**CHLOE**“I… uh, I want to, uhm,” I stuttered, my heart hammering in my chest.He chuckled. “You want to kiss me?” and my stomach stiffened.“Huh?” I blurted out, flustered.“Calm down; I'm just messing with you,” he said softly, taking my hands in his. “If it's not super important, you can always tell me later.”I let out a small smile and nodded. “Yeah, I think that'd be better.”“So here,” he said, extending the card back to me. “Hold on to it,” he insisted.I reluctantly collected the card and shoved it into my clutch.Standing up, he brushed a kiss against my cheek and then headed to the piano. The melody of “Nearer My God to Thee” filled the air as his fingers moved.Goshhh… What can't this man do? I sat there, mesmerized, my gaze fixed on the way his fingers moved gracefully on the keyboard.Butterflies erupted in my stomach.When the last note faded, the crowd applauded. As he returned to our table, a surge of pride swelled in my chest. I blushed; that's my husband.“Did yo
**CHLOE**Jeffrey's gaze snapped to Robert's, his eyes darkening. He shot up from the bed and marched towards him, while I scrambled to cover myself with the duvet.My eyes met Robert's sneer by the door, and my soul momentarily left my body.Fuck!Jeffrey grabbed Robert by the collar and shoved him hard against the wall. “How dare you barge into my wife's room without knocking?” He roared.“Sorry, I, uh...” Robert stammered.My shoulders trembled as I remained still on the bed.Jeffrey held his grip on Robert's shirt and pushed him harder again. “And what the fuck are you even looking for in her room?” He barked.“I mean no harm. Richard was looking for you downstairs; I didn't find you in your own room, so I figured you might be here,” Robert explained.I give it to him; he's good.“I forbid you from ever entering this room again,” he growled. “Do you understand me?” I could see Robert glaring at me from the side of his eyes, and my heart raced.“Sure,” Robert mumbled.Robert will
**JEFFREY**I marched to Robert's room with clenched fists and gritted teeth. I flung his door open to see an empty room. I hissed through my teeth and then headed for Chloe's.I got to her room, tugged on the knob, and it opened. Just then, I heard Robert say, “Yeah, you're really your father's daughter; always playing the victim’s role,” his eyes moving from her head to her toe, condescendingly.I froze.Robert was in her room again? Burning anger boiled in my gut, consuming me whole.“Don't bring my father into this! He did what he did for us, and what about you?” she yelled back. “You married me and then tried to kill your own brother for his fortune!” she continued. What was that? Were they responsible for my accident? He married who?Wait... Chloe isn't actually my wife?Robert's eyes snapped to the door and met mine. He had a horrified look on his face, and then Chloe called, “Robert?” My heart sank. I always knew something was up, but I was really starting to love her, a
**CHLOE**Robert glared at me before storming out, while Helen stood in a corner with her hands on her chest, probably still trying to process what had happened.“What Jeffrey said, is it really true?” Audrey asked me. Helen turned to look at me, her posture tense in anticipation of my response.I shut my eyes briefly; words have never been this hard to voice. “It is,” I murmured, my voice barely a whisper.Helen lost her balance and slumped. The shock must have been too much for her.“Helen!” Richard called, running over to her. Audrey and I followed suit.Richard kneeled beside her, trying to rouse her, but his efforts were futile. Richard carefully carried Helen to his car, Audrey and I helping to settle her comfortably into the passenger seat. Once she was secure, we all jumped in, and Richard rushed to the driver's seat.He sped, heading to the hospital, and he called Jeffrey to inform him as he drove.When we arrived, Helen was rushed to the emergency unit. Audrey and I sat besi
**CHLOE**I turned off the water running in the bathroom so I could hear the voice properly.“Chloe, it's me,” I heard Lily say.Relief washed over me. I reached for the door knob and opened it. “You've been in there for a while,” she said, concern etched on her face, and then she took a step backwards to examine me. “What happened?” "Jeffrey found out about everything," I blurted out, trying to hold myself together. She pulled me into a hug.I was starting to get a grip on my emotions, but when she hugged me, it all came flooding back. I sobbed in her arms, and she led me to the bed, where I explained everything to her.“Chloe, it'll be alright,” Lily assured; she was sobbing too. “What about Audrey?”“I don't think she'll forgive me; the way she looked at me, even at the hospital...” my voice broke.“Don't overthink it, okay? Her aunt was in the ward; she must have been worried sick. And you know Helen isn't just her aunt; she's practically Audrey's mother,” Lily explained gentl
**CHLOE**I settled into the bed slowly, unable to sit properly. My once-comfortable bed suddenly felt inadequate.She sat down too. “How's your health, ma'am?” I asked.“Good,” she replied curtly. “That's not why I came here, though.”Oh… “What's your relationship with Robert?” She asked. “And what happened before Jeffrey's accident?” I straightened a bit on the bed. "I met Robert for the first time at...”“Make sure you don't leave out any detail,” she interrupted. “Yes ma'am.”I nibbled on my fingers nervously as I explained everything to her.“So you had never even met Jeffrey before the accident?” She inquired. “Yes, ma'am. I had not."She stared at me intently. "So, from your story, my son Robert is the bad guy?” She asked.I swallowed the lump in my throat. That must be a rhetorical question.“And how do I know that you didn't plan this whole thing with Robert?”“I would never... What do I stand to gain?” I blurted out.“What do you stand to gain?" She repeated, her tone dr
**CHLOE**The next morning, I came downstairs for breakfast. Lily had already left for work. I took a seat, and my eyes kept darting to the hallway, hoping to see Jeffrey appear.Mary poured some yogurt into my glass before placing the jar on the table. “Where’s everyone?” I asked.I wanted to know the whereabouts of just one person.She gave me a small, knowing smile. “Master Jeffrey will be out for a few days,” she replied.My heart sank. “He must be busy with work?” I mumbled, sipping my yogurt.“I don't know if it's work that's keeping the master busy.”Ugh… I miss the days when she referred to him as my husband.I cleared my throat immediately and said, “Oh... I wasn't asking about just him, though.”She smiled again. I hated that it almost felt as if she could read me like an open book.“Well, Mrs. Blakes is still resting in her room, and I'll take her breakfast to her now. I think Audrey went out, and...” Mary trailed off.Audrey… I need to speak to her.“There…” Mary said, t
**JEFFREY**“First of all, it's not Chloe,” Richard said rapidly as he gestured with his hands. “Because I know that's probably what you're thinking.” “I won't lie, the thought did cross my mind,” I admitted. “She's the natural assumption.” “So who is she?” I repeated.Richard slumped back in his chair with a defeated look. “I don't know,” he mumbled. ??!“What do you mean?” I demanded. “If you don't know who it is, then how do you know that it's not Chloe?”“Because the truck driver told me so,” he replied. I was starting to lose my sh*t.“Richard!” I snapped. “Do you want to tell me what happened or not? Are you waiting for me to pry all the information out of you? What's with the single reply?!”"Sorry, man,” he apologized. I kept my gaze fixed on him, waiting for him to continue.“Well, I found the truck driver…” “You already said that,” I snapped. “Stop beating around the bush.”“He's gone, man,” Richard said with despair in his eyes.“Gone where?” I asked instinctively. “