4.The doormat wife is dead

~~Lucia~~

I looked him up and down. I couldn't lie, he was handsome too. Broad shoulders, a sharp jawline, blue eyes, and slightly messy hair. No wonder the real Chloe had such a hard time letting him go.

He wore a grey suit that looked like it had been made just for him. Every part of it was neat, from the jacket to the trousers.

But what caught my attention wasn't his looks. It was the way he stared at Miles.

Miles still had his hands on my shoulders and Jeffrey looked like he wanted to murder his own brother.

His fists were clenched at his sides, and his chest rose and fell with each angry breath. The veins on his neck stood out, and his nostrils flared.

Oh, this was getting good

“Miles,” he said coldly. “Get your hands off my wife.”

Miles didn't move.

Instead, he looked at Jeffrey's face, then back at me, as if he was waiting to see what his brother would do.

“Did you hear me?” Jeffrey snapped. “Get your fucking hands off her.”

Miles finally let go, but the small smile on his face only seemed to make Jeffrey angrier.

“What's your problem, Jeff?” Miles asked. “Can't stand seeing someone treat your wife like a human being?”

Jeffrey's expression darkened.

He stepped forward and shoved Miles in the chest.

“Watch your mouth.”

Miles looked down at the hand on his chest before slowly looking back up at his brother.

“Or what?”

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Jeffrey grabbed Miles by the collar.

“I swear to God, if you ever come near my wife again, you'll regret it.”

Miles didn't try to pull away. He just stared at him, his face suddenly serious.

“You keep talking about her like she's something you own.” His voice was low, but I could hear the anger in it. “You hurt her, cheat on her, and treat her like she's nothing. And now you're standing here acting like you have every right to tell me who can touch her?”

“She's my wife,” Jeffrey growled.

“Then start acting like her husband.”

Jeffrey's grip tightened around his collar.

“Stay the fuck out of my marriage.”

Miles let out a short, humourless laugh.

“I tried, Jeff. I really did. I stayed out of it because I thought she'd eventually see you for who you are. But I'm done watching you treat her like this.”

He grabbed Jeffrey's wrist and pulled his hand away from his collar.

“And you need to understand something. I don't care if you're my brother. If you hurt her again, I'm not going to stand around and watch.”

Jeffrey stared at him.

“You threatening me now?”

“I'm telling you what happens next.” Miles took a step closer. “You touch her again, and you'll have to deal with me. I won't care about your name, your money, or the fact that we're family. None of that will matter.”

His eyes never left Jeffrey's.

“So think very carefully before you do it again.”

For the first time since Jeffrey walked in, neither of them said anything.

Honestly, I could stand there all day and watch them go at each other. The tension was almost too good to miss.

But I had a feeling things could get ugly if I let them continue.

“Okay.” I stepped between them. “Can you two knock it off?”

Both their heads snapped towards me and they both looked at me like I had just said something forbidden.

I blinked. Oh. I wasn't acting like the original Chloe. But honestly, they couldn't blame me for that. The Chloe in the book was just too weak for my liking. Always crying, begging, and forgiving people who treated her like trash.

“See you at the gala, brother,” Miles said.

He shot Jeff one last deadly look before walking out of the room.

The moment he left, Jeff turned his attention to me. His eyes narrowed, and his face twisted with anger.

The old Chloe would have probably started begging him to calm down by now. But me? His glare didn't scare me one bit.

Seriously, what did this good-for-nothing leech have that made Chloe so desperate to keep him? Was he really worth all the pain she had put herself through?

“How dare you?” he spat.

“I didn't do anything.” I shrugged, looking him straight in the eyes.

“Are you talking back to me?” he asked, taking a step closer. He raised his hand to hit me and for a moment, I thought he was actually going to hit me. But he held his hand up in the air and I fixed my gaze on him. Hard and flat

If the real Chloe could take this, I wouldn't. If he slapped me, I'd slap back.

“Don't make me, Chloe.” He said, his face tight.

Then, he slowly brought down his hand and straightened his suit jacket.

“Get dressed. The driver will take you to the gala. I'll be going with Mira.”

I already knew it. That was exactly what happened in the original story. And when she'd get to the gala, he'd humiliate her together with Mira.

Then, he turned and headed for the door. But just as he was about to leave, he glanced back at me.

“And wear something that covers your entire body,” he added with a look of disgust. “I don't want anyone seeing all that disgusting fat of yours.”

Then he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

I stood there for a moment, my hands curling into fists.

That bastard!

This house belonged to Chloe. Her father had left it to her as a wedding gift in his Will before he died. I remembered that part clearly.

So who the hell was Jeff to raise his hand against Chloe in her own house?

And now he was going to the gala with my stepsister, treating me like I was a piece of trash.

Fine. Let him enjoy himself while he could.

Everything he had today came from Chloe. She had given him money, connections, and access to some of the most powerful families in New York because she thought he loved her.

And how had he repaid her? By cheating on her and plotting with her stepsister to steal everything she owned.

In the original story, they had already taken almost everything from Chloe. Only her inheritance remained.

But I knew what was coming, and I wasn't going to let it happen.

I had to act fast if I wanted to change Chloe's fate. Maybe doing that would even help me return to my original body.

And if it didn't? Well, being a rich heiress wasn't exactly a bad deal.

I had money, power, and a whole life ahead of me. All I needed to do was get rid of the trash around me.

And Jeff was first on my list.

The original Chloe always carried divorce papers in her purse. She had tried to leave Jeff countless times, but he always stopped her with sweet words, fake apologies, and empty promises.

And foolishly, she kept forgiving him.

Well, not anymore.

I wasn't going to waste my life begging a man to love me. I would divorce him, take back what belonged to me, and live however I pleased.

I certainly wasn't going to die just because some stupid book said so.

I had no intention of becoming another victim of this story.

My eyes shifted to the mannequin standing in the corner.

A red dress hung on the mannequin. Calling it a dress was almost an insult. It was so big it looked like a curtain thrown over a body.

And Jeff expected me to wear that?

The original Chloe had always hidden her body under loose clothes because she was ashamed of her weight. Jeff had only made that shame worse.

I stared at the dress and shook my head.

Not anymore.

I grabbed Chloe's phone and called her clothing vendor. After a few rings, a woman answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi. I need a dress delivered to Reed Manor as soon as possible.”

“Of course, Mrs. Reed. Your usual size and style?”

“No. I want a beautiful black dress that fits my body properly. Nothing oversized. I want something that makes me feel good about myself.”

“Alright, Mrs. Reed. I'll arrange it right away.”

“Good. Please hurry. I have a gala to attend.”

I hung up and looked at myself in the mirror.

Jeff hated black dresses, so Chloe had stopped wearing them just to please him.

Well, he could hate them all he wanted. I was done living to make that man happy.

A small smile touched my lips as I imagined his face when he saw me tonight.

The doormat wife he knew was gone.

And tonight, Jeff was going to meet the woman who had taken her place.

God, I couldn't wait to see the look on his face!