?Chapter 264:


    “Can I ask you something?”


    His gaze fixed intently on her.


    “Of course, go ahead.”


    Rachel maintained herposure, forcing a smile despite the tension.


    “Why would you insist on advancing our wedding date if you’re already seeing him? And giving me a surprise visit overseas—what was the purpose?”


    Brian’s tone intensified, his frustration evident as he clenched his fists.


    He paused, the silence in the room thickening.


    “Why, Rachel? I need an exnation.”


    “Are you sure you want to hear this?” Rachel queried, her expression solemn.


    Brian’s expression was resolute.


    “I need to understand.”


    Taking a deep breath, she gave a resigned nod.


    “The exnation is quite straightforward. I once considered his modest background insufficient to help me achieve what I needed, so I relied on your social standing. I aimed to expedite our wedding for merely one specific benefit.”


    “For what?” Brian demanded, his voice edged with tension.


    “To secure Jeffrey’s custody,” Rachel stated, each word measured and deliberate as she held Brian’s gaze. “I consulted Eric Riley, who confirmed that your financial and social influence would significantly bolster my case for Jeffrey’s custody if we were married. So yes, I used you. I won’t pretend otherwise.”


    Brian’s reaction was one of profound shock; his face twisted as he processed her admission. The revtion hit him like a physical blow, leaving him visibly shaken.


    Seeing the disbelief in his eyes, Rachel continued, “If you have doubts about my intentions, I encourage you to speak with Eric. He knows everything about my ns, and he’s bound by honesty to tell you the truth.”


    Brian, still reeling from the shock and losing hope, sought rification on something that had once felt meaningful to him. “And what about Kiss Day?” he asked in a barely audible whisper. That day had felt so real—Rachel seeking him out, their time together in the square, the intimacy shared in the hot air balloon. It couldn’t have been entirely fake.


    “Kiss Day?” Rachel let out a soft, rueful chuckle. “Maybe it was my way of surrendering. I knew Tracy woulde for you, and she did, just as I anticipated. Seeing you two together… it lessened some of the weight on my conscience.”


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    Brian’s gaze sharpened, tinged with betrayal. The day he had cherished as a romantic gesture was, in her eyes, nothing more than a strategy to ease her guilt.


    “You anticipated Tracy woulde?” Brian’s voice was heavy with disbelief.


    “Yes,” Rachel confirmed, her tone unwavering.


    “You knew I would leave with her that day?” he pressed, his voice thick with emotion.


    “Yes,” she answered once again.


    Each of his questions was met with a candid response, stripped of pretense or evasion. There was no attempt to sugarcoat the truth or soften the blow.


    “Then let’s part ways with grace,” Rachel said softly but resolutely. Even on the brink of their separation, she wanted to preserve whatever dignity remained between them, to part on good terms rather than let it all dissolve into resentment or regret.


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