After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 192

ooo

Rebecca shook off Jeffrey's hand, not saying a single word as she marched upstairs. Thinking about all the things

he'd said, anxiety gnawed at her. She was worried that Jaffrey would really snap and do something reckless.

That worry had barely taken root when Amelia and Jessica's warnings echoed in her head: Jeffrey’s only after

her-so long as she didn’t turn around and react, he would lose it for a bit and then let it go.

Rebecca thought, ‘But will he really just let it go?’

Stuck battling those two voices in her head, Rebecca spent a torturous hour just trying to stay calm.

In all five years they'd been married, Jeffrey had never once truly flipped out at Rebecca. Lately, his behavior had

been downright awful, but that was just him being a mess-not actually angry.

She honestly had no clue what he'd do if he really blew up or how scary that side of him might be.

As Rebecca wrestled with her thoughts, a knock sounded at the door.

Jeffrey’s voice sounded from outside the door, saying, “Samuel's inside the complex. He'll be here in a few

minutes.”

Rebecca opened the door, brushed past him, and didn’t even look his way.

Jeffrey walked alongside Rebecca, trying to make peace. He said, “I was just worried you'd leave without saying

goodbye. | didn’t mean to freak you out.”

Rebecca didn’t say a word. She grumbled inwardly, ‘If | actually said goodbye, would he even letleave?”

Jeffrey took her hand and said, “If you're mad, go ahead and take it out on me. Keeping it inside isn’t good for

you.”

Rebecca stopped abruptly and turned to him. She said, “Don’t you think you're being pretty fake right now?”

Jeffrey raised an eyebrow.

Rebecca said, “If you honestly cared about me, you wouldn't keep givingreasons to be pissed off.” If it were

up to her, she'd just end things peacefully and walk away.

Jeffrey shot back, “Oh, really? And you're any different?”

Rebecca, still bristling, fired back, “Me? What exactly are you accusingof?”

Jeffrey said, “So which of your words are the real ones, huh? You keep claiming you won't leave, but is that really

what you think deep down?”

The atmosphere instantly turned icy, the tension nearly palpable between them. They faced each other in

silence, neither willing to break the standoff.

11:01 Thu, Oct 2

Chapter 192

80

55 vouchere

Just then, Samuel called out, “Mommy!” He ran over and threw his arms around Rebecca. He said, “I missed

you so much.”

Rebecca’s mood instantly softened. She said, “I missed you, too, sweetie. How was your trip? Did you have fun?”

Samuel's eyes sparkled with excitement. He exclaimed, “So much fun!”

Rebecca hugged Samuel tightly.

Jeffrey watched Rebecca and Samuel embrace, a flicker of emotion crossing his face. Just as he was about to

invite them to sit and talk, his phone buzzed in his pocket-the screen lit up, Andrea’s nglowing on the

display.

Jeffrey's expression hardened, suspicion taking hold. Andrea had a knack for calling at the worst possible

moments. He didn’t believe in coincidences.

“I need to take this,” Jeffrey said and then left.

Rebecca caught the flash of Andrea’s non the screen but didn’t say anything. She took Samuel's hand and

led him upstairs. She asked if he was up for a midnight snack, and they ended up trading stories about his

summer-camp adventures.

Midway through their talk, Samuel asked, “Mommy, is Grandma feeling any better now?”

Rebecca said, “She’s so much better. She can slowly walk by herself now, and give it a little time—she’ll be up

and about just like us.”

“So when are we leaving?” Samuel blurted out.

Rebecca felt a small ripple in her chest.

Samuel glanced toward the door to make sure Jeffrey wasn’t coming up, then said decisively, “You and Dad

didn’t get the divorce, and he still hasn't cut ties with Andrea. With how you are, you're probably just waiting to

leave, aren't you?”

The pressure that had been winding Rebecca tight all evening finally melted away. It was as if an invisible hand

lifted her from the inside, and a quiet strength steadied her.

“You weren't thinking of leaving without me, right?” Samuel asked, his round eyes full of hope as he looked up at

Rebecca.

Rebecca said, “I was just afraid you wouldn't want to cwith me. This is your home-you’ve grown up here

and all your friends are here.”

“But to me, you're the most important person in the world,” Samuel blurted out.

Rebecca took his hand and whispered, “Then how about | secretly steal you away? Just the two of us running off

together?”

Samuel corrected her. He said, “No way—I'd totally choose to go with you myself.”

11:01 Thu, Oct 2

Chapter 192

£80

ha vouchers

Rebecca said, “I'm not going to tell your dad about this. Once Amelia’s really feeling better, we'll pick the perfect

moment and leave together.”

Samuel nodded, eyes shining with determination.

Rebecca asked, “Aren’t you even curious why?” She was honestly taken aback by how smooth this was going.

She hadn’t expected Samuel to just go along so easily.

Samuel said, “If Dad finds out, there's no way he'll let us go. He doesn’t want you to leave. But let's face it, this

tit’s his mess.”

Samuel didn’t want his parents to split up. But he knew deep down, Rebecca was miserable staying here. So

leaving really was the best thing for both of them.

“Thank you, sweetie,” Rebecca whispered as she pulled Samuel into a warm hug. Having Samuel's

understanding and support meant everything to her.

Not long after their conversation wrapped up, Jeffrey cupstairs. He instantly noticed the way Rebecca and

Samuel were watching him-two pairs of eyes that practically screamed, “We know something you don’t.” For a

moment, confusion flashed across his face.

Samuel asked, “Was that Andrea on the phone?”

Jeffrey ruffled Samuel's hair and said, “Yeah, she neededto deal with something. Try to behave, okay? Don’t

make things tougher for your mom.”

Samuel looked up at him, sounding both hopeful and serious. He asked, “Do you have to go? Can’t you just

stay?”

Jeffrey paused for a second, a little stunned.

Samuel added, “I don't like her. Ever since she showed up, our family’s just fallen apart.” He was really just

hoping Jeffrey could do something good for Rebecca before they left.

Rebecca's arms instinctively hugged Samuel tighter.

Jeffrey's lips pressed into a thin line, his expression unreadable. After a long pause, he finally said, “I am sorry,

Samuel. This is what | owed her back then-now | have to pay it off, little by little.”

Samuel threatened, “If you go, you'll just be Mr. Hanson tofrom now on.”

Even though Samuel understood more than most kids his age, deep down, he was still just a child. He could joke

around, play all he wanted, and make a fuss every day-but when it cdown to really leaving, he knew he'd

miss Jeffrey.

Jeffrey was the person who cared about him most, other than Rebecca. If it didn’t have to be this way, Samuel

wished, more than anything, his parents would just stay together.

Jeffrey tapped Samuel lightly on the head and said, “You make it sound like you still call‘Dad’. Behave

yourself, okay? I'll be back soon.” He glanced at Rebecca and then headed out.

11:01 Thu, Oct 2

Chapter 192

Once he climbed into his car, Jeffrey pulled out his phone and typed out a cold, mocking message: [Is playing

Andrea like that really so satisfying for you?]

Stephen replied: [What do you mean?]

Jeffrey texted: [Bet Karen has no clue Dad and Mom already lined up a fiancée for you. Should I clue her in?

Stephen stared at the screen, his eyes darkening with thought as he slowly traced his fingertip across the glass.

Before Stephen even had tto reply, Jeffrey called him directly and didn’t bother with small talk.

Jeffrey said, “Quit pulling Andrea into this just to screw up things betweenand Rebecca. If you keep it up, I'll

play your own games right back at you-trust me, | won't hold back.”

Jeffrey pondered, ‘Andrea manages to phone the moment things start running smoothly between Rebecca and

me. The first tmight pass for dumb luck. After three or four straight repeats, it is no coincidence; someone’s

clearly pushing buttons behind the scenes.

‘Andrea lacks the slickness to engineer something this calculated alone. Stephen remains the only one with the

right connections, and he already has a history with her.”

“Whenever you're ready,” Stephen replied, completely unfazed.

Jeffrey pressed, “What if | just give Karen 3 million and tell her you'll never track her down? Do you honestly

think she’d stay with you then?”

Stephen replied, “Go ahead. Actually, I'm curious to see what she’d do.”

word

word

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWL1i10f1ifl0&1

mmMwWLIiI0fiflO&1