?<strong>Chapter 134:</strong>


    “Here you are.” Joelle smiled. “Shall we go inside?” Adrian remained rooted to the spot, his expression unreadable. “Do you really want to divorce me?” A slight tremor ran through Joelle, not out of anger but a calmness so profound it carried a quiet sadness. “It’se to this. What else can we do but divorce?”


    Adrian’s gaze turned icy. “I haven’t even med you for your rtionship with Rafael, and yet you want to end our marriage over Reba?”


    Joelle took a steadying breath, stepping closer until she could look him squarely in the eye. “Well, at least Rafael wouldn’t have allowed me to be humiliated in front of his family!”


    Her words struck Adrian like a p. His fists clenched involuntarily, rage simmering beneath the surface. But as he looked into Joelle’s eyes, he found himself at a loss. “Joelle, I told you I’d make it up to you. I meant it. I want to build a good life with you. What happened with the baby… That’s on me.”


    Joelle had always been the one to avoid confrontation, never wanting to see him struggle like this. “Adrian, what I said yesterday still holds. If you send Reba and her mother out of the city, we won’t need to divorce. Can you do that?”


    Their eyes locked in a silent battle. Adrian’s expression grew more conflicted with each passing second. “Do you have to push me this far?”


    Joelle knew the oue long before this. “Let’s just go inside, Adrian. The sooner we finalize the divorce, the sooner it’s over.”


    He suddenly grabbed her wrist, desperation seeping into his voice. “Have you thought this through? If we divorce, you won’t get a cent.”


    “Of course I have. We signed a prenuptial agreement, remember? I won’t take anything that’s not mine.” Adrian felt as if he were hitting a brick wall, his frustration mounting as his grip tightened.


    “And what about Shawn? Don’t you care about him anymore? How will he feel about you divorcing me?” Joelle slipped her hand from his grasp. “You know, Shawn never wanted me to marry you in the first ce!” Her words left Adrian momentarily speechless.


    “You’ve been nning this for a while, haven’t you?”


    “Hell, isn’t it obvious? I wanted a divorce months ago when I first brought it up. I was serious then, and nothing’s changed.”


    Months ago! Adrian’s mind drifted back to that time. Back then, Joelle hadn’t been pregnant, but his treatment of her had been cold, even cruel. No wonder she wanted a divorce.


    Adrian realized there was nothing more to say. In silence, they walked into the courthouse together.


    The divorce process was swift. As they stepped out into the daylight, Joelle fought back her tears, a bright smile forming on her lips. “Adie, I’m letting you go. We’re both free now.”


    Adrian clenched his jaw, not uttering a word. With a determined stride, he marched away, his long legs carrying him to the car.


    The driver nced into the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of Adrian slumping back, his arm draped over his eyes, hiding any trace of emotion. The driver hadn’t anticipated such a reaction from Adrian after the divorce.


    Everyone who knew about Adrian and Joelle’s marriage was aware that Adrian never loved Joelle. The divorce should have been a cause for celebration, a reason to pop champagne. So why was he like this now? Uncertain how to console him, the driver simply shook his head.


    The car soon arrived at the vi, where Leah sat alone on the front steps. As Adrian stepped out, Leah quickly rose to her feet. “Joelle moved out early this morning,” she informed him.


    Adrian hesitated for a brief moment, then quickly regained hisposure. “Leah, you can either return to the Miller Mansion or retire. The choice is yours.”


    Leah had been sent here to care for Joelle. Now that Joelle was gone, there was no longer any reason for her to stay.


    “Sir, are you really going to let Joelle go without a fight?” Adrian felt a tightness in his throat, but he forced himself to remain calm. “Since she wants to leave, I won’t stop her!”


    With a resigned sigh, Leah began to pack her belongings. That afternoon, she returned to the Miller Mansion. Meanwhile, Joelle, with nowhere else to go, temporarily moved in with Katherine.


    For the first couple of days after the divorce, Joelle continued her routine as if nothing had changed—going to work, returning home—her life eerily calm, as if suspended in a dream.


    She hadn’t nned on making her divorce public, but the news eventually reached Rafael. That evening, Rafael waited for her outside her workce.


    They walked in silence for a while before Rafael’s gaze drifted to her belly. It was likely starting to show, and Joelle had been careful to wear loose clothing.


    “Are you nning to keep this baby a secret from Adrian forever?” Rafael asked.


    “Yes.” The weight that had been pressing on Joelle’s heart lifted after the divorce. Without the burden of being Adrian’s wife, she felt a sense of freedom she hadn’t known in years.


    Rafael hesitated, caught between loyalty to his friend and empathy for Joelle. As Adrian’s confidant, he felt he should tell Adrian about the baby. But he had also witnessed Joelle’s desperate struggle to keep it.


    The night before she was to undergo the abortion, Joelle had sobbed and pleaded with him for help. And the divorce—she wouldn’t have gone through with it unless she had been pushed to her limit.


    “Joelle, your secret is safe with me.”


    “Thank you, Rafael.”


    “There’s something else. Your wrist might still have a chance to heal, but can you tell me how it got injured for starters?” Rafael asked.


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