?<strong>Chapter 248:</strong>


    After returning home and tucking the kids into bed, Joelle finally found a moment for a heart-to-heart with Rafael.


    Rafael arrived with ointment and cotton swabs, his gaze full of concern as he examined the mark on Joelle’s face. “Does it still hurt?” he asked.


    Joelle tried to lighten the mood. “It doesn’t hurt anymore when you’re here with me.”


    As Rafael carefully applied the medicine, he murmured, “I’m sorry I waste.”


    “It’s alright.” Joelle managed a faint smile.


    Once the ointment was applied, Joelle asked, “Rafael, you mentioned a falling-out with your father. Was it because of me?”


    Rafael hesitated. “Why would you think that?”


    Joelle sighed. “You didn’t exactly keep it a secret. When I called today and mentioned I was at your parents’, your first question was whether they had made things difficult for me. Even someone as oblivious as me could pick up on that!”


    Rafael’s chaotic reaction earlier had indeed been a giveaway.


    There were things he initially wanted to handle on his own, but it had be clear that this was beyond his ability to fix alone.


    He finally admitted that his parents had never been fond of Joelle.


    Even though Joelle had braced herself for this, it still left her feeling adrift.


    In the dimly lit room, with only the bedsidemp casting a warm glow, Rafael’s touch and embrace wereforting, but Joelle’s heart was heavy with helplessness and fatigue.


    “Rafael, I honestly don’t know what I did wrong. I thought your parents liked me.”


    “Joelle, you haven’t done anything wrong,” Rafael said tenderly, kissing her hair. “Sometimes there are barriers between people that can’t be crossed. I’ve always had trouble talking things out with my dad. If things can’t change, there’s no use dwelling on them. I don’t want you to feel wronged.”


    Joelle nodded. “Let’s just leave it at that.” She decided to let it go.


    On reflection, she realized that she didn’t care much about Belle’s and Humphrey’s opinions.


    Her previous desire to get along with them was only because they were Rafael’s family.


    This was different from her past with the Miller family, where she had desperately tried to please Adrian’s family in an unweing environment. After all she had endured, she had learned that loving and respecting herself was what mattered most.


    However, she didn’t anticipate that Rafael’s decision to cut ties with his family over her would quickly bemon knowledge.


    The gossip started when Belle’s card-ying friends were over and Liza mentioned Rafael.


    Belle’s face darkened instantly, and her friends, ever eager for scandal, soon learned the details. The news eventually reached Amara, who passed it along to Adrian with a hint of amusement.


    “Joelle was pped?” Adrian’s eyebrows knit together in surprise.


    Amara, skewering a piece of cantaloupe with a silver pick, savored the drama.


    “Yes, just over a broken bracelet, and they had to resort to violence. Even if it had been something serious, I wouldn’t have cared. Only someone as petty as Belle would make such a fuss over it!”


    Adrian didn’t say a word. He had hoped Joelle would find her ce in the Romero family without a hitch, but he hadn’t anticipated just how wronged she would be.


    Amara’s sarcasm cut through the air. “It seems Joelle isn’t having such a great time with the Romero family after all.”


    Adrian’s face remained a mask of indifference, his emotions locked behind a fortress of calm.


    “Rafael’s ready to cut ties with his own family for her. At least she’s got that going for her.”


    “Let’s drop Joelle for now,” Amara said, reclining on the couch. “I asked you to look into Katie’s marriage prospects. What’s the scoop?”


    “I’m not interested.”


    “Interest or not, if I ask you to do something, you do it!” Amara’s temper red like a match to kindling. “I don’t want to see her daughter hitching her wagon to a wealthy family. And if Katie’s aiming to climb the socialdder, she’ll have to do it over my dead body!”


    Adrian was numb to her words; Katie’s family couldn’t stir much trouble for him now. Even if Katie did marry into money, it was no skin off his nose.


    Bored with Amara’s endlessints, Adrian left her to her dramatics and headed home.


    Leah greeted him warmly.


    “Leah, I recall someone gifted me a pair of jade bracelets when I got married.”


    “Yes, they’re in excellent condition. I’ve kept them safe for you.”


    Adrian handed her his coat and brushed past her with barely a nce. “Send those jade bracelets to the Romero family.”


    It was his way of settling Joelle’s debt to Belle and Liza. Leah, who had caught wind of the recent drama in the Romero family, looked up with interest. “You still care a great deal about Joelle.”


    Adrian shot her a cold, hard look. “She’s Rafael’s wife now. I’m doing this for Aurora’s sake.”


    “Got it.” Leah agreed quickly but couldn’t hide her curiosity. “So, is your connection with her really over?”


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