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Alright, I’m hanging up.” Riley said, cutting him off. “I’ve got stuff to deal with here.”
Stanley frowned. “You’re really not going to bother with him?”
Riley replied, “He’s a grown man, why should I care?<b>” </b>
Stanley was silent.
Riley added, “If you want to babysit him, be my guest. I’ve got better things to do.”
Jeffrey never really got over what happened before, but maybe this time he’ll finally figure it out. If he still can’t move on and keeps stubbornly believing you must fulfill every promise no matter what, well, that’s just asking for trouble. Serves him right.
“You’re actually serious?” Stanley asked.
Riley just shot back, “Yeah,” and hung up before he could say anything else.
Stanley stared at his phone, wondering how he ended up dealing with someone so stone–cold. He considered calling her back to reason with her, but honestly, nothing he said would ever get through. With a heavy sigh, he put the phone down, feeling totally defeated.
Stanley thought, ‘No one cares, so why should I?‘
‘I’m done with this,‘ he told himself, fed up.
Jeffrey had just been so indifferent–why should Stanley keep putting himself out there only to get the cold shoulder every time?
Thinking this, Stanley turned to the driver Gregory sent and said, “Forget the hospital. Take me to the airport.”
Reba got home a little after eight.
Before she went inside, she took a deep breath and squared herself up–she didn’t want Samuel worrying if he saw her upset.
As soon as she walked in, she saw Amelia sitting on the couch, chatting on the phone. When she noticed Reba and Jessicaing in, she wrapped up the call and put her phone down. “Why are you back so early?” she asked.
“Nothing much, just got bored and came home,” Reba replied, not wanting to get into it. She quickly changed the subject. “Andrea didn’te here causing trouble, did she?”
Amelia replied, “Yeah, she did.”
11:45 Tue, Oct <b>7 </b>
Reba’s heart tightened. And you and Samuel F
“We’re fine tan stopped her before she could even get inside, Amelia said quickly, not wanting Reba to worry. He’s upstairs ying with Samuel Why don’t you go say hi?*
Okay, Reba said, and headed upstairs with Jessica.
Before they even reached the yroom, they could hearn Yeats asking, “Alright, herees the big question–who’s the killer?”
Samuel Hanson answered in his usual crisp voice, “A”
“Seriously, it’s that easy?”n muttered, starting to question everything.
“From what you just exined, A’s the only one who fits, Samuel shot back,pletely at ease with the whole thing.
Jessica walked in and immediately tried to lighten the mood, picking up on Reba’s unsettled vibe. “What are you two talking about? Sounds like you’re having a st in here.”
“You guys are back already?” Ian asked, not really surprised since he knew they’d been at a party. He stood up, waving the book in his hand, his voice full of excitement. “Becky, Samuel’s seriously something else.”
Reba sat down next to Samuel. “What’s up?”
Ian handed her the book. “Check this out. Who do you think the killer is?”
Jessica replied, “A.”
Reba said, “A.”
They blurted it out in perfect sync.
“A? Come on, what do you mean A? That’s not even the answer Samuel gave.” Ian scoffed, sounding exasperated. “The suspects are Leo<i>, </i>Zack, Zoe, and Yvonne–where’d you pull an A from, anyway?” <fnc07d> This update is avable on find?novel</fnc07d>
Reba and Jessica exchanged an awkward nce, both a little embarrassed.
Ian hadn’t spent much time with Samuel before, so this felt like uncovering a hidden gem to him. Excited, he urged them, “Take a closer look, you two. Really check it out.”
Reba and Jessica leaned in, giving the page their full attention.
It took about ten minutes, but Reba finally figured it out. “Yvonne, right?”
Jessica nodded. “Yeah, that’s my guess too.”
“Exactly!” Ian looked at Samuel, practically buzzing with excitement. “But guess how long it took Samuel to solve it after I finished reading the story?”
Reba guessed, “A minute?”
11:46 Tue, Oct <b>7 </b>
Jessica added, ‘Five minutes”
“Ten seconds!”n said, practically shouting in disbelief. “I hadn’t even figured it out, and he’d already railed
Maybe it was luck the first time, but after a dozen questions, he solved them all just as fast.
‘Man, this kid… Ian thought.
He was born to solve mysteries.
“And the craziest part–he didn’t even read it himself. I just read everything out loud,n said, still impressed. “After a dozen questions, he never once needed me to go over anything again<b>.” </b>
“I mean, look at his parents,” Jessica said, nudging Reba with a grin. “Reba was sought after by all the top universities, and Jeffrey was epted into a top international university straight from high school.”
Ian nodded. “That’s true.”
Reba reached out and yfully ruffled Samuel’s hair, throwing him a couple ofpliments.
Samuel got a bit shy but immediately turned it around and started praising Reba in return.
They kept tradingpliments back and forth.
They hung out in the study for quite a while.
It wasn’t until after nine<i>, </i>once Samuel was sound asleep, that they finally headed up to the rooftop to talk.
The three of them sat in a row, and Ian noticed Reba was even quieter than usual. He asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Did someone upset Becky?”
“She’s not upset, she just needs some time to adjust,” Jessica said, knowing Reba well enough to speak for
her.
Ian asked, “Adjust to what?”
Jessica said, “It’s about feelings.”
Reba and Jeffrey weren’t thrown together in some arranged marriage–they genuinely fell for each other, like, head–over–heels real love.
Their love was real, their anger was real, their disappointment was real, and so was the regret–every emotion came straight from the heart.
“Huh?” Ian asked, looking puzzled.
‘I seriously don’t get it,‘ Ian thought, even more confused now.
Ian couldn’t help thinking, ‘Weren’t they already at the divorce stage? Why does she still have to adapt to it?‘
<b>11:46 </b>Tue<b>, </b>Oct <b>7 </b>
“Reba and Jeffrey are heading to Jsburg tomorrow to finalize their divorce, Jessica exined for her friend, since Reba didn’t feel like talking when she was this torn up. “Once it’s done, that’s it—they won’t be in touch anymore.”
Jessica said, “They’re going to the courthouse.”
Jessica just stared,pletely dumbfounded.
Even Reba had to stop and process that.
She yanked out her phone and stared at the screen: August 31st, Saturday.
It was so obvious, yet Reba and Jeffrey totally missed it. Gregory and Jessica didn’t catch it either. Even Stanley, too wrapped up in his own anger to care, hadn’t noticed.
They’d all been hit so hard by everything, time just slipped right past them.
“Oh, that’s right,” Jessica said when it hit her, then looked over at Reba. “Are you still heading to Jsburg tomorrow?”
Before Reba could reply, her phone started buzzing–it was Jeffrey calling.
She picked up without thinking.
Jeffrey’s voice was deep and a little hoarse. “Tomorrow’s Saturday–courthouse’s closed. If you still insist on settling it tomorrow, I can have Gregory take care of it.”
“Okay,” Reba replied.
She wasn’t the type to pull strings or ask for favors.
But this time, she didn’t want to drag things out any longer.
There was a long silence on the other end.
After a while, Jeffrey’s voice was low and heavy. “Alright, see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow,” Reba said, keeping her voice as neutral as possible.
After hanging up, she answered Jessica’s question. “Yeah, I’m still going.”
The next afternoon, Reba was picked up by somebody Jeffrey sent and taken straight to the airport. Three hourster, they showed up at the courthouse, handed in their paperwork—just likest time, they’d have to wait out a month for the cooling–off period.
Reba stared down at the slip confirming their one–month waiting period, and for a second, everything felt surreal, like it belonged to a whole other life.
<b>11:46 </b>Tue, Oct 7
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Since thest time she’d handed in one of these, her whole world had flipped upside down.
I just hope everything goes smoothly this time,‘ she thought.
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Jeffrey could read her like a book–he knew exactly what was running through her mind. He pushed his own emotions down, kept his tone cool and level–headed, and said, “Don’t worry. Everything I promised you, I’ll make sure it gets done. If it’s a divorce you want, you’ll get it–for real.”
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<b>11:46 </b>Tue, Oct 7