From His Fake Wife to Billionaire Heiress (Riley and Lucas) novel Chapter 426

426 A Blessing in Disguise

Chapter 426 A Blessing in Disguise

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“Riley, her mother said they cover all the medical bills. They’ll throw in a generous recovery payment on top of that. The one condition is that they want you to drop it. No police. Nothing that affects the girl’s future. That was what the teacher told her.

At the time, Riley hadn’t even scraped together tuition for the next semester. She was working three jobs, stretched so thin she was about to snap.

She stared at the check with the huge number printed on it. In the end, she took it.

With that money, she didn’t have to wash dishes until midnight anymore. She could buy her textbooks. She could move out of the cramped dorm.

The mother and daughter never showed up once–not when she was admitted, nat when she was discharged, not even with a single word of apology.

But staring at her account balance, Riley kept repeating the same thought to herself. It was a blessing in disguise. Trade fuzzy memories for a lighter future. Fair enough.

“It’s all in the past. Let’s not dig it up.” Riley pulled herself back and looked at Emily, her eyes softening. “Since we ran into each other like this, are you free? Let’s grab dinner tonight. My treat.”

Emily’s eyes lit up, and she was about to nod. “Yes! I’ve been dying to really catch up with you.”

Before she could finish, her phone rang sharp and urgent from her bag

Emily fished it out. The screen flashed “Honey,” and her whole face curved into a smile. The voice she answered with was dripping

with sweetness.

“Hey. Yeah, I’m at the home. With Riley. Go back now? But I haven’t even gotten to talk to her yet.”

She hung up and turned to Riley, her face full of apology and regret. “Riley, I’m so sorry. My husband says he made me some herbal soup at home. For the baby. He’s already almost back and insists I drink it while it’s hot. He gets so stubborn when it comes to the baby.”

Riley gave her an understanding smile. “It’s fine. Having family who looks after you is a good thing. We’ll have plenty ofchances. You’ve got my number. Just tell me whenever you want to get together.”

“Okay, let’s reschedule. I’m taking you out for a big dinner, I swear.” Emily nodded.

They each picked up a heavy box and walked out of the crumbling dorm building side by side. The afternoon sun hit them at slant. One composed and cool, the other soft and glowing.

At the gate, they said their goodbyes

Emily walked a few steps, then stopped abruptly and turned around like she’d just remembered something. The wind tagged hair. Her face went complicated, and she dropped her voice tow

“Oh, Riley. One more thing. A few days ago, my husband and I were at that new mall i saw the mother and dasheet

hit you. i’d know that face anywhere. Even after all these years, the way that woman looks at people is still so full of herself were dressed to kill, head to toe in designer Looked like life’s been very, very good to them.”

Riley’s grip on the box tightened slightly: Her expression stayed calin. She said hatly. “Yeah Nexopolis is big and small at the same

Chapter 426 A Blessing in Disguise

time. Running into them isn’t that weird.”

Emily sighed and waved, “True. They live their fancy life, and we live ours. Bye! Call you!”

Riley watched Emily’s figure shrink into the distance, and the smile on her face died.

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She looked down at the box in her arms. Tucked among the folds of old clothes, the dark blue corner of her diary peeked out–like a secret that had lain dormant for years, waiting for someone to finally open it.

That mother and daughter…

Something dark shifted in Riley’s eyes. She climbed into her car, the box pressed against her.

She’d told herself she was over it. But now the fragments were laid out in front of her again, and that old buried hurt still ached.

Her tires thumped over the bridge’s expansion joints, a steady rhythm beneath the car. Nexopolis glittered outside, neon streaking across the window. But Riley’s gaze stayed fixed on the worn cardboard box in the passenger seat.

That diary held a past she’d forgotten. And now it was waiting.

The house was cold and quiet when she got home. Sebastian was still at the office. Ever since they’d come back to Nexopolis, he seemed even busier than he’d been in Havenbrook. It gave her the space to face this alone.

She carried the heavy box inside. She stowed the old clothes and random stuff in the storage room, then took the locked diary and headed for the study.

Riley sank into the chair. Her fingers shook a little as she dug into the inner pocket of her bag and pulled out a tiny silver key, nearly rusted through.