Chapter 179 Misunderstanding
Belinda’s voice broke again. “Adriana, I’m so sorry. I hurt you, I was selfish. I used your baby to buy my Freedom
Her tears fell, one after another, splashing against the concrete.
For a moment, Adriana’s stomach twisted. There was something unsettling about how calm Belinda sounded while saying it.
Belinda lifted her head, her voice trembling but clear. “Adriana, even if I hadn’t pushed you that day… your baby wouldn’t have survived.” Belinda’s expression darkened. “Stay away from Harold. Stay away from Eva. Other than Curtis, you can’t trust anyone.”
Adriana stood there, stunned, not fully grasping what Belinda meant.
“Adriana, you really need to understand thing,” Belinda said, her steps slow and deliberate. “There are
things you can earn if you fight hard enough. But there are things you’ll never touch no matter how much you struggle. That’s called social class.” Her voice was soft but cold, every word sharp like a blade. “You grew up with nothing. The Lincolns will never you as one of them. Harold will never let you stay as Curtis’s wife forever. And the Bartons won’t allow you to keep your place as Curtis‘ wife by clinging to a pregnancy that’s gone.”
Before Belinda had pushed Adriana down the stairs, she had already heard something she wasn’t supposed
Eva had been staying at her apartment while looking after Cynthia. The place was tiny, and the walls were thin. Late one night, when Belinda couldn’t sleep, she got up for water. That’s when she overheard a call.
Someone was telling Eva to poison Adriana’s baby. They wanted her gone too.
There were too many people who wanted Adriana dead.
They could always buy someone close to her.
Money made anything possible.
Adriana was too kind. Too defenseless.
Curtis could protect her all he wanted, but the world always found cracks to slip through.
Standing next to him meant walking into a battlefield full of wolves.
And she had no armor. No powerful name. No family to protect her.
“Curtis doesn’t live in a world where kindness matters,” Belinda said, her tone calm but haunting. “You can’t just be good enough. If you want to stay by his side, you need to be ruthless. You can’t hesitate. You can’t pity anyone. And you definitely can’t stay soft.” She turned to leave but paused after a few steps, her voice cutting through the air. “Your kindness will destroy you, Adriana. Next time, don’t give anyone the chance to hurt you. And if they do, don’t forgive them. Don’t show mercy. You let me go this time, and now others will think they can do the same.”
Adriana didn’t respond. She stood there motionless, watching as Belinda disappeared down the street.
1/3
Her droughts were spoming out of control
to bleed His wife WUDH Cuitis had clawed his way to power surrounded by people waiting for him to be his inatch Someone grong enough to fight beside him, not someone fragile elo always needed to be sated. She wasn’t that woman. She was weak. She was the kind of woman who broke when the wind blew. too hard.
And Curtis had to waste his strength shielding her.
If it weren’t for her, Matthew wouldn’t have dragged Michael and his family back into their lives.
When she finally got home, she sat on the couch and took a shaky breath before calling Ctirtis.
He picked up instantly. “Adriana?” His voice was low, rough, and tired,
“Are you exhausted from the trip?” she asked softly.
Curtis gave a faint laugh. “Yeah, a bit. But I don’t feel tired anymore now that I’ve heard your voice.”
“Did something happen?” Adriana asked, her tone quiet but concerned.
“The project in Capitol hit a small snag,” Curtis said. “But I’ve got it handled.”
“Then rest early,” Adriana whispered. She didn’t mention Belinda or Cynthia.
He already carried too much. She refused to add her pain to his.
“Okay… you too. Wait for me to come home, okay?”
When the call ended, Adriana sat still, staring at her phone like it might give her answers.
Belinda’s words wouldn’t stop replaying in her mind.
She was too soft. Too fragile.
Even if she couldn’t help Curtis, she shouldn’t be the one holding him back. She refused to be the weight that slowed him down.
The next morning, Adriana went to the library to return her books. She thought she could get in and out quietly. But fate had other plans.
Matthew was waiting near the entrance, pretending to browse a shelf.
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