Chapter 4

(Chloe’s POV)

Then the door slammed shut behind them, sealing me out of that world.

I couldn’t watch anymore, and I ran out into the rain.

The heavy downpour hit me, but I couldn’t feel the cold.

In my mind, I replayed the scene from when we were together for the first time. How carefully, how lovingly Leonardo treated me. He whispered in my ear with a hoarse voice:

"Chloe, you’re my first and will be my last..."

And now, these lips that once belonged to me, were kissing another woman.

I bent down in the rain, my legs numb, and waited until the mansion lights finally turned off before staggering back to the empty room, collapsing to the floor.

In the middle of the night, I developed a high fever.

I don’t know how long it took, but I heard someone calling me.

"Chloe? Chloe?"

I struggled to open my eyes and saw Leonardo holding a bowl of medicine, sitting at the bedside.

"Why are you burning so badly..."

He gently touched my forehead with the same tenderness as before.

But as he got closer, all I could see was the scene from the bedroom earlier.

I turned away, avoiding his touch.

Leonardo stiffened, and after a moment of silence, he let go of me.

He spoke softly, "Zoe wants to have a wedding. She says she wants the children to know that their parents once loved each other and received the priest's blessing, giving them a legitimate identity."

After a pause, he turned to look at me. "But this wedding is fake, I’m just holding a ceremony in form, giving the family and the children an explanation. Don’t overthink it."

My lips trembled, but I couldn’t say a word.

My heart felt like it was gripped by an icy hand, each beat bringing excruciating pain and absurdity.

I thought, "Leonardo, oh Leonardo. You have a child with her now, and you’re still holding a sacred wedding ceremony. How can this be fake? What am I then?"

Leonardo kept talking, explaining the necessity of the ceremony, promising that after it was over, we would leave together.

I looked at his moving lips, suddenly feeling so exhausted.

I slowly closed my eyes, letting those words turn to dust, falling on my already dead heart.

I never spoke another word.

Leonardo stayed with me in the hospital for three whole days, taking care of me meticulously.

When he fed me medicine, he would gently blow on it before carefully bringing it to my mouth.

At night, whenever I moved slightly, he would wake up, hurriedly grab my hand, and not let go until he confirmed I was alright.

When the doctor gave me anti-inflammatory injections, he would hold me in his arms, gently covering my eyes with his fingers, whispering soothing words: "Don’t look, it’ll be fine soon."

But once he brought me home from the hospital, he immediately started preparing for the wedding.

To prevent me from causing trouble, he even confiscated my phone and stationed guards at the door, watching me 24 hours every day.

In the large mansion, only one butler remained to take care of me. I didn’t resist, silently packing my things.

On the wedding day, my phone was returned to me, filled with photos Zoe had sent.

Leonardo, dressed in a suit, gently placed a ring on Zoe’s finger. They kissed passionately amidst the blessings of everyone. Their happy little family cut the cake together.

Each photo felt like a knife, carving deeper into my already broken heart.

I was about to turn off the phone when the door suddenly opened.

Jack, Don Liam’s assistant, stood at the door. "Everything is arranged."

He handed me a plane ticket. "I promise, once you leave, he’ll never find you."

I silently took the ticket, grabbed my packed suitcase.

As I walked out of the mansion, the sun was just right. I didn’t look back, heading for the car waiting on the side of the road.

I didn’t say goodbye to Leonardo.