LOGINI come across a popular post on the forums. "Help! Someone has stolen my two million dollars of gold from my safe! The thief didn't even leave behind any marks of wrenching the safe door open!" In the photo, a hand with a wedding ring can be seen pointing at an empty safe. The safe's model and patterns match the safe that I've seen in my best friend, Joan Hart's, house before. The comment section is already filled with comments. "Girlie, I'm sorry, but I have to say this. Your husband's most likely the culprit." "Agreed. There's no way ordinary thieves can swipe your gold away without leaving anything behind." "You should check your husband's recent financial situation first." The original poster responds to the comments that doubt her husband firmly, "There's no way it's my husband! We're in a tightly-knit relationship!" Someone is quick to ask, "What about your friends and relatives? Who else has visited your house before?" This time, the original poster's response appears even faster. "Last week, my best friend spent a night at my house…" Just as I'm about to share the thread with Joan and tell her that her safe might be compromised because of these safety issues, I receive a phone call from her. "Andrea, I got bad news for you! Someone stole my safe at home!"
View More"Joan, do you understand now?" I asked softly. "He was never going to build a life with you. Making up was just to keep you calm until he could get out of the country. What he left you with were debt and lawsuits."For a long time, Joan said nothing. She simply sat there and listened to me with her gaze lowered. The room held its breath for what felt like forever. At last, she lifted her head. Bracing herself against the armrest, Joan struggled to her feet and staggered toward the door. As her hand closed around the doorknob, she paused. "Andrea… I was wrong."Then, she was gone. Her back was hunched, her silhouette that of someone ten years older. …The next morning, while I was making breakfast, Cornelius wrapped his arms around me from behind. "There's news from the police. They detained Dylan at the airport last night."I stopped what I was doing and turned to look at him. He went on, "His girlfriend panicked the moment she saw the police. She told them everything abo
That night, Joan posted on social media. In the nine-photo grid, the center image was a picture of her and Dylan. She nestled into his embrace as he kissed her cheek, every bit the gentle, attentive partner. The caption read, "After everything we've been through, we're still standing strong. Thank you to everyone who's supported us. We're going to keep moving forward together."One after another, friends flooded the comment section with their blessings. "I'm honestly jealous of what you two have! Your relationship's been through so much and still holds up.""This has to be true love. So happy for you both!"Only a handful of people who knew the truth stayed silent—no likes, no comments. I was still staring at the post when Cornelius walked out of his study. He sat down beside me and asked, "What are you looking at?"I handed him my phone. His gaze lingered on the photo for a few seconds before a faint, dismissive smile tugged at his lips. "Dylan was still in the office
Mom was discharged a week later. I kept a steadying arm around her as we waited outside for Cornelius to pick us up. Suddenly, a familiar figure approached us from across the street. Joan wore a cream-colored dress, her makeup flawlessly done. If not for the dark circles under her eyes and the way she forced herself to seem lively, I might've thought she had turned back into the young lady she used to be. Holding a beautifully wrapped bouquet, she walked up to us with a smile. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Fletcher. I got the wrong idea about Andrea before. I heard you were being discharged today, so I wanted to come see you."Mom looked at her in silence. After a long while, she finally gave a quiet hum. Joan held the bouquet out to me, but I didn't take it. Even so, she didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest and just drew her hand back. She let out a sigh before saying, "Andrea, I've done a lot of thinking these past few days. I don't blame you for what happened anymore."I raised
With every sentence, Dylan's face grew visibly paler. "Weren't you always curious about my boyfriend? Well, now you've finally met him," I said softly. Joan's eyes widened in shock as her gaze fell on Cornelius. She muttered, "M-Mr. Jenkins… Andrea's boyfriend is actually Dylan's boss."Suddenly, she remembered how I had only smiled when she bragged about Dylan's "six-figure salary". Back then, she had thought I was jealous. But now, she realized it had all been a joke. Cornelius looked down at me, his expression gentle. "Andrea, I've always wanted to meet this 'best friend' of yours. I just didn't expect our first proper encounter to be under these circumstances."Bracing herself against the wall, Joan forced herself upright and staggered toward the young woman. Her eyes locked onto the bracelet on her wrist as she demanded, "Take it off!"The woman shrank back at once, shooting Dylan a helpless look. "I said take it off!" Joan screamed. "That was my mother's! You have no r






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