba yed dumb. “About what?”
“Your mom doesn’t want us together,” Jeffrey said, “Why didn’t you defend me in there? Say something? If you just told her you want to be with me, she wouldn’t be forcing this divorce<i>” </i>
Reba took a slow breath, steeling herself. He knew exactly what was going on. This wasn’t about answers. He was just angry and wanted her to feel it, too,
“I do what my mom tells me to,” Reba said, offering an excuse he couldn’t fight. “She’s always taken care of me. I listen to her. I would never go against her wishes, even if a part of me wanted to.”
B
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