?<strong>Chapter 269:</strong>


    Liza clutched her stomach and hurried after him. “Rafael, where are you going?”


    Rafael paused, turning around with a frosty look. “You wanted a child, and I gave you one. My whereabouts now are not your concern. From now on, you and Mom can look after the child alone. Just do me one favor: never tell the child I’m the father. Please.”


    With that, he turned to walk away. Liza, in tears, shouted, “What I want is not the child!” She caught up and clung to him. “Rafael, all I want is you. I love you more than Joelle ever could. Can’t you see that?”


    Rafael stopped briefly, the realization hitting him. Without her feelings for him, Liza would never have agreed to Belle’s outrageous n.


    “Rafael, please stay. We can raise this child together. We can be a family. Don’t leave, okay?”


    This was the first time Liza had openly expressed her feelings, fearing she might lose Rafael forever if she stayed silent.


    “Liza, your tears don’t obligate me to stay. I don’t owe you that.”


    “Rafael!”


    Rafael detached her hands from him, but she reached for him again in desperation. “Rafael! Don’t leave!”


    From the door to the gate, a mere ten meters away, Liza was pushed away multiple times. Thest push sent her tumbling to the ground, her voice raw and desperate. “You don’t want this child, nor do you want me or Mom, right?”


    Rafael’s expression grew even darker. He no longer bore the look of the promising doctor he once was. “What is left in this house that makes it worth staying?”


    “Rafael!” Belle appeared, calling out for Rafael.


    But Rafael simply stepped into a taxi and vanished, leaving no clue where he was going.


    That night, Joelley beside Aurora. “Mommy, is Daddy really not going to live with us anymore?” the little girl asked.


    People would eventually grow up. In her younger years, she would spend the whole night crying after an argument with Adrian. But now, after she divorced Rafael, her thoughts were dominated by nning for the future.


    She needed to figure out how to raise her two children and how to exin the new circumstances to them. And the next morning, she had to head to work.


    She kissed Aurora on the forehead, saying, “Aurora, Daddy has his own path to follow too.”


    “But…” Aurora’s eyes glistened with tears, her expression one of sorrow. “I miss Daddy. Why didn’t he say goodbye to me?”


    Joelle attempted to soothe her. “Mommy’s right here with you. Is that okay?”


    “No!” The little girl turned away, clearly struggling toe to terms with the change. It wasn’t just difficult for Aurora—Joelle herself was grappling with Rafael’s absence.


    Their divorce had be known among their close friends and family, who gathered to support Joelle during this tough period.


    Katherine tried to lift her spirits. “There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why dwell on just one?”


    Shawn nced at Bobby, whom Katherine had brought along, and then quietly slipped to the kitchen.


    Gina murmured, “Joelle, did Rafael really not say goodbye to the kids? Even though Aurora isn’t his, Rnd is. How could he just leave him behind? He made it seem like Rnd wasn’t his son.”


    Joelle massaged her temples, overwhelmed by the petty concerns. The truth was, Rafael had indeed bid farewell to the children while they were sleeping. He had gently kissed each of them, asking Joelle if he could continue to see them going forward. Joelle had assured him, “Of course. You’ll always be their father.”


    Since Rafael left, there had been no news from him. Rumors circted that he might have gone overseas, but nobody knew for certain.


    Noticing Joelle’s subdued mood, Katherine subtly signaled to Gina to steer clear of such sensitive topics. Joelle, however, found it hard to engage with the conversation. She sighed and said, “You all carry on. I’m going to check on the kids.” Her friends were at a loss for words.


    Just then, the sound of a car arriving caught everyone’s attention, followed by Belle’s anguished cries. “Joelle, Joelle! Return my son to me!”


    All eyes turned towards the door, where Liza was helping a distraught Belle stand.


    Joelle approached them, her tone icy. “What do you mean? Rafael and I are divorced. Isn’t that what you wanted?”


    Belle clutched Joelle’s cor, tears streaming down her face as she yelled, “This is all your fault! You’re the reason my son left!”


    Joelle didn’t hold back. “You know very well who drove him away! You and her.” She pointed to Liza. “You two destroyed the family that Rafael and I worked so hard to build!”


    “It was you!” Belle screamed louder, her anger peaking as she raised her hand to strike Joelle. “You seduced my son! Bitch! Ever since you entered our lives, our family has faced nothing but turmoil! First, my husband died, and now Rafael has disappeared too!”


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