?<strong>Chapter 255:</strong>


    The sight of the ss of milk amused Rafael. “Mom, I don’t need to grow any taller.”


    “Just drink it!” With a loving gaze, Belle urged him to drink. “You’ll sleep better with a full stomach.” It wasn’t that Rafael was averse to milk—he’d just been overindulgingtely, spending so much time at home.


    Feigning an ident, Rafael dropped something and asked Belle to retrieve it. As she turned away, he slyly poured the milk into two pots of green radish nts perched by the window. Belle, seeing the empty ss, beamed with satisfaction.


    “Alright, you head to bed first. I’ll step out for a bit.”


    “Sure thing!”


    As night fell, Rafael nestled into bed, feeling the sweet embrace of drowsiness.


    In the dead of night, the creak of the door and soft footsteps roused him. He figured it was Belle returning, or perhaps Liza—who had a habit of borrowing stationery and test papers back in their school days. Not giving it much thought, Rafael rolled over and prepared to sleep once more.


    But then, he felt a slight movement that jolted him awake. After a long moment, Liza decided to go closer to Rafael after making sure he was indeed asleep. Approaching his bed, she removed his quilt, undid his trousers, and initiated oral sex.


    His eyes snapped open. This wasn’t a dream! Liza was there, her eyes as wide as saucers; she had been caught red-handed.


    He sat up abruptly, grabbing his pants and staring at Liza as if struck by a lightning bolt. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her shoulders and chest trembling.


    Rafael red at her for two seconds, moving from disbelief to denial. “Get out!”


    “Rafael, I…” Liza started, but his fierce re silenced her. Her eyes welled up, and Rafael, in his storm of confusion and anger, couldn’t find the words. He needed solitude to make sense of this chaos. But then Liza’s tears started flowing, and she sped her hands in desperation.


    “Rafael, please! Let me stay! If you don’t, Mom and Dad will make mee back!”


    Rafael’s mind reeled. “Dad, Mom? What did you just say?” With bloodshot eyes, he gazed at Liza. Liza’s wrist was trembling violently, and he had no idea who was shaking.


    “Rafael, you’re hurting me!”


    “Exin. Did Mom and Dad know?”


    Liza hesitated before nodding in defeat.


    The weight of the revtion hit Rafael like a ton of bricks. His world felt like it was spinning out of control. Everyone in this house was out of their minds. All of them!


    He sprang out of bed, his feet cold against the floor. As he yanked open the door, he came face-to-face with Belle and Humphrey, who were standing there, their faces pale. “Rafael, we…”


    They wanted to say they did this for his own good, but their words faltered. Rafael’s expression was terrifying. His eyes brimmed with unshed tears, the kind that clung to the edge of betrayal.


    He took a step towards Belle, and she instinctively backed away, her fear visible in the way her gaze darted everywhere but at him. “For how long?”


    Belle was caught off guard. “What do you mean?” His voice, though low, rumbled. “Was it from that ss of milk? Did you n this together?”


    Belle flinched, her hands trembling as she grabbed his wrist. “Rafael, please, don’t me me. I’m doing this for you, for your own good. Liza’s been by your side since childhood. She’s a good girl—far better than Joelle.”


    “Shut up!” Rafael forced his emotions into submission, turning his attention to Humphrey. “Even you? You too?” Humphrey, who had always stood tall, now looked as if he’d been stripped of his integrity. The guilt on his face was unmistakable, and with it, Rafael’sst shred of faith crumbled like dust in the wind.


    “Rafael!”


    “Rafael!”


    “Rafael!”


    But their words were lost to him. His resolve had hardened, and without a second nce, he walked off, climbing into his car and heading straight for Joelle’s apartment.


    The streets seemed eerily deserted, and his foot pressed heavily on the gas. When he arrived, Rafael rushed up the stairs, his mind a blur of anger, confusion, and guilt. The door to Joelle’s bedroom mmed open, startling her from her sleep. “Rafael? What are you doing here at this hour? And why are you in your pajamas?”


    Rafael stood in silence, unwilling to utter the truth that scraped against his pride, too raw to be spoken aloud. He paused, steadying himself before walking over to the bed, where he enveloped Joelle in his arms.


    Sensing his distress, Joelle ced her hand gently on his arm. “What’s wrong? Tell me, please.”


    It felt as though his heart was being torn to shreds, piece by agonizing piece. How could he exin this betrayal without sounding like a fool? Was it even considered cheating if it wasn’t his choice? He had hurt the woman he cherished most in the world.


    “Nothing.” His voice was harsh. “I just missed you.”


    Joelle smiled. “You missed me, so you came running back in the middle of the night? Your hands are freezing.”


    “Yeah. Help me warm them up.” Rafael forced a hollowugh.


    Joelle pulled the quilt over them, coaxing him to lie down beside her in the warmth of the bed.


    “Aren’t your parents going to wonder why you’re back so early?”


    “No.”


    “Then…”


    Rafael turned to face Joelle and gave her a hug.


    “Stop. I just need quiet, Joelle.”


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