From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 424

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Chapter 424 Different Directions,

Chapter 424 Different Directions

Riley remembered. That had been her.

Every donation from the outside world had felt like a holiday.

The tide of memories receded as she pushed open the car door and stepped through the familiar gate.

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The kids in the courtyard looked up at the stranger, curious. But something about her–the cool, distant air she carried–kept them back. Instead of swarming her like they usually did with visitors, they watched from a safe distance.

She followed the familiar old stone path, past the huge banyan tree, toward the gray three–story dormitory at the back of the compound.

Someone stood at the entrance, one hand braced on her lower back, peering anxiously toward the gate.

She wore a loose maternity dress. Her hair fell soft over her shoulders, and her whole face carried that gentle glow of someone about to become a mother.

When she saw Riley approaching, she froze. Her eyes went wide with confusion and uncertainty.

She studied the woman up and down. This calm, striking figure was nothing like the stubborn, silent girl she remembered.

Then, after a few seconds, the familiar lines of her face clicked into place against the unfamiliar elegance.

“Oh my god.” Emily’s eyes went huge. Her hand flew to her mouth, her voice thick with shock. “You’re Riley? Is that really you?”

Riley smiled, and that was all the confirmation Emily needed.

She rushed forward and grabbed Riley’s hands, looking her over with open amazement. “Riley, it’s really you! You’ve changed so much! I almost didn’t recognize you!”

The girl who’d once worn faded uniforms, with that stubborn, defiant fire in her eyes, was gone. She was polished and composed now–like a stone cut and buffed to shine.

“You too.” Riley’s gaze dropped to Emily’s rounded belly, and genuine warmth softened her cool eyes. “A lot’s changed. Looks like things are good for you.”

Emily laughed, a little embarrassed, and ran a hand over her stomach. She looked radiant. “Yeah. Got married three years ago. This little one’s sixteen weeks along.”

She looped her arm through Riley’s and pulled her toward the dorm building.

“Let’s go inside. The sun’s brutal out here.

“Oh, by the way. A while back, some rich angel donated a ton of money anonymously. Funded a whole new dorm building. So this old one’s coming down soon. The kids are moving into something brand new.

“The director told anyone who still had stuff here to come grab it before it’s gone. I was going through my old trunk and found a bunch of your things mixed in with mine. I figured they must be important to you, but nobody had your contact info. All we knew was you’d gone to Havenbrook.”

She glanced at Riley, a spark of pride in her voice. “Funny thing. Last month, I was running errands with my husband near your old

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Chapter 424 Different Directions.

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university, and I just had this impulse to check out your campus. I stopped by your old department and asked around. Turns out the alumni office actually had your into on file. Aleft my number, figured it was a total shot in the dark. And here you are. You actually came back.”

Riley felt warmth spread through her chest.

Someone had been thinking about her, looking for her–and she hadn’t even known.

“So,” Emily asked, full of curiosity, “are you back in Nexopolis for good?”

“Yeah” Riley nodded. “I found my family, so I came back from Havenbrook. I’ll be living here from now on.”

“You found your family?” Emily stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes going wide with delight. “You found your birth parents? Oh my god. That’s incredible!”

Emily’s parents died in an accident. With no other relatives willing to take her in, she’d ended up here. Family had once been nothing but a distant dream for her too.

But she’d been lucky in her own way. In high school, a couple who’d lost their daughter years ago had adopted her. They’d treated her like their own, given her a real home.

That was when their paths split–different directions, different lives. The connection faded.

“I’m so happy for you,” Emily said, and she meant every word.

Riley smiled faintly. She didn’t explain.

She couldn’t tell Emily that the family she’d found was more complicated than she’d ever imagined.

They’d reached the second floor–the end of the hallway, the small room where they’d lived all those years.