?<strong>Chapter 35:</strong>


    Leah’s frustration boiled over as she gripped the spat, her hands trembling with the urge to throw it at Reba’s face. But as a mere maid, she dared not act on such violent impulses. Instead, she seized Reba and began to drag her toward the door. “Get out! You’re not wee here! Leave, now!” Reba clung to Adrian, her eyes brimming with tears as Leah’s attempts to pull her away proved too forceful.


    “I’m not a home-wrecker! Adie, what have I done wrong?” Leah, struggling to remainposed, ced her hands on her hips, her patience wearing thin.


    “How dare you question what you did wrong? Look at you—clinging to a married man like a leech! Do you think it’s eptable?”


    Reba wiped her tears away, her voice trembling. “But I see Adie as family. After my father and brother passed away, Adie promised to look after me for the rest of my life!” Leah could only roll her eyes in disbelief.


    Adrian held Reba close. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. I said I’d take care of you, and I intend to do just that.”


    Then he faced Leah. “Enough! Reba will be staying here for a while. During her stay, you are not to bully her, nor are you to inform my mother or grandmother. If you disobey, consider yourself dismissed.”


    “But…” Leah started, pointing at Joelle, her voiceden with questions about his wife.


    “No buts.” Adrian had no alternative. Hiding Reba elsewhere would only expose her to his mother. Keeping her here was the most secure option. What he hadn’t bargained for was Joelle’s unexpected return. That wasn’t part of his n.


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    Joelle’s rage nearly overwhelmed her. The world was filled with men who effortlessly drove women crazy. Suppressing the violent tremor in her right hand, Joelle quietly grabbed her bag. “Adrian, I wish you both a long and happy marriage with many children!”


    Leah immediately blocked Joelle’s path, spreading her arms wide. “Madam, you can’t leave! If you go now, you’ve lost!”


    “Leah, does it look like I have any choice? He’s brought her home. What more is there to say?”


    Her gaze turned to Adrian. “Adrian, we’ll go get a divorce tomorrow!” Adrian remained unmoved. “Is divorce the only solution you can propose? How many times must I tell you? Reba poses no threat to your status. Can’t you stand her presence?”


    “Fuck, I can’t stand her!” Joelle snapped, a sharp contrast to her usual restraint. Her upbringing had always kept her from such crudenguage, but Adrian’s relentless provocations had pushed her beyond her limits. This home, which had once been her sanctuary, now felt like a prison. It was here that Joelle had buried three years of grievances and solitude—over a thousand lonely nights spent in enforced istion, waiting for something—anything—to change. She had clung to the belief that this ce was hers.


    But Adrian had brought another woman into their home. What did that make her? Nothing at best! With a determined ck of her high heels, Joelle pushed past Leah and stormed out. Just as she reached the courtyard, Adrian’s hand closed around her wrist. Without a second thought, Joelle yanked her arm free.


    The sound of a p reverberated through the night. Joelle stared, stunned, as the sting of her palm registered. She had smacked Adrian across the face. To hell with it! He got served, that son of a bitch!


    “Is that better now?” Adrian pressed his tongue against his cheek, hardly hurt by the blow. Joelle’s rage roared back to life. The once-paralyzing fear of confronting Adrian had morphed into a murderous resolve. “You son of a bitch!”


    She grabbed her bag and began swinging it at him, the hard edges biting into his shirt and leaving angry red marks on his chest. The bag’s relentless assault continued, each strike fueled by her frustration. “Do you think you can just betray me like this? How could you?” She pummeled him until her voice was hoarse and her strength waned. Only then did Adrian pull her into his arms.


    “You care about me that much?” His voice held an unsettling amusement, even after the beating. Joelle’s fury ignited once more. With a fierce shove, she pushed him away and pped him again, this time with even more force.


    Her tears blurred her vision as she turned and walked away, unable to watch his reaction. With every step, the tears fell freely. She hadn’t been home long when Leah called her.


    “Madam, could you please open the door?” Still in a daze, Joelle opened it to find Leah standing there, her arms weighed down with bags. “Leah, what are you doing here?”


    Leah’s cheerful smile contrasted sharply with Joelle’s somber mood. “I couldn’t stand Reba’s presence any longer. Since Mr. Miller said I could leave if I didn’t want to stay, I decided toe live with you!”


    Joelle eyed Leah, uncertain if this was some sort of spy game orchestrated by Adrian. But Leah had been her confidante andpanion through many lonely nights, a motherly figure since her mother had passed.


    “Leah, have thest three years of my life been nothing but a joke?”


    Leah looked at her with deep sympathy. “To be honest, you shouldn’t have walked away. You should have stayed and shown Reba who the true Mrs. Miller is!”


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