bChapter /bb6 /b

To Reba, Jeffrey’s words felt like ba /bsharp de piercing her heart.

Even though the news about Jeffrey and Andrea had hurt her, Reba had clung to the hope that it might have just been a misunderstanding.

But hearing those cheesy words firsthand felt even worse than being stabbed. Her chest grow fight with ba /bheavy, suffocating pressure.

“What is it?” Jeffrey’s voice was deep, but his tone was colder and more distant than bshe /bhad ever heard, making her feelpletely insignificant.

Still, Reba wanted to hear him rify it. “What are you two doing?” she basked /b

“Did you call me just for that!” he repliedb, /bdeflecting her question.

She waspletely disappointed in him. Collecting herself, she saw no point in wasting more btime/b. “Where is my suitcase? I want it back.”

His response was the silent void of a disconnected call.

She stabbed the bredial /bbutton without hesitation. Her passport was bin /bthat bsuitcase/b, and she knew leaving it in his hands any longer was asking for

Trouble

This time, he didn’t pick up.

Andrea saw the calling through on his phone, the ser

showing the contact hame Reba, and asked tentatively, “Aren’t you going to get that?”

allmustaying with you now,” he said: “Let’s finish your show first.”

Jeffrey let his phone koop ringing, making no move to answer or decl

Andrea, fresh from the shower in a sleek cambole, slipped her arms around bis “Forget the show,” she murmured. “I’d brather /bdo something else with

you

She pressed herself closer against him, putting herself bin /ba position where Jeffrey would get an eyeful if he nced down.

“Be good now,” Jeffrey said, stopping her advances with bcalm /bdetachment, “Your main focus right now should be resting and recovering your health.”

bAndrea’s /bvoice took on a hurt tone, “You’re rejecting me because you bdon’t /blike me, aren’t byou/bb?/b‘

“That’s not it,” he reassured her.

“Then why were you willing to kiss Reba, but you won’t even btouch /bme?” she pressedb. /b

Jeffrey gently removed her hand from his arm. “That was just an act for Samuel’s benefit; he exined, “You should never think you’re less important to me than Reba. You’re the one who matters most.”

Though deeply touched, Andres felt a subtle unease in her heart as she hugged him.

She knew her lie would eventuallye to light. The moment Jeffrey discovered it was Reba who had saved him in their childhood, not herb, /bbsho /bwould lose everything she had and truly be left with nothing.

An hourter, a single, torse message from Jeffrey appeared on Reba’s phone: Come and get it yourself included was the address to the Harmony Estate.

Reba didn’t hesitate. Telling Samuel she had to run an errand, she drove straight over. But when she pulled up to the estate, the bce /bbwas /bdead silent -door shut tight, not a soul insight.

She tried calling Jeffroy, but he didn’t answer her call.

b1/3 /b

Realizing he was deliberately toying with her, she refused to y along and sent him a message. If you’re not here within thirty minutes, I will call the bfire /bdepartment to help me open the door]

Since their bdivorce /bwasn’t finalized yet, she still bhad /bevery right to be in his house.

Jeffrey hadn’t anticipated this move from her. Thirty minutester, he returned with Andrea.

Seeing how close they appeared, Reba didn’t get angry or make sarcasticments. She simply walked over and asked him, “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

“Why should I bhave/b?” Jeffrey replied coldlyb, /blooking at her as if she bwere /baplete stranger. “Are you someone important?”

The words hit her like a p. In that moment, everything became clear–from the minute those divorce papers were filedb, /bthey’d beplete

strangers

Just like that, the heavy weight that had been crushing her chest vanishedb./bb” /b

She pulled herself together, her manner turning cool and detached. “You’re right. I’m not anyone important, but if you had returned what you took on your own, none of this would have happened!”

“It’s just a suitcase,” Andrea said, speaking up for Jeffrey. “It’s not like he would want to keep yours.”

“He wouldn’t want it, Reba bsaid/b, her voice hollow. The usual emotion in her eyes was gone, reced bby /bba /bchilling emptiness. “I just want my suitcase before it gets contaminated by this ce.”

Jeffrey’s expression darkened.

Har bone was t and final. “Give me my things, and I’m gone.”

Suddenly, she found herself letting go of everything–his sudden coldness and his clear preference for someone else,

“Samuel saw me fake the suitcase, Jeffrey reminded her.

“A man of your means can easily rece it with an identical oneb,/b” she said, surprising herself with how numb she felt “I doubt you want any more excuses for us to run into each other.”

He watched her carefully, trying to detect any sign that she was just putting on an act, but she remainedpletelyposed.

After a long moment, he turned to the bodyguard behind him. “Get her suitcase from upstairs.”

The bodyguard nodded before turning to head inside.

A momentter, he returned carrying ba /bsoft colored suitcase.

Just when Jeffrey and Andrea expected Reba to simply take the luggage and leave, she surprised them by flipping it open right there in front of them.

Andrea asked hesitantly, “Reba, what are you doing?”

“Just making sure everything’s still here,” Reba replied in a deceptively calm voice that somehow made the words more biting,

Jeffrey’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. He hadn’t anticipated she would learn to mirror his tactics so bquickly/b.

“Are byou /bseriously questioning Jeffrey’s character Andrea added, pausing fuel on the fire. “Even if there were something valuable in there instead of just documents, he wouldn’t have touched a bthing/b”

“Maybe he wouldn’t,” Reba countered, her voice sharp enough to cut through the tension. “But I don’t trust you.”

“Jeffrey.” Andrea whined, immediately ying the victim like bshe /balways did.

Sept

19:53 Sun.

11

“Weren’t you just drooling over all the jewelry and bags in my room today?” Reba snapped her suitcase shut as everything suddenly became clear. “But you know what? I don’t need any of that stuff. Guess trash belongs with the garbage.”

Andrea’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, but she kept her cool since Jeffrey was watching.

“I will have someone dispose of those items,” Jeffrey stated coldly before she could respond. “Andrea doesn’t use things that have been used by others.”

Reba’s grip tightened on her suitcase. “Oh really?” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “She seems to be making an exception for you.”

Andrea shot a nervous nce at Jeffrey, whose eyes gave nothing away.

“I’m telling Samuel about the divorce tonight,” Reba said, meeting his gaze with a mocking smile. “You might want toe up with a good story beforehand if byou /bwant him to hate you a little less.”

She turned and bwalked /bbaway /bwithout another word, her retreating figure looking more distant than ever.

“Hold up, Jeffrey called after her.

Reba stopped in her tracks, then frowned at how quickly she’d responded to bhim/b.

Jeffrey stepped closer. “Give Andrea the card,” he bsaid/bb. /b“It’s not yours anymore.”

She took the card from her bag, remembering how he had canceled it immediately after his rtionship with Andrea became public knowledge.

She looked at the card for a long moment before finally holding it out to him.

As Jeffrey reached for the card, her fingers opened a heartbeat before his could take it, and the ck card fell swiftly to the pavement between them,nding with a sharp ck.

Emotions shed in Reba’s eyes before she smoothed her expression. “Sorry,” she said calmly. “My hand slipped.”

bB /b