3.Meeting my fictional husband

~~Lucia~~

Asking him who he was would be ridiculous. As Mrs. Chloe, I was supposed to know him. Even the way he smiled at me made that clear.

The last thing I wanted was for anyone to notice that something was wrong with the real Chloe. I didn't even know what had happened to her. Was she inside my body while I was stuck in hers? God save her soul.

There had to be something about him that I remembered from the book. Something that could help me figure out who he was without making myself look like an idiot.

I stood there, trying to think of what to do, while he watched me with those sharp eyes, clearly waiting for an answer. Then my eyes fell on his wrist.

A small dragon tattoo.

Oh!

How could I have missed that?

He was Miles. Jeffrey's playboy younger brother, the man who was hopelessly in love with Chloe.

From what I'd read, Miles had tried to show her how he felt in different ways, but Chloe had never given him a chance. She kept telling herself she couldn't leave Jeffrey because they'd been together since high school.

What a stupid excuse.

She'd rather stay with a man who cheated on her and wasted her money than give someone who genuinely loved her a chance. Although I couldn't tell if he genuinely loved her because he had a reputation for his play boy lifestyle.

Well, too bad for her. She wasn't the one here anymore.

Because Miles? Miles was a big deal to me.

But there was something else that bothered me.

In the chapters I'd read, Miles hardly ever smiled. I could count on one hand the number of times the author had mentioned him smiling.

So why was he standing in front of me with that sweet smile on his face?

What had I missed?

In the book, Jeffrey was the CEO of a tech company he'd founded and built all by himself. He was ruthless, and some people even called him selfish, but at least he worked for what he had.

Unlike Jeffrey, who was nothing but a lazy parasite, living off Chloe's wealth while sleeping with her stepsister and demanding ridiculous amounts of money for things that weren't even worth buying.

Honestly, how had Chloe put up with that man for so long?

But meeting Miles while I was getting ready for the gala? That wasn't in the book. Not that I could remember, anyway.

My stomach tightened.

Had my arrival in this world already started changing the plot?

Well, it better not. Because that was the only way I could escape death at the hands of Jeffrey and my stepsister, Mira.

“Hi, Miles,” I said, clearing my throat. “What are you doing here?”

“I didn't see you earlier.” He tilted his head slightly towards the door. “So I came to see if you were still alive.”

I almost laughed.

“Were you expecting me to be dead?”

I was trying so hard to act like Chloe, but it wasn't easy. The Chloe I'd read about could barely speak up for herself. She let people walk all over her without putting up a fight.

And I didn't want to be her. Not even a little bit.

“I thought Jeffrey had killed you, considering he gave you that scar on your right arm.”

His smile faded as soon as he mentioned the scar.

I glanced down at my arm. Since I was wearing a sleeveless dress, the scar was right there for anyone to see.

Then I remembered.

In one of the chapters, Mira had pretended to fall down the stairs. Jeffrey had pushed Chloe aside while trying to save Mira, and Chloe had hit her arm against the edge of a glass table. The cut had been so deep that it left her with that ugly scar.

My stomach twisted at the memory. It was a reminder of how badly Chloe had been treated by her own husband.

And Miles remembered it, too.

Before I could think about it any further, he started walking towards me.

The old Chloe would have told him to stop. She probably would have stepped back and looked at him like he'd done something wrong.

But I didn't.

Instead, my heart started beating faster with every step he took.

What was wrong with me?

Maybe it was because he was so handsome. Or maybe it was the way he looked at me, as if he actually cared about what happened to me.

Whatever it was, I couldn't seem to make myself move.

He looked a little surprised that I wasn't asking him to keep his distance. I caught it in his expression, but he didn't say anything.

When he was close enough for me to catch his scent, he gently placed his hands on my shoulders.

“Chloe,” he said softly. “You know how Jeff is.”

The way he looked into my eyes almost made me forget how to breathe. There was something about his gaze that made me feel like I could tell him anything and he would listen.

“I'm not asking you to divorce him,” he continued. “But you know what's right. So do it. You can't keep letting him use you however he pleases.”

I held his gaze.

The old Chloe couldn't even do that. She would have looked away by now, probably apologizing for something she hadn't even done.

“I don't care if you're fat or not,” Miles said, gently stroking my shoulder. “You're beautiful. And you deserve someone who appreciates you.”

His words hit me right in the heart.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

In all my life, both as Lucia and now as Chloe, I couldn't remember anyone saying something so kind to me.

He wasn't making fun of my weight. He wasn't telling me to lose weight or comparing me to someone else. He was simply looking at me and telling me I was beautiful.

And for some stupid reason, I felt a lump form in my throat.

Was this what it felt like to have someone care about you?

I quickly pushed the thought away before I could get carried away.

Nope. Not happening.

I wasn't about to fall head over heels for a man just because he said a few sweet words to me. I still had a brain, thank you very much.

Besides, there was a ladies' code I intended to follow: never make it too easy for a man.

Maybe I'd give Miles a chance someday. A little flirting wouldn't hurt, would it?

But first, I had to deal with Jeffrey and Mira.

Those two had a lot to answer for, and I wasn't going to let a handsome man distract me from my plans.

Just then, the door burst open.

I turned towards it and saw the person. Judging by the look on Miles face, I knew he was my husband in this world.

Jeffrey Reed.