"In the eyes of the Howard Family, they believe I caused her sister's death," Rachel finally said after a long silence.
She never imagined, until Celeste had her nails ripped out in prison, that someone's heart could be that cruel.
"I think she's more excited about you falling from grace than sad about her sister dying," Josephine said, still pissed. "You weren't even in for a full month before Celeste got together with Ralph. If someone told me she didn't already have feelings for him, I wouldn't believe it."
"This just proves my relationship with Ralph wasn't deep to begin with. It's good I saw his true colors," Rachel said with a calm smile.
"Exactly. Ralph isn't even worth loving," Josephine agreed. Then she paused, remembering something. "By the way, how's it going with your new 'brother'? Are you really gonna live with him forever?"
"Yeah," Rachel nodded. "If Jeffrey wants to stay, that would be the best."
"People who don't know might think you two are dating," Josephine said, worried. "He hasn't done anything weird, right?"
"No," Rachel answered, but her mind wandered back to those beautiful, captivating eyes of his, staring at her from so close. Her heart started beating faster at the thought.
"Wait… you…" Josephine noticed the blush creeping up Rachel's cheeks and looked surprised. "Don't tell me you actually like him?"
"No," Rachel said quickly. "Josephine, you know what I've been through. Even after all that… in prison… I'm not planning on falling for anyone again."
Mentioning prison made Josephine's face darken. "Rachel, maybe you should see another doctor. There still might be hope…"
"No need. I'm not planning to get married anyway, so it doesn't matter," Rachel said. In prison, she had been beaten so badly her uterus was ruptured.
Even though surgery had fixed it, the doctors warned her that pregnancy would be extremely risky, and they advised against it.
She might never have her own child.
But even if she did… they would probably suffer alongside her.
Josephine felt her heart ache for Rachel but didn't know what to say to comfort her.
So she changed the subject. "By the way, your 'brother' was a stranger before. You should try to get to know him better, just in case."
"I know," Rachel said. "But even if I don't know Jeffrey that well, I'm sure of one thing—he'd never hurt me."
Josephine watched her closely as she talked about Jeffrey. A small, gentle smile formed at the corners of Rachel's lips.
That smile was really beautiful. Maybe Jeffrey wasn't so useless after all!
—
Celeste had spent almost the whole night soaking in the Gray Family's pool, frantically searching for Jeffrey's ring.
She was completely exhausted and ended up going to the hospital for an IV drip.
Of course, while she was there, she made sure her manager took a few pitiful-looking pictures to post online and stir up sympathy.
Even in her weak condition, Celeste dragged her sick body to attend a press conference.
There, she gave a public apology and explained that the ring was a gift from her boyfriend, Ralph, and that she treasured it a lot.
She thought she'd been wearing it when she left home, but a friend pointed out it was missing.
In a panic, she assumed she'd lost it and asked everyone to help look for it.
"I'm sorry. Because of my carelessness, so many sanitation workers helped me look for the ring while I just stood there and didn't help... I've really realized my mistake," Celeste said sincerely, bowing so low it looked like she was about to fall over, earning a lot of sympathy.
After a short pause, she continued, "I'll personally visit the sanitation department to thank everyone who helped search for the ring. Also, I'll donate all of my earnings this year to set up a charity breakfast stand where sanitation workers can get a free breakfast every day with their work ID."
The video from the press conference spread like wildfire, and a lot of people thought Celeste handled the situation pretty well.
Her fans kept posting nonstop, trying to boost her public image.
Because of that, more and more people started to believe it was just a misunderstanding.
Celeste's visit to the sanitation department turned into a whole spectacle. A bunch of reporters even showed up to cover it.
At the sanitation department, the director gathered the workers who had helped look for the ring to come shake hands with Celeste and get her thank-you gifts.
Sister Rivera was especially happy with her gift, it came with a $70 cash envelope and a down jacket that looked like it cost over $140 based on the tag.
"Rachel, why aren't you going out to get your gift?" Sister Rivera asked, noticing Rachel sitting by herself on a chair.
"I don't need it," Rachel answered with a calm smile.
"But that jacket's worth over $140, and there's a $70 cash envelope. That's like a quarter of your monthly salary! Why not take it?" Sister Rivera said, confused.
Rachel just shook her head.
"Come on, it's just a formality. Take the gift and leave," Sister Rivera said, grabbing Rachel by the arm and trying to pull her outside.
"No, really, Sister Rivera, I don't need it," Rachel said again, trying to resist.
But before Rachel could pull away, Sister Rivera had already dragged her outside.
"There's one more person who hasn't received their gift!" Sister Rivera announced loudly.
Right away, all the reporters turned their cameras toward Rachel.
On instinct, Rachel raised her hand to block the flashes.
The bright lights and all the attention instantly brought back memories, back when she was standing outside the courtroom, surrounded by reporters trying to interview her.
And then she saw him, Ralph, standing just behind the camera crew.
Three years ago in prison, that man had stood there, cold and heartless.
When Celeste said she'd cripple her hand, he looked at her bloody fingers and just said, "Okay," in that icy voice of his.
Three years later, at the club, when she was being humiliated to the point she could barely breathe, Celeste said she was leaving to meet Jeffrey, and again, Ralph just said, "Okay."
Some things never change, even after three years, Rachel thought to herself.
She slowly lowered her hand, a strange sense of calm settling over her.
Ralph looked a little surprised when he saw her. Compared to their last encounter, which had been full of tension and pain, this time, he could finally take a proper look at her.