?<strong>Chapter 155:</strong>


    Adrian’s fist froze mid-air. His expression contorted with a mix of confusion and recognition as he gazed down at Joelle. He was transported back four years to a simr incident when Joelle had shielded him without a second thought. Though he had fainted and forgotten much from that day, the image of her slender, courageous form had stayed with him. Now, here she was again, defending another man.


    “Get out of my way,” he demanded, his voice a blend of anger and desperation. Joelle straightened, her eyes wide with resolve. “If you intend to hit Rafael, you’ll have to go through me first.”


    “Good for you, Joelle,” Adrian muttered, his fist rxing and falling to his side. Joelle’s voice was t, devoid of fear now. “Can we leave?” Without waiting for his response, she turned and seized Rafael’s wrist, determined not to let Adrian’s possessiveness result in violence. She knew that in this conflict, regardless of the oue, she stood to lose more than just face—it was a loss of peace and perhaps dignity.


    “Joelle, don’t regret this!” Adrian’s voice growled from behind her. Joelle paused but did not turn back. “The only thing I regret is marrying you,” she replied, her voice breaking as tears began to form.


    As they walked away, Joelle’s mind reyed the past eight years, years entwined with memories of Adrian long before they were wed. She remembered growing up alongside him, how his passion for the violin had sparked her own. There was the junior highpetition where her violin strings had been maliciously cut, and it was Adrian who had reced them, his calm demeanor anchoring her panicked one, leading her to win the gold.


    Throughout high school, they had been inseparable, even though they weren’t ssmates. She would often dash to his ssroom just to see him. And when tragedy struck her family and she was too overwhelmed to face her brother, it was Adrian who found her hiding from the world. Those moments had kindled her first deep stirrings of love.


    It had been eight years since she first fell in love with him, and now, here they were.


    “Joelle, are you okay?” Rafael paused, sensing her distress. Looking down, Joelle quickly dabbed at her tears. “I’m okay, Rafael. Sorry for dragging you into this.”


    “That’s nothing,” Rafael reassured her, cing aforting hand on her head. “If something’s bothering you, you should share it. Holding it in isn’t good for you or the baby.”


    Joelle managed a small smile. “It’s nothing. Really, it’s all in the past now.”


    Rafael sighed deeply, his tone sincere. “Joelle, Adrian may not appreciate you, but someone else will.”


    “What do you mean?”


    “You don’t have to pretend with me. It’s quite obvious,” Rafael said gently, a knowing smile on his face.


    “Rafael?” Joelle’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushing, perhaps still sensitive from crying.


    Rafael’s gaze softened with empathy. “Sometimes, I envy Adrian. Why did your heart choose him and not me?”


    “Rafael!” Joelle was stunned, not expecting Rafael to uncover her long-concealed feelings so casually. “How did you know?”


    Rafael settled onto a nearby bench, his eyes drifting to the horizon. “It wasn’t hard to notice. Back in high school, you frequently visited our ssroom. Initially, I thought maybe you liked me, but it was clear you only had eyes for Adrian.”


    Joelle’s secret affection had been carefully guarded, yet it hadn’t escaped notice. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You misunderstood.”


    “I hoped I was wrong,” Rafael replied with a bitter smile. “But your decision to marry Adrian convinced me otherwise.”


    Joelle remained silent, absorbing his words.


    “Adrian believed his grandmother coerced you into marriage, never considering you’d marry him of your own volition. But the fact that you didn’t resist—that says it all, doesn’t it?”


    Rafael gently wiped another tear from her cheek, then held up his hand, showing her the moisture. “Isn’t this proof enough of your feelings?”


    “Rafael…” Joelle was overwhelmed, not by the revtion of her feelings, but by the fact that Rafael had seen right through her all along. “Why do you pay so much attention to me?”


    Rafael’s finger twitched, a subtle but telling sign of his nerves. Despite his usualposure, the flutter of nervousness was unmistakable and out of character for him. “Joelle, you might not realize, but I’ve had feelings for you as long as you’ve had them for Adrian,” he confessed, his voice low, eyes averted to hide his vulnerability. “After you married, I pulled back. I didn’t want to intrude on your new life. But more than that, I couldn’t bear to see the way your eyes lit up around him—it was too painful.”


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