?<strong>Chapter 204:</strong>


    Liza and Belle arrived home.


    “Mom, do you really want Joelle to marry Rafael?” Belle sighed deeply. “Rafael has already married her in secret. If we don’t have a proper wedding, how would Rafael feel?”


    Liza stood silently for a moment before Belle called out to her.


    “Liza,e over here! Why are you just standing there?”


    “Oh,ing!”


    Liza walked over to assist Belle with her nightgown. “Mom, Rafael has been with Joelle for thest three years and hasn’t visited us even once. If she were truly thoughtful, wouldn’t she have encouraged him to visit us? We’ve been so worried about him. It seems he’s forgotten us since he got married.”


    A determined look crossed her face. “Mom, before the wedding, we have to ensure that Rafael and Joelle don’t share a room.”


    “Why?” Belle looked puzzled.


    Liza lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Think about it. Rafael hasn’te home because of his two kids. If Joelle has another, Rafael will be even more tied down. Then, at any call from Joelle, he would have to rush back to take care of three children and her. Why should he be trapped like that? Rafael has never had to endure such things.”


    “You’re right!” Belle pped her hands, her eyes brightening. “That makes perfect sense! I’ll call Rafael right now and give him a piece of my mind!”


    At the police station, Pa endured hours of interrogation. Despite knowing she was at fault, she med Aurora for deceiving her. She swore once she was out, she would teach the girl a lesson. Ultimately, she found herself locked up alongside petty criminals. It was her first time in such a dismal ce, whereas the others seemed more ustomed to it, frequenting the jail more often than their own homes.


    Your next story begins at galnovels .


    Pa clutched the iron bars. “Officer, when can I get out of here?”


    “When someone bails you out.”


    Pa had alienated her old friends after getting to know Adrian, believing herself above them all. And as for Adrian, she harbored no illusions of himing to her aid.


    By midnight, hunger and cold crept in. She huddled on the floor, shivering. The shared toilet, theck of privacy, and the stench of urine overwhelmed her. Despair started to set in, and she was on the brink of tears when an officer called her out.


    “Someone’s bailed you out. You’re free to go.”


    Pa didn’t know who had done her this favor, but she vowed to remember it. Outside, she spotted a woman in a sunhat and sunsses. Dressed like that at such an hour, it was clear she wanted to keep her identity hidden.


    Pa approached the mysterious woman. “Did you bail me out?”


    Reba gave a curt nod. “Yes.”


    Pa eyed her suspiciously. “Why would you help me?”


    “Because we have amon enemy.”


    Pa paused, piecing things together quickly. “It was you who called me about that little girl being Adrian’s child?”


    Reba simply nced at her watch, avoiding a direct answer. “I helped you once; now you owe me. Are we agreed?”


    “Why should I trust you? Who are you exactly?”


    “You don’t need to know who I am. Just answer me—do you want revenge?”


    “Of course! But that child is Adrian’s daughter, isn’t she? If I act against her, Adrian will retaliate.”


    Reba assured her. “I have a n to keep Adrian in the dark, but you must follow my lead.”


    Pa observed Reba, noting her frail appearance, which belied any sense of threat. Deciding to follow, Pa walked out with her, curiosity piqued.


    Along the way, she prodded, “Who are you, really?”


    “My name is Reba Lloyd. You must know of me.” She had been a fixture in Adrian’s circle for years and assumed her reputation preceded her.


    Pa, however, was clueless. “Reba? Never heard of you. What’s your rtion to Adrian?”


    Reba stifled her irritation. If she hadn’t needed this fool’s help, she never would have paid to get her out of that grimy police station.


    “His girlfriend.”


    Pa immediately grew cautious.


    Reba saw her reaction and began to craft a sympathetic narrative. “He and I are in love, but Amara doesn’t approve. She adopted me as her daughter to keep us apart.”


    Pa looked skeptical. “You and Adrian are in love? Then why did he keep me by his side?”


    “Purely to irritate Amara! He’s always had a tumultuous rtionship with his mother.”


    Pa wasn’t convinced. If she took Reba’s word without question, she’d be a fool.


    “I see. You’re trying to get me on your side, aren’t you?”


    Reba grasped her hand, urgency in her voice. “Pa, helping me is helping yourself! When I marry Adrian, I won’t forget what you did for me today!”


    “Alright, I understand,” Pa responded, deciding to see where this alliance could lead. “Reba, just remember me when you be Mrs. Miller!”


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