Chapter 6

**CHLOE**

He closed the distance between us.

I shut my eyes, but I could feel his breath on my nose; he was so close to me.

"Not today," he said, and a loud, sarcastic laugh ripped from his throat.

My eyes flew open, a confused heat rising in my cheeks.

Wait..

What the f*ck!

Not today? What does that even mean?

He moved back, tilting his head. “Why did you close your eyes? Were you thinking I was going to kiss you?” His laughter softened this time, but a spark of irritation ignited within me.

I fucking hate this guy, and I never want to have anything to do with him.

“No,” I snapped. “Why would I think that?” I added defensively.

I really wish the ground would open up and swallow me.

“Okay good.” He said. I stared at him, bewildered. Wow, what just happened?

"I would definitely get to the bottom of all this," he said firmly, gesturing with his fingers between us before making his way to the door.

“And before then,” he opened the door and then turned to look at me, a mischievous smile spreading across his face, “We're not getting a divorce.”

He shut the door behind him.

I sucked my teeth.

Who does he even think he is?

Furious, I rolled onto my bed and kicked repeatedly.

What was that? “Not today”?

Does he think I'm pathetic?

I should have pushed him away, though; why didn't I? He must think I'm so easy.

I can imagine Lily laughing until she peed herself. This is definitely going to the grave with me.

**JEFFREY**

Why could I have gotten married to her, though?

I know Laura wasn't perfect, and I had wanted to break up with her, but I couldn't have just married someone else.

***Earlier today***

Laura walked into my study and sat on the desk in front of me.

She crossed one leg over the other, which made her dress hitch slightly, revealing a glimpse of her lacy underwear.

“What are you doing here?” I met her gaze.

Her voice dropped to a whisper as she leaned in, her palm landing on my face. "Is this what you say to someone you were supposed to marry?"

I flinched away from her touch.

I scoffed. “Someone I was supposed to marry?” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “Yeah, that explains why pictures of you on a vacation in Dubai surfaced on the day of my funeral.”

She looked a bit surprised. She must have thought I had no idea what she had been up to.

“I agree; I wasn't exactly perfect. But I didn't think you'd get married to some low-life country girl behind my back,” she continued.

"You weren't exactly perfect? This clearly shows that you never even cared about me." I stood up, "Our relationship was agreeable, but we never talked about marriage. Or did we?”

I never proposed to her, nor did I confirm that I was going to get married to her.

“I.. I thought it was obvious,” she said, trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. “I thought our intimacy implied...”

I shrugged and cut her off. “If intimacy always implied marriage, you'd have been married long ago.”

“Jeffrey,” she called out softly, and she moved very close to me. “We can work things out.”

I wasn't willing to work anything out with Laura. She had tried to deceive me.

My fists clenched, and I took a step backwards. I couldn't stand her acting all innocent.

"Laura, there is no working things out," I said, my voice leaving no room for argument.

Her brows shot up in surprise, and then she glared at me, “Is it because of her?”

I heard a brief knock, and then the door swung open before I could respond.

“Can I have a word?” Relief washed over me as I turned to see Richard standing by the door.

Laura stood up from my desk immediately, she was a bit flustered. She tugged on her dress, covering her exposed underwear.

"Sure,” I replied.

“I'll walk her out,” I said to Richard, and I stepped out of the study with Laura by my side.

I turned to see Chloe standing by the stairs, I sighed internally. She really needed a change of wardrobe.

I saw Laura off and went back to the study to meet Richard.

I slumped into a seat beside him.

Richard turned off the lights and activated the projector. The screen flickered with the scene of the accident.

Chills ran down my spine as I watched. No wonder I couldn't remember Chloe. The damage to my brain must have been significant compared to the rest of my body.

"I've watched this a dozen times," Richard admitted, his voice tight, "and each loop confirms my suspicion. Someone orchestrated this." He gestured towards the screen, its harsh light stark against the shadowed room. The black truck was a missile aimed squarely at my car.

Anxiety gripped me. I stood up and raked my fingers through my hair, pacing the length of the room.

Someone wanted me dead. And they must have known I was going to be taking that route.

Who could it be?

I felt Richard's eyes on me, the unspoken truth hanging heavy in the air.

"Someone wanted you gone, man," he finally said, his tone flat but his eyes filled with concern.

“Great, like I didn't already know that. This footage practically screams it, you know?” I blurted.

My pacing continued, and my heart was beating faster.

We might just be overanalyzing. This might have been a coincidence. What if the truck wasn't actually aimed at me?

I looked up at the projector again, the footage still on repeat. I watched the scene for the umpteenth time.

Fuck, it wasn't a coincidence.

"I don't like what I have to say, man," Richard said, his voice heavy. "Your wife…she can't be trusted."

My feet stilled, and my stare drilled into Richard, demanding elaboration.