?Chapter 699:

    After what felt like hours suspended in contemtion, Elliana carefully tucked both bracelets into her pocket and emerged from the woond sanctuary. Right now, Cole remained trapped in his belief that his mother had perished when he was twelve, the me of his search for his mother likely extinguished. The quest to find their mothers now rested solely on her shoulders.

    But then, Elliana shook her head. Actually, she wasn’t entirely alone in this journey. Adah had always stood as her unwavering ally, and she needed to return to Ublento to share these revtions with Adah.

    Three dayster, as dusk painted the sky in shades of amber and rose, Elliana crossed the threshold of Regal Grove. The past week had carved its toll into her very being. Having cared for Cole for three straight days and then journeyed around based on Dobbs’st words, all while her heart bore the weight of overwhelming sorrow over Dobbs’ death, exhaustion clung to her like a second skin.

    Adah and the Four Guardians had assembled in the living room, their faces etched with concern as they witnessed her diminished state.

    Heather moved with gentle purpose, pressing a cup of water into Elliana’s hands. “Here, have some water.”

    Elliana epted the offering, allowing the cool liquid to soothe her parched throat before delivering her announcement. “Cole and I have severed all connections. Should we cross paths again, we’ll be nothing more than strangers passing in the night. Keep your lips sealed and don’t spread gossip.”

    “What?” The word erupted from five mouths simultaneously, shock rippling through the assembled group. Just one month ago, Cole had poured his wealth like water, courting Elliana with grand gestures—how could everything have shifted so dramatically?

    With Cole’s recoveryplete, Elliana no longer felt the need to keep his illness under wraps. She unfolded her story with Cole, each word carefully chosen as she revealed the truth. Adah and the Four Guardians had earned her trust through years of unwavering loyalty—they deserved to know.

    After absorbing the tale, Heather’s voice cracked with disappointment. “How could this happen? What game is Mr. Evans ying? He loved you with such intensity, yet when he woke up from his slumber, he remembered the entire world while erasing youpletely?”

    Adah’s fury ignited like a struck match, her fist connecting with the table in a thunderous crash. “I’ve always maintained this truth—never ceplete trust…

    in any man. Believing a man’s promises is like expecting pigs to sprout wings and soar!”

    Clifton, Kieran, and Damian exchanged nces, their expressions twitching with suppressed disagreement. They understood Adah’s rage but couldn’t ept her sweeping condemnation. Cole’s betrayal didn’t paint all men with the same treacherous brush. They considered themselves honorable men who would treasure a woman as exceptional and beautiful as Elliana, loving her with unwavering devotion through every season of life.

    Adah paid no mind to what the three men thought and continued her passionate tirade, “Elliana, don’t let sorrow poison your spirit. Men are merely entertainment, nothing more profound than that. As women, we must maintain crystal-clear judgment and refuse to let love cloud our vision. Besides his handsome face and overflowing bank ount, what distinguishes Cole from countless other men? He possesses no special magic! Release this rotten apple from your heart, and you’ll discover an ocean teeming with better fish, understand?”

    Elliana’s smile carried the bitter weight of experience, but she remained silent. Sensing her friend’s stubborn disagreement, Adah’s anxiety sharpened. “Elliana, you must grasp this fundamental truth—men are contemptible creatures. We women should discard them when they be useless, and discipline them when they step out of line! Watch this demonstration…”

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