Five Years of Marriage to Mr. Bradford (by Koi Fish) novel Chapter 287

Chapter 287

Kaitlyn smelled faintly of a soft perfume that made Rebecca feel safe. Being held like that made her want to cry even harder.

This was the motherly hug she’d dreamed about as a little girl but had never once gotten from her own mom. But now, on the cusp of adulthood, she felt it with her aunt.

After only a few days, she already hated saying goodbye, but they’d see each other again in just over a month. Gabriel thoughtfully handed out gifts to the entire troupe, introducing himself as Rebecca’s cousin and thanking them for looking after her.

Helia sidled up and whispered, “Wow, your cousin is generous! The gifts he gave each of us weren’t cheap, and he bought for the whole troupe.”

Rebecca still had no idea what Gabriel did for a living. They’d only met the night before and hadn’t

conversed much.

Kaitlyn had brought him home once years ago, before Rebecca was even born, and it hadn’t gone well. After that, she kept him away.

“Becky, we are heading out,” Gabriel said, climbing into the car for the airport. “I’ll meet you at the very last stop.”

“Okay. Bye, Gabriel. Bye, Aunt Kaitlyn.” Rebecca waved until they disappeared, then climbed into the van and headed to the next city.

Without realizing it, the tour was already halfway done. The troupe traveled through three more countries

in a blur.

During that stretch, Rebecca’s days fell into a steady rhythm: rehabilitation, helping with troupe logistics, and calling Josette.

Seeing Josette’s smiling face was the only thing that let her breathe easy. But after a week, she started noticing something wrong.

“Grandma, you’ve lost weight,” she said, her heart squeezing.

Josette just laughed it off. “Have I? I’m fine, sweetheart. I’ve been square dancing with the ladies downstairs every day. Moving around feels good.”

“Oh…” Rebecca was still worried.

“People need to stay active. If I just sit inside all day, I get bored to tears. Don’t worry. I’m doing great,” Josette reassured her. “Everyone says it’s a blessing to be thin when you’re old. As long as I’m healthy, it’s fine.”

Rebecca acknowledged that it was good for Josette to get out, make friends, and exercise. Still, being far away made her overthink.

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Chapter 297

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So, she asked Desmond if he could send his sister to check on Josette. Desmond made the call immediately, and Denise went over the same day following the address given by him.

Denise reported: [Josette is fine at home. I’ll stop by every few days.]

Only then did Rebecca feel a little lighter.

The following week, she still called Josette every day. Denise visited twice more and said the only issue was that Josette didn’t have much appetite because of the heat.

Rebecca’s stomach stayed in knots as the tour was winding down. At the last stop, she texted Josette to say she’d be home soon and gave her the arrival time in Arelmoor.

Now she felt more certain than ever that her decision was right. She had to bring Josette with her, or the worry would eat her alive.

On the final day, Gabriel arrived and waited for the show to end so they could fly to Arelmoor together.

They checked in side by side, and his seat was next to hers.

Helia quietly whispered to Desmond, “Man, the appearance of her cousin just cranked the difficulty level way up.”

Rebecca didn’t hear the whisper. For some reason, her anxiety kept climbing the closer they got to

takeoff.

Gabriel noticed, saying, “Relax. We’ll see Josette soon.”

“It’s not nerves,” she replied, “I just have this awful feeling that something’s about to go wrong.”

“You called her today, right?” he reminded her. “We’ll see her in just a few hours.”

She nodded, but those few hours felt so long.

Unlike the flight out, she couldn’t sleep a wink. The second the wheels touched down, the panic in her chest hit a fever pitch.