**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. “
**CHLOE**She was facing me, but she kept her eyes glued to the floor.“I'm truly sorry, Audrey. I would've said that I had no choice, but everyone always does. I chose my family. To keep my dad safe, my sister... I'm really sorry your cousin had to be the victim,” I blurted out in a rush.She looked up at me now, but her expression remained unreadable. Was she still angry?I took her hands. “I can't ask for your forgiveness because I know what I did was very wrong, and I'd still do the same in that situation... Except that I'd tell Jeffrey everything myself.”“So what about me?” She asked, glaring.I don't know why, but I burst out laughing. She looked so cute, almost jealous.“So if you could go back, you'd tell Jeffrey and not me? Good to know,” she said, rolling her eyes. Then she turned away.I chuckled and gave her a back hug. “Of course I'd tell you if I could go back,” I said, still laughing. “I'm truly sorry, Audrey. I feel awful about everything,” I murmured sincerely.“You
**CHLOE**My heart skipped a beat or two. It was as if we were trapped for what felt like hours, but neither of us made a move to try and get out of it. “What do you mean?” I asked, breaking the silence.I realized my hands were no longer hiding my body, but I don't know when they fell to my sides either. He wasn't exiting my room or looking away, and I wasn't dressing up or trying to leave.“We were never married in the first place,” he blurted after a while.Tears streamed down my cheeks. I don't know why I was being so emotional; he was right after all.“But I... I was...” I stuttered, but words failed me. His gaze flickered through my body. “Why do you seem surprised? You've been asking for a divorce all along. Aren't you happy that I granted your wish?” “Please just leave,” I said in a choked voice."Sure," he muttered, standing up. He lifted his jacket off my bed. I was hoping he'd take the documents along too, but he didn't. He shut the door behind him, and the documents wer