?Chapter 324:


    She left Kate sprawled on the floor, bruised and humiliated, her once-pristine clothes in tatters.


    Leaning down, Rachel’s voice was like ice. “Listen to me, Kate Marsh. If you every a finger on Jeffrey again—if anything happens to him—I swear I’ll drag you down with me. And don’t even think about tattling to your mom or my dad. If they find out about today, I’ll make sure you regret it.”


    Kate, stubborn as ever, clenched her jaw.


    Rachel wasn’t worried. She crouched lower, her gaze drilling into Kate’s. “I know what you’re thinking. You’ll run to your mommy, cry to her, and have her punish us.”


    Rachel tilted her head, smiling darkly. “But here’s the thing, Kate—I don’t care about life or death. I have nothing to lose. You, on the other hand? You’re a pampered little princess with everythingid out for you. You have a future.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Are you really ready to throw that away?”


    For the first time, Kate looked scared. Real fear seeped into her wide eyes as she nodded frantically. “I won’t! I swear, I won’t do it again. I don’t want to die!”


    Rachel gave her onest cold look. “You’d better mean it. Because if I go down, I’m taking someone with me.”


    Once Kate had scurried away, Rachel let out a slow, trembling breath. And then, as if all the strength had been sucked out of her, she copsed onto the floor.


    She hadn’t meant a word of it. She had only parroted what she had once heard Moira say—threats meant to strike fear. Back then, she had thought Moira was cruel for using them. She never imagined she’d one day throw them back at Moira’s own daughter. Fate had a twisted sense of humor.


    Kate’s cruel words had once shattered Jeffrey’s heart, and even now, they still haunted him.


    Rachel shook off her memories and brought her thoughts back to the present, feeling bitter inside.


    “Jeffrey,” she said softly, “promise me you’ll never do anything drastic.”


    Jeffrey nodded vigorously, his enthusiasm returning. “As long as you remain by my side, I’ll go nowhere. I’ll stay with you forever. When you and Brian marry and have children, I’ll y with them endlessly. I’ll create paper airnes and draw pictures with them. Would that be okay?”


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    Listening to his description of this imagined future, countless words Rachel yearned to express became lodged in her throat. “Jeffrey?”


    “Yes, what is it you want to tell me?”


    After several attempts, Rachel still couldn’t bring herself to voice the cruel reality.


    “Have you ever considered that one day, I will also grow old, pass away, and leave you?” Finally, she expressed this inevitable truth in the gentlest manner possible.


    Jeffrey appeared visibly shocked. Several moments passed before he could respond. “No, that won’t happen. You won’t die. Rachel…” His voice had diminished to a whisper, clearly revealing his distress.


    “Silly boy.” Ultimately, Rachel could only offerfort once more. “I was merely teasing you, inspired by the film we watched just now.”


    Following the movie, Jeffrey attended his afternoon interviews, but as expected, neither yielded positive results.


    Jeffrey’s demeanor revealed the weight of rejection, and Rachel’s heart clenched as she observed his usual optimism reced by a crestfallen expression.


    At that moment, she couldn’t help but direct her frustration inward. Her fragile health and the constraints it imposed prevented her from being the unwavering support she wished to be.


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