?<strong>Chapter 156:</strong>


    Joelle pped a hand over her mouth, too stunned to speak. Her longshes, now damp, glistened with tears. One crystalline drop slid down her cheek. She stared at Rafael, eyes wide, unblinking. At that moment, she wept for Rafael’s unspoken love. She understood all too well the ache of secret affection and the pain of unreciprocated feelings.


    “Rafael… I’m so sorry.” Her words broke into a sob.


    “You didn’t do anything wrong.”


    He loved someone who did not love him back. Was an apology really necessary? It seemed almost absurd. Once, Rafael had been crushed by Joelle’s marriage, but now, as he looked at her, there was a spark of hope. If only he had known her marriage was unhappy, he would havee for her sooner, sparing her the agony of waiting.


    Tenderly, Rafael touched the back of her head. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”


    “What is it?”


    Rafael sighed. “Adrian thought I was the one you had a crush on.”


    Joelle’s eyes widened further. “How could that be?”


    “It’s my fault,” Rafael confessed. “Back in high school, Adrian, Michael, and I talked about who you might like. They both assumed it was me. When I found out your marriage wasn’t what you’d hoped for, I was angry, and I provoked Adrian once, just to spite him.”


    As he spoke, he wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, offering her a rueful smile. “Maybe this is karmaing back to bite me.”


    So that was it! Joelle considered his words, her thoughts swirling. Though Rafael hadn’t shared this with her before, it didn’t seem as earth-shattering as it first appeared. Adrian didn’t like Rafael, but Rafael did like her, which seemed strange but reasonable.


    “Rafael, don’t get upset because of Adrian.”


    “I’m not upset.” Rafael’s expression softened, his tone light. “I like you, and you’re here with me now. You stood up for me just moments ago. So really, shouldn’t Adrian be the frustrated one?”


    Joelle let the words sink in for a moment. She couldn’t help but be amused by Rafael’s logic.


    At midnight, Adrian sat at the bar, nursing his drink with Michael beside him.


    “Don’t drink too much,” Michael warned, pulling the bottle away. But Adrian, with grim determination, uncapped a second one.


    “s!” Michael sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair. “If you can’t move on, why not take a step back and try to win Joelle back?”


    “Fuck off!”


    Undeterred, Michael pressed on. “Are you seriously telling me you haven’t felt anything for Joelle in thest three years? Not even a little?”


    Adrian’s expression darkened. “Would you fall in love with a woman who forced you to marry her? She drugged me, Michael! To this day, I don’t know if Joelle married me for my money or something else.”


    Michael clicked his tongue thoughtfully. “Adrian, I think it might’ve been a bit of both.”


    With a sudden crash, Adrian mmed his bottle onto the table. He seized Michael’s cor, his grip desperate, as if seeking some anchor. “But she loves Rafael!”


    “I know, I know,” Michael said, trying to calm him. He wasn’t sure how to handle Adrian in this state. Just then, a woman approached, her white dress almost glowing in the dim light.


    “Michael!”


    “Reba? What are you doing here?”


    Reba smiled. “Mom asked me toe for Adie.”


    Michael remembered that Amara had recently decided to adopt Reba, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly—or for Reba to so effortlessly fall into the role.


    “He’s fine,” Michael said. “I was going to take him upstairs to rest.”


    Reba moved closer, gently slipping her arm around Adrian’s. “Mom wants me to take him home.”


    Michael hesitated, his phone vibrating in his pocket. It was Lacey.


    “Hello? What’s up?”


    Lacey often called him after fights with her family, needing a ce to crash.


    Michael answered, rubbing his temples. After he agreed with Lacey, he nced back at Adrian, embarrassed.


    “Go ahead, Michael. I’ll take care of him.”


    Michael hesitated for a moment longer before nodding. “Alright. I’ll leave Adrian with you.”


    As Michael hurried off, Reba leaned in close to Adrian’s ear, her voice soft and coaxing. “Adrian, let’s go!”


    Adrian, too intoxicated to recognize who was helping him, tried to push her away but couldn’t manage more than a few stumbling steps.


    Reba guided him to the hotel room upstairs. The moment the door swung open, Adrian staggered toward the bed.


    Reba, her heart pounding with a mix of nervousness and excitement, poured a ss of water. She approached him carefully. “Adie, drink some water.”


    Adrian clumsily swatted the ss from her hand, sending water sshing across the sheets. The stain spread, but Reba didn’t react with anger or frustration. Instead, she rested her head on his chest, her fingers tracing slow, delicate circles.


    “Adie, let me be your woman. I can be better for you than Joelle ever was!”


    But Adrian, lost in his drunken haze, only caught one word: Joelle. The name sparked something raw and painful in him. In a sudden burst of confusion and anger, he shoved Reba away, mistaking her for the woman who haunted his thoughts. “Joelle, what do you want?”


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