Return, My Love: Wooing the Neglected Ex-Wife

Chapter 104:

Earlier, Adrian had called to say he’d be working late and wouldn’t be coming home. Joelle recalled the last time he said he was working late; he was actually at the hospital, cozying up to Rebecca. What a damned liar!

Late into the night, the doorbell rang. Leah opened it to find Katherine standing there in a sharp black business suit, with a suitcase in her hand. “Miss Nash, what brings you here?”

Katherine scoffed, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. Once inside, she began looking around. “Leah, can you bring my suitcase in?” she demanded. Leah complied, following behind her. “Miss Nash, what’s going on?”

Katherine climbed the stairs and looked back. “Joelle has been married into the Miller family for three years and has faced nothing but mistreatment. Now, she even lost her baby. If I didn’t come back, would you really think that Joelle was all alone and that any member of the Miller family could bully her?”

Leah was stunned, realizing she was here to defend Joelle. She felt a pang of guilt. “We’re very sorry for everything that happened.”

Katherine raised a hand to stop her. “No need for any speech. I’m here to see when Adrian plans to divorce Joelle. He just proposed to another woman. As her friend, I’d happily congratulate him. Now that he’s found his true love, Joelle shouldn’t have to stay here and suffer.”

“Propose?” Leah looked confused. “That can’t be true! Miss Nash, are you sure about this? Perhaps this is all a misunderstanding!”

By the time Leah finished talking, Katherine had already gone upstairs to find Joelle. This time, Leah didn’t follow her. She went back down and quickly called Adrian.

Meanwhile, Adrian was at his office, working. He immediately answered Leah’s call. “Sir, you need to come home immediately. Miss Nash is here, and I think she’s planning to take Mrs. Miller away!” In the dim office light, Adrian sat hunched over his desk, his posture tense and rigid.

He replied with a slight frown, “As long as she doesn’t take Joelle away, let her do what she wants.”

“But…” Leah hesitated, wanting to ask about the proposal. Was there really another woman?

“Leah, whatever the case, it’s a debt we owe Joelle. Let them express their frustration for now. We’ll handle everything in the morning.” He doubted the two women would cause any disturbance at home.

Meanwhile, Katherine and Joelle shared a bed. Katherine extended her phone towards Joelle. “Are you sure you want to see this?”

Joelle’s curiosity was mounting. Though she knew it would be unpleasant, continuously avoiding the truth was akin to living in isolation, refusing to confront reality.

“Yes,” Joelle affirmed, her grip tightening. “I want to see it.”

Katherine hesitantly opened Rebecca’s latest post on Twitter.

“Girls! I’m getting married!”

The camera lens wobbled slightly, capturing the sound of Rebecca’s voice choked with joy. As the picture transitioned from blurred to clear, a white dress came into view. The video showed only the hands of the couple, each adorned with an engagement ring.

“Will you marry me?” It was Adrian’s voice.

“I will!” Rebecca’s voice was full of excitement as she threw herself into his arms. The video concluded with a blurry scene of their embrace.

Joelle quickly turned off her phone, clutching her chest as a shiver coursed through her. “Kathy, can you believe it? Just a few days ago, Leah discovered those rings in Adrian’s pocket. She insisted one of them was for me, but it turns out it was actually for Rebecca. I was so foolish. I held on to a sliver of hope, thinking he had changed,” Joelle confessed, her voice barely a whisper.

She had seldom expressed her emotions since returning from the hospital, but now, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. It was difficult for her to grasp that the man she had loved for eight years could continue to wound her so deeply. She had just lost a child, yet Adrian was hastily proposing to Rebecca.

Katherine handed her a tissue. “Don’t cry. This is actually a blessing. If he’s eager to marry Rebecca, doesn’t that signify the end of your ties with him?” Joelle sniffled, finding truth in Katherine’s words. “Yes, you’re right. It’s time we ended things.”

Katherine offered further consolation. “Moreover, why fret over his proposal? Notice how Rebecca avoided showing her face in the video. That indicates she’s aware of the disgrace surrounding her relationship with Adrian. Despite his affection for her, she can’t displace you.”

Joelle had anticipated being devastated for days after viewing Rebecca’s post on Twitter, yet Katherine’s comforting words helped her regain her composure.

The following day, they decided to go shopping. Although Adrian’s affections proved insincere, at least his credit card remained genuine. They reserved the entire store, with sales assistants eagerly awaiting their requests.

Upon reaching the cosmetics counter, they encountered Rebecca. “Miss Lloyd, you’re glowing! Something wonderful must be on the horizon, right?” a saleswoman remarked, attempting to flatter Rebecca.

Katherine glanced at her freshly manicured nails and replied with a serene smile, “Flattery will get you nowhere. Does she look like she can afford this?” Caught off guard, the saleswoman responded, “Ma’am, isn’t it unfair to judge someone by their appearance?”

Katherine looked up from her nails. “I’m not judging by appearance. I’m merely stating the obvious. She’s spending a married man’s money. That hardly suggests she has her own funds, does it?”

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