?<strong>Chapter 158:</strong>


    Joelle had a rough idea of what was going on. Reba, clearly anxious, couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing here?”


    Lacey responded bluntly, “The question is for you! You brought Adrian here the moment Michael handed him over? Adrian just got divorced. What’s the rush?”


    “I… I didn’t! Adie wanted to rest here!”


    “Stop lying!”


    Michael, scanning the room, interjected, “Where’s Adrian?”


    Reba, no longer feeling guilty, confessed, “He said he wanted to take a shower, then locked himself in the bathroom.”


    With concern etched on his face, Michael strode toward the bathroom door. “Hope nothing’s wrong.” Joelle stood there, slightly stunned. She knew Adrian and Reba were together in private, but the reality of them sharing a room was still hard to ept. She followed Michael with a heavy heart.


    Michael knocked on the bathroom door, but there was no response. Without hesitation, he decided to break it open. As expected, they found Adrian unconscious in the bathtub, as lifeless as a stagnant pool of water. Michael hoisted him up andid him on the bed. “Damn it! How did you get this drunk?”


    Joelle, keeping herposure, said calmly, “Give him some tomato juice and get some powdered medicine to sober him up.”


    A brief silence fell over the room. No one disagreed with her. From her tone, they could sense Joelle’s familiarity with Adrian’s condition. They had once been such a good couple. How had ite to this?


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    Lacey broke the silence. “I’ll go get the medicine with Reba.”


    Reba, surprised, blurted out, “What?” How could she miss such a perfect opportunity? “What? It’s not exactly appropriate for you to stay here with your brother. Want me to call Amara instead?” Thest thing Reba wanted was for Amara to find out. Reluctantly, she agreed to go with Lacey.


    Before leaving, she nced at the ss of water on the bedside table, then looked at Joelle, hiding her frustration deep inside.


    Michael scratched his head awkwardly. “Well, Joelle, I’ve got something else to take care of. I should get going.” Joelle felt a pang of confusion. Was he really leaving her alone with Adrian?


    “Then I’ll head out too. It’ste; I should get home.”


    “Please don’t.” Michael hadn’t forgotten why Adrian had gotten so drunk in the first ce. He was hoping to rekindle something between Joelle and Adrian. If Adrian woke up to find Joelle taking care of him, it could just stir something in him. Even if reconciliation was out of the question, Adrian would need to know just how incredible Joelle was.


    “Don’t. What about Adrian if you leave?”


    Joelle paused, weighing her options. “Let him be.” Michael’s lips curled into a slight smirk. It was no wonder they said women could be the cruelest. But in the end, he convinced Joelle to stay with his smooth talk. After all, Adrian was drunk, practicallyatose. What if something happened to him?


    Now, it was just her and Adrian alone in the room. Joelle settled into a chair on the balcony, waiting. After a while, there was a soft knock at the door. Lacey entered, carrying tomato juice and some medicine.


    “Where’s Reba?” Joelle asked. If Reba had arrived, Joelle could have left.


    Lacey sighed. “She fainted again. An ambnce just took her away.”


    Reba’s illness was truly a burden.


    “Joelle, I’m counting on you. I’ve got to head home and deal with my father.”


    “Okay.”


    Once the door clicked shut, Joelle approached the bed. In the past, she had been patient, thinking that in his drunken state, Adrian belonged only to her. It felt like a privilege. Adrian often came home after heavy drinking, too far gone to even sit up. She used to feed him water through a straw. But where was she supposed to find a straw in a hotel room?


    She nudged his leg with her foot. “Hey, get up and drink it yourself.”


    The man in the bed finally stirred, his voice a gravelly whisper. “Water… I need water…”


    Joelle’s mood darkened. Remembering how she’d once doted on him, she felt a surge of frustration. “How about some tomato juice?”


    Adrian mumbled again, “Water.”


    Joelle picked up the ss of water from the bedside table. “Can you sit up on your own? If you can’t, don’t bother.” Even in his half-conscious state, Adrian’s pride red. Who dared speak to him like that?


    With great effort, he forced himself upright and blinked groggily at her. Seeing Joelle’s face, he was taken aback. She had never spoken to him this way before. “Adrian, want some water?”


    “Adrian, take your medicine before you sleep, okay?”


    “Adrian, let me massage your head, okay?”


    But this brash Joelle? She was nothing like the gentle, devoted wife he knew. She must be an imposter!


    “You, get out!”


    Joelle smiled faintly. That was exactly what she had intended. She ced the ss back on the table and turned to leave.


    But as she walked away, doubt gnawed at her resolve. What if Adrian fell while stumbling to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Each step slowed as her concern grew. Leaving a drunk man alone really was dangerous.


    Meanwhile, Adrian downed the ss of water and copsed back into sleep. Joelle returned, quietly pouring another ss and cing it on the bedside table. The tomato juice and medicine were neatly arranged, and she even turned on the bathroom light for him. She had done everything she could to make sure he’d be okay.


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