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“Is she not here?” Richard asked, breaking the silence when Reba didn’t answer.
“She is,” Reba replied, keeping her doubts to herself. “Come with me.”
Richard didn’t press further.
He didn’t scold her for her attitude, nor did he say anything harsh.
For a moment, he seemed to be the gentle, caring dad she used to know, not the sharp, profit–driven Richard he’d be.
When they got to the rehab center, Amelia had just finished her workout for the day. She could walk a bit on her own now, though not for long.
“Hey,” Amelia called out as she spotted Richard.
Richard kept his emotions contained. “Yeah.”
Amelia said, “Let’s talk in my room.”
Richard replied, “Okay.”
Watching Richard act all timid and well–behaved, Reba couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Was this really the same Richard who’d been totally out of his mind not long ago?‘
Once they were inside the hospital room, Richard sat straight in the chair, looking unusually prim and
proper.
“You called me here because of the divorce, right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Amelia said, nodding.
“Alright,” Richard replied without arguing or hesitation.
“Thanks for taking care of Reba all these years and being there for her. Because of you, her childhood and teen days were truly happy,” Amelia said, her tone matter–of–fact.
“That’s just what I was supposed to do,” Richard replied, any lingering negativity gone from his voice. “You helped me create the Jensen Group, brought me sess and status–being a father to Reba was the least I could do.”
This was something they’d agreed upon before marriage.
We both just took what we needed. There’s no need to say thanks.
“If I’d just listened to you back then and not been so stubborn, the Jensen Group wouldn’t have ended up in such a mess,” Richard said, regret heavy in his voice. He was kicking himself for his arrogance and that useless pride.
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He was so freaked out by what people might say–like he’d only made it because of some woman–that he decided to bullhead his way through everything, no matter what.
Amelia tried to set him straight, but Richard totally blew up at her, yelling that it was none of her business and she’d better keep her nose out of his life from now on.
“Everyone has their own detours to take,” Amelia said calmly, her voice steady as ever. “Call it wisdom earned along the way.”
Richard nodded. “Yeah.”
Amelia asked, “Are you free this afternoon?”
Richard replied, “Yeah.”
Amelia said, “So should we go this afternoon? Reba said nowadays you have to submit a divorce application first, then there’s a waiting period before it goes through.”
Richard nodded. “Yeah, that’s how it is.”
As they talked, Richard’s gaze suddenlynded on Reba, who’d been standing quietly by Amelia’s side. He hesitated, lips moving silently for a moment before finally saying, “I’m sorry…”
During that time, he was a nervous wreck.
He was so stressed that hepletely broke down.
At rock bottom, he did some really messed up things to Reba and almost made a terrible mistake. <fn7a32> Discover more novels at find?novel</fn7a32>
If Amelia hadn’t called to tell him Reba had woken up, he probably would’ve kept spiraling out of control even longer. Looking back, he couldn’t believe how out of character and insane his actions had been.
That afternoon, Amelia and Richard went to file for divorce.
On the way back, only Amelia and Reba were left in the car.
Reba thought about how Richard acted today and felt a bit puzzled. “Mom?” she wondered aloud.
Amelia answered, “Yeah?”
Reba hesitated, then asked, “Why did you decide to marry Richard–well, Uncle Richard–in the first ce?”
“It was really just about getting what we needed,” Amelia said, not keeping it secret this time. “He needed money tounch his startup, and I wanted to get married to put an end to all the matchmaking nonsense. We talked it through and ended up making it practical–a marriage by agreement, just business.”
“Do you think he’ll refuse the divorceter?” Reba couldn’t help worrying after that whole cooling–off period ordeal.
“Not a chance. We split things up long before we got married–he’s got nothing to gain from dragging this
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out,” Amelia replied, staying cool and logical. “If he’s straightforward about it, we can both move on peacefully.”
Reba fell silent, not sure what to say.
Amelia brushed a gentle hand over her daughter’s hair. “I know everything Richard did to you… It’s my fault- I should’ve protected you better.”
Reba replied quietly, “Let’s just leave it behind us, Mom. It’s over now.” All she wanted was to be with her mom and Samuel, living the life she truly longed for.
The next day, Reba went over to Primey Technologies to hand over her responsibilities to Jane White.
It was just as she’d imagined.
She heard a few things she really would’ve rather not heard.
“Man, I’m so jealous of Reba–she can just drop her job whenever she feels like it. No approval, nothing,” someone muttered.
“Well, her husband’s Jeffrey. What do you expect?” someone replied with a shrug.
“She used to get so defensive when people said she was just here to try out the job. Now look at her,” someone snickered.
“Wish I had a loaded husband too. I’d totally go for that whole ‘experiencing life‘ thing,” another chimed in.
“Seriously, being rich is the best,” someone else sighed.
Jane noticed Reba’s mood shift and said, “Don’t let their gossip get to you. They’re not you–they have no idea what you’ve been through or what you’re dealing with.“.
“Okay,” Reba replied softly.
Honestly, the best part of joining Primey Technologies was meeting people like Jane and E. But Reba knew that friendships like these could only go so far.
“Jane,” Reba couldn’t help herself and called out.
Jane nced over. “Yeah?”
Reba looked at her, conflicted. “Aren’t you mad at me?”
Jane gave her the kind of look she’d give her own little sister. “me you for what?”
“You’ve worked so hard mentoring me, helped me figure things out, and now I’m just dumping a pile of work on you before I go,” Reba admitted, guilt twisting in her chest. Sometimes, you just couldn’t make everything perfect.
“Hey, you’re actually one of the most reliable people I’ve ever worked with. I know you wouldn’t have quit unless you absolutely had to,” Jane said honestly–Reba was the easiest team member she’d ever trained.
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“Seriously, don’t overthink it.”
Reba whispered, “Thank you.”
Right before leaving, Reba pulled Jane into a tight hug.
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After wrapping up all the paperwork, Reba headed over to Jeffrey’s office and handed him the document for his signature.
Jeffrey signed it without a second thought, then handed it back to her like nothing had happened. “Wait here for a bit. Once I’m done, I’ll go back to the hospital with you.”
Reba asked, “What about the penalty fee?”
Jeffrey replied, “You don’t have to pay it.”
Reba just stared at him, her mind full of questions.
Reba remembered it like it was yesterday–back when Jeffrey first joined thepany, she’d tried to resign, but they told her there was this massive penalty she’d have to cough up.
“That penalty? It’s just something in the contract. Whether we make someone pay it is up to us,” Jeffrey said, sounding totally unfazed. “Honestly, I only used it to spook you into sticking around.”
Reba wasn’t even mad anymore. She kept it cool and asked, “If my mom hadn’t woken up, would you really have made me pay?”
Jeffrey looked her way, stayed silent for a moment, and then didn’t sugarcoat it. “Yeah.”
Reba grabbed her signed resignation sheet and headed out, finally getting it–the penalty use was just leverage to stop her from leaving. Back then, paying it would’ve wrecked her, but now, the money was peanuts to Amelia.
“I’ll be done in ten minutes. Wait for me when you’re finished,” Jeffrey called after her, but Reba didn’t so much as turn her head.
She headed straight to HR with her resignation form, picked up her paperwork, and once thest step was done, walked right out of the Primey Technologies building without a backward nce.
She acted like his words hadn’t even registered–waiting for him wasn’t even an option.
Just then, a car horn red-
A sleek ck car pulled up in front of her.
“Knew you wouldn’t just stand around waiting for me,” Jeffrey said with that teasing affection in his voice. He stepped out, gently ushered her inside, then told the driver, “To the hospital.”
Reba didn’t say a word.
She gazed out the window at the endless stream of traffic and people, her thoughts drifting further and
further away. She didn’t even realize they’d reached the hospital until the car finally came to a halt.
Jeffrey got out with her, and without even thinking, he took her hand. “I admit it, I did that whole penalty fee thing for my own selfish reasons. Would you please just show me a little mercy and forgive me this once, hmm?”
Reba didn’t even spare him a nce–she hurried off toward her hospital room. Jeffrey was right on her heels, not giving her a chance to shake him off.
When they arrived at the room, Dr. Johnson was updating Amelia on her condition.
He greeted Reba and Jeffrey with a friendly nod before turning back to Amelia.
“Ms. Jensen, you’re making excellent progress. If things continue like this, you should be ready to go home in about a week,” he said.
“Really?” Reba said, genuinely surprised.
Dr. Johnson nodded. “That’s right. Once you’re home, just stick to the exercises I rmend. You can walk fine now–just like everyone else–but getting all the way back to normal is gonna take some time and plenty of rehab.”
Hope flickered in Reba’s eyes. “Okay.”
She asked Dr. Johnson about things she should pay extra attention to during recovery.
He patiently walked her through everything she needed to know.
Watching Reba pepper Dr. Johnson with question after question, Jeffrey couldn’t help but notice just how distant she’d been acting toward him–all cold and closed off, like she was putting up walls on purpose. ‘She’s getting everything lined up so she can leave me for good,‘ Jeffrey realized, the thought stinging more than he cared to admit.
‘But Reba… it doesn’t matter what you say, I’m not letting you walk away from me!‘ – Jeffrey’s thoughts.
‘Unless I say yes, you’re not getting away. – Jeffrey’s thoughts.
‘If you want to mess around, I’ll be right there with you. But when you’ve had enough… it’s time toe home! – Jeffrey’s thoughts.
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