Chapter 13
Adora arched a brow. “Which Miss Shaw?”
“Who else? Laura Shaw,” Mary replied.
“Laura’s here?”
Adora’s face lit up with joy.
She immediately got up and headed outside.
Laura was her best friend–their bond was stronger than family.
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“Laura!” she called out excitedly when she saw the girl stepping out of an old Mercedes in the driveway.
She quickened her pace.
But just as she was about to reach her, something crossed her mind.
The smile on her face faltered, and her steps slowed.
If Laura had come straight to the house, she must have heard that she was back.
Which meant she had probably also heard all the rumors.
Would she believe them? That Adora had HIV? That she gave birth to an old man’s child?
Before she could dwell on it further, Laura spotted her and rushed forward, throwing her arms around her.
“Adora!” she cried, her voice thick with emotion.
“Oh my God! It’s really you! You’re alive! You’re back!”
Tears streamed down Laura’s face as she clung to her long–lost best friend, her sobs hoarse and uncontrollable.
The force of her embrace made Adora stumble slightly, and at that moment, her entire heart trembled.
Her best friend didn’t shun her!
Did she not know, or did she simply not care?
“Laura…”
Adora was overwhelmed with joy, her eyes instantly welling up.
Laura pulled back slightly, giving her a thorough once–over.
“You’ve lost so much weight! Oh my God, you must have suffered so much… Look at your arms, they’re covered in scars…”
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Chapter 13
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Tears streamed down Laura’s face as she gently ran her fingers over the marks on Adora’s arms, her heart aching beyond words.
At the villa’s entrance, Lilian and Ruby watched the scene unfold, both frowning deeply.
“Laura, how dare you hug her? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Ruby took a few steps forward, keeping her distance as she warned her.
Laura shifted her gaze to Ruby. “What do you mean by that?”
“She has HIV! And she even had a child with some old man! Can’t you smell her? She lived with pigs for three years!”
Ruby emphasized every word, making sure everyone could hear.
Laura turned back to Adora, her brows furrowing.
“This is how they’re treating you now that you’re back?”
“Ignore her,” Adora said with a small smile before pausing in curiosity.
“But seriously, you’re not afraid of catching anything?”
Laura scoffed. “I have a brain. Hugging someone isn’t going to kill me.”
Adora was touched once again.
“Laura, haven’t you heard the saying ‘better safe than sorry‘?”
Ruby wasn’t ready to give up stirring the pot.
But Laura didn’t even acknowledge her.
She simply took Adora’s hand.
“Let’s go somewhere else. I have so much to talk to you about.”
Seeing the way the Matthews family treated her best friend, Laura had no patience for pleasantries.
Without so much as a nod to Lilian, she pulled Adora straight into her car and drove off.
As the Mercedes disappeared down the road, Ruby turned back to Lilian.
“Mom, should we let the Shaw family know? If she really catches something, they might blame us.”
Lilian nodded. “Yes, we should give them a call. It’s our responsibility.”
“Exactly! Laura is such an idiot.”
The Shaw family was also one of the most prominent families in the capital.
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Chapter 13
However, despite being the eldest daughter of the family head, Laura had little status in her own home
Her parents had divorced when she was young, and after her father remarried, he had a pair of twin sons–his absolute pride and
joy.
Her stepmother, barely older than her, never liked her, and life in the Shaw household had always felt like walking on thin ice.
“I’m staying in my grad school dorm right now. I only found out you were back when I went home last night, but I couldn’t reach you, so I had to come straight to your place this morning,” Laura said while driving, occasionally glancing at her best friend.
As she looked at Adora, tears welled up again.
“It’s a miracle you’re alive,” she said, voice filled with genuine relief.
Adora felt a warmth spread through her chest. “Laura, you’re the only one who doesn’t look down on me.”
“Of course not. I just wish I wasn’t still a broke student. If I had my own place, I’d take you out of that house so you wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore!”
Adora could tell Laura wasn’t in the best situation either.
Even the car she drove was an old model, probably a hand–me–down her family had long discarded.
“Laura, I have money. A lot of money. But I can’t leave just yet,” Adora said bluntly.
Laura was stunned. “Why not?”
Adora’s expression turned cold.
“The person responsible for my abduction… was Ruby. But I don’t have the evidence yet to bring her to justice. I have to-”
