Chapter 286

Rachel was suddenly flooded by memories she had long tried to forget.

She was a freshman in college when it happened. Someone had deliberately set a fire and locked her inside. She had almost made it out, but the windows had been sealed shut. There had been no way to escape.

No one outside had dared to come in, and the fire department hadn’t arrived.

It was the first time she had come face to face with death. That feeling of sheer terror was something she still remembered.

Just as she had been on the verge of losing consciousness, a familiar figure had appeared through the flames. She had recognized its silhouette and height.

“It’s William, isn’t it?”

When she woke up afterward, the first person she saw had also been William.

Her classmates also told her it was William who saved her. She had no reason to doubt it. But from what Jim said, it sounded like he knew that William hadn’t been her savior.

Who was it then?

If William hadn’t been the one who rescued her, why did he claim the credit?

From inside the study, she could hear Jim’s voice again.

“I’m going to say this one more time. If you can’t treat Rachel like you did in the beginning, then let her go. I don’t want to see my daughter get hurt.”

William scoffed. “Dad, that might make sense if Rachel were still the beloved daughter of the Lloyd family. But Gerald clearly doesn’t see her that way. Tell me, do you think there’s still a place for her in that family?”

His words hit Jim like a sledgehammer.

It was brutal but true. Gerald ruled the Lloyd family, and if Rachel were to return home after a divorce, neither Sasha nor anyone else in that house would ever truly accept her.

Jim hated himself for being unable to protect Rachel.

William knew he didn’t need to say any more. “Dad, it’s getting late. Let’s just head downstairs for dinner. As for Rachel, don’t worry. I have no intention of divorcing her.”

Jim had no choice but to let it go. “That’s for the best.”

Outside, Rachel smiled helplessly.

Her naive father still believed that not getting a divorce was the best outcome. He didn’t understand that sometimes staying married was a far worse kind of torture.

Footsteps suddenly echoed down the hallway, snapping her back to reality.

It was too late to run. As the study door opened, she quickly pushed open the door to the room next to it and shut it behind her.

She was just about to let out a sigh of relief when she turned around and froze.

Yvette was on top of Tyler, pinning him to the bed. The two of them were tangled in a position that needed no explanation.

Rachel whipped back around. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to. You two carry on!”

Tyler instantly seemed irritated. “Rachel, what the hell are you thinking?”

Before he could finish, Rachel had already flung the door open and bolted out, only to run straight into William and Jim.

An idea flashed through Rachel’s mind.

William grabbed her arm after seeing how startled she was. “What’s wrong?”

“N–Nothing,” she stammered, but her eyes kept darting toward the room she’d just come out of.

William’s instincts kicked in. Something was definitely off.

He helped steady her before reaching for the door and pushing it open, only to see Tyler just getting off the bed, Yvette clinging to him from behind.

“Mr. Hunt-“ William fell silent. Then, without saying another word, he quietly shut the door again.

Rachel, faking an annoyed pout, smacked William lightly on the arm. “Who told you to open the door?”

“How was I supposed to know they were in there?” William asked.

He couldn’t shake the image he’d just seen. Was it possible? Could Tyler really be interested in Yvette?

Did that mean Rachel and Tyler really hadn’t been doing anything inappropriate back at Tyler’s apartment yesterday?