Chapter 70: Chapter 70



The driver nervously glanced at Adrian in the rearview mirror. When their eyes met, a shiver of fear ran down the driver’s spine.

Adrian’s expression hardened, displeasure flickering in his eyes. “If you have something to say, say it!”

The driver hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Mr. Miller, it’s not safe for Mrs. Miller to be out there alone, especially in such a remote area. There are wild animals at night. She might not be safe by herself.”

Adrian’s gaze grew colder. “Do you want to go keep her company?”

“No, no, sir! I spoke out of turn. My apologies.”

Silence descended, thick and heavy. Adrian’s eyes drifted to the seat beside him, where Joelle’s bag lay forgotten.

He reached over and unzipped it, finding her phone and wallet. Inside the wallet, a photograph caught his eye—a snapshot of a time when things were simpler, when her family was whole. The picture was of Joelle at eighteen, surrounded by familiar faces—himself, Rafael, Michael, and Shawn.

Joelle’s smile was bright and carefree.

He couldn’t bring himself to smile back at the memory. Just then, her phone buzzed. The screen flashed with a name: Rafael.

Adrian held the phone, and just as the call was about to end, he answered it.

“Hello? Joelle, are you busy now?” Rafael asked.

Adrian’s lip curled in a sneer, his voice low and cold. “She’s busy. You can talk to me.”

“Adrian?” Rafael knew right away who was speaking and could tell that he was not happy.

Adrian stared out through the window. “Rafael, don’t you think you’re a bit too comfortable with my wife?”

Rafael didn’t miss a beat. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. We’re good friends.”

“What do you need from her?” Adrian asked, his tone as sharp as a knife.

“Nothing urgent. Just that Josiah wanted to discuss something with her.”

Adrian’s brows furrowed. “What could they possibly need to discuss? Did they bond over a few classes?”

Rafael’s chuckle was soft but laced with irony. “Adrian, you’re a paradox. You don’t seem to care for Joelle, yet the thought of another man around her drives you mad. She’s still the friend we grew up with, even if she’s made mistakes. If you don’t love her, wouldn’t it be kinder to let her go?”

Adrian’s smile was thin, almost predatory. “Let her go? So you can swoop in?”

Rafael’s voice cooled, a distant frost settling over his words. “Adrian, we’ve danced around this long enough. It’s time to be honest.”

Adrian’s fingers twitched as he pressed his lips together.

Rafael continued, “If it hadn’t been for you, I would have confessed to Joelle years ago. Maybe it’s time you step aside!”

Adrian’s fists clenched as a storm brewed in his dark eyes, anger igniting like wildfire.

After a tense moment, a mocking smile twisted his lips. “So what? Three years ago, she was in my bed. You’re interested in a second-hand woman now?”

Rafael remained calm, unfazed by Adrian’s cruel words. “I couldn’t accept it before, but now I’m willing to wait for her. Adrian, if you don’t treat her well, I won’t hesitate to take her away from you.”

“Mind your own damn business!”

With that, he ended the call, furiously undoing the top buttons of his shirt. The driver, sensing the dangerous energy emanating from the back seat, kept his eyes firmly on the road, not daring to glance at Adrian.

Silence hung in the air until finally, Adrian’s voice cut through the tension.

“Turn the car around.”

They retraced their path, but when they returned to the field, Joelle was nowhere in sight.

It had been less than ten minutes. How far could she have possibly gone?

Just then, Joelle’s phone rang again. This time, Katherine’s name flashed on the screen.

“Joelle, are you and Adrian still not back home? And why aren’t you answering my messages?” Adrian said nothing.

He had lost Joelle!

Ten minutes earlier, Joelle had been crouched by the roadside when a white car slowed to a stop beside her.

Inside was a couple with a young child, their faces warm and friendly.

“Miss, it’s not safe for you to be out here by yourself,” the woman said gently.

Joelle blinked, suddenly becoming aware of how vulnerable she was. She had stormed out of Adrian’s car without her bag or phone and was stranded in a desolate place with no one around for miles.

She glanced down the long stretch of empty road. Adrian wasn’t coming back for her.

“Can I borrow your phone?”

The woman in the passenger seat, cradling the child, gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, but both our phones are dead.”

“Okay!” Joelle’s heart sank.

A brief silence followed before the woman exchanged a look with her husband. “There’s a toll station about four hundred meters ahead. We’re heading that way. Why don’t you come with us?”

Joelle hesitated. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” the woman reassured her, opening the car door.

Joelle murmured her thanks as she climbed into the back seat. At first, she tried to make conversation with the family, but exhaustion soon overwhelmed her. She leaned back, her eyelids growing heavy, and drifted into sleep.

Her last memory was of the woman turning around to check on her.

“Are you okay?”

Joelle tried to answer, but no sound came out.

The woman shared a look with her husband. And then she moved the child in her arms, who had appeared to be sleeping, only to reveal a rubber doll.

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