Chapter 45

Chapter

Rita's dad walked up to Ray with a solemn expression on his face. "Ray, I need to tell you something important," he said.Ray turned to face him, curious and a little uneasy. "What is it?"

"Rita has been lying to you about Mirabelle," Rita's dad said, his voice low. "Five years ago, Rita planned to frame Mirabelle forcarrying another man's child, but the truth is that Mirabelle was innocent all along."

Ray's jaw dropped in shock. "What? How could Rita do something like that?"

"I don't know, son. But it's the truth," Rita's dad said, with a heavy sigh. "I couldn't keep this from you any longer. You need to know what really happened."

Ray felt his world spin around him as he tried to process what he had just heard. "I...I don't know what to say. This is a lot to take in."

"I understand that, Ray," Rita's dad said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But it's better that you know the truth than to be living in a lie."

Ray nodded slowly, feeling a mix of anger and sadness wash over h