MasukChloe watched the exact moment Ruan's expression—once so calm because of Chris's presence—drain into something pale and lifeless. His feet moved quickly toward the door. She didn't think twice before planting herself in front of him, eyes pleading for him to stop right there.“Did you hear what she said?” He placed his hands on her shoulders—heavy and cold. “My house is on fire. I have to do something.”“I know many of your qualities, Ruan, but fireman wasn't one I had on the list.” She grabbed him, knowing her physical strength alone wouldn't stop him, but her agility gave her just enough of an edge to beat him to the door. She locked it and yanked out the keys.“This is no time for jokes, Chloe.” He stretched out his hand, his jaw clenching so hard it could've cracked his teeth. “Give me the keys back.”Chloe felt her heart being crushed. She couldn't let Ruan go to his house without knowing the real reasons it had caught fire. He was still under medical supervision, still under ser
POV RuanRuan shouldn’t have given up so easily on speaking to Chloe, but when he looked at her and saw how she acted around Elijah, his blood boiled. He was already under immense pressure from everything that had happened with Megan; his heart was shattered, and he didn't need another disappointment.It was hard for him to admit that he hated the idea of seeing Chloe with another man. At first, he told himself this distrust stemmed solely from Christopher—that he didn't want another man raising his son—but he couldn't convince himself of that lie. He hated seeing Elijah by Chloe’s side even when Christopher wasn't around. It wasn't because Elijah gave him any reason to; it was simply because Chloe was his ex-wife, the woman he had shared his life with for years.He returned to his room, his head beginning to throb. He lay on the bed and closed his eyes, but recent events haunted him like ghosts. Megan was still married, and the accusations Chloe had made were far too serious. His hea
POV ChristopherChristopher blinked rapidly, refusing to let tears blur his vision even further. He didn't want Chloe to see him crying; every time he did, it made her even more vulnerable. But the pain in his back was too intense. He held back his tears as much as he could, for as long as he could.“I didn't mean to cause trouble,” he said quickly, his voice raspy with pain. “That woman came up to me, threw me on the ground, and then said it was all a game…”Chloe immediately pulled Christopher into her arms and hugged him tight, closing her eyes and refusing to let her pain show. She knew Christopher was holding back his tears, so she did the same, trying to give him strength.“It wasn't your fault, okay?” She kissed Christopher’s sweaty forehead. “We can ask the doctor to take a look at you.”“I'm fine, Mom,” he said, fighting back the urge to cry. “I'm just a little scared.”It was much more than a scare. It hurt far more than a hard bump on the back; Christopher’s heart ached, an
POV Ruan“Please, Ruan, stop, you’re hurting me…” Megan’s voice trailed off at the same pace Ruan dragged her through the hospital corridors.This was the most inappropriate setting for an argument with a girlfriend, but Ruan couldn't bear to wait another moment. The image of how he had held Christopher, the tears in his son’s eyes, and the desperation of seeing the boy so vulnerable wouldn't leave his mind. He needed to have this conversation with her right here, right now, or he would lose his mind.“What do you think you’re doing?” He stopped in an area far from the rooms where he could shout without anyone hearing. He released Megan’s arm with force, as if discarding a bag of trash. “How dare you do that to a child?”“What?” Megan massaged the spot where Ruan had gripped her, staring at him with a look of pain. “I was just playing…”“Does throwing a child to the floor and climbing on top of him seem like a game to you, Megan?” His voice thundered so intensely that Megan recoiled i
POV ChloeChloe had to step away from Ruan and sit down. Her knees were shaking. Concentrating proved difficult with Ruan so close. She hated admitting that she still felt something for him; she hated knowing that he still dominated her thoughts, even while he hid another woman. She tried to push those thoughts aside and kept her gaze away from him. However, Ruan approached, pulled up another chair, and sat directly across from her.“I'm waiting,” he whispered, his full attention locked on Chloe.“Don't you want to see Chris first? We can talk about this afterward.”“Do you know what it’s like to lie in this bed, aching to see your ex-wife?” He gripped her chin, tilting it up and forcing her to meet his eyes. “I need to know the truth, and only you can tell me.”Her blood boiled. Chloe stood up an instant later, putting distance between them for the second time. The taste of Ruan lingered in her mouth. They weren't married anymore, and she should have stayed away, but that wasn't what
Chloe’s lips met Ruan’s, catching him completely off guard. Once he realized what was happening, his hands pressed against the back of her neck, pulling her closer and pulling her into his hot, searing kiss. The space was cramped, which only forced them tighter together. Their breathing quickened as they kissed as if the divorce had never happened.The kiss felt exactly like the ones Chloe used to give him before they made love—the ones where, afterward, she would tell him how much she loved him. Suddenly, Megan’s image flashed through his mind. Why was Ruan letting his ex-wife kiss him while he was involved with Megan? It was Megan he loved. It was Megan he had longed to hold in his arms all those years. So why was his heart racing, and why couldn't he keep his hands off Chloe?Ruan pulled away slowly when he heard Megan’s voice outside. Chloe immediately clamped her hand over his mouth when she realized he was about to say something. The kiss hadn't been enough to distract him. Chlo
Someone abandoned Chloe in the cemetery under a steady rain. She dragged herself out while her tears mixed with the raindrops soaking her face.She had lost her father, and no one considered her family. A sob escaped her throat, but no one could see her pain except the dead.She went back home by b
A heart shattered into a million pieces and thrown in the trash was what Chloe felt when she saw her still-husband hugging her half-sister Megan.She kept watching them separate, with everyone watching, while the public ridiculed Chloe.Ruan’s eyes softened as he stared at the love of his life. He
Chloe hadn’t shed a tear since she received the news of her father’s death. Maybe it hadn’t sunk in yet, or perhaps she still felt so wounded that it blocked the pain of losing him.Sitting on the couch in the house that had been hers for so long, she used the silent morning to say goodbye to the l
When Chloe returned to her seat, Christopher was sleeping in Ruan’s arms. Many things were loose in their marriage, but Ruan’s bond with Chris was the strongest thing that could still tie Chloe to her husband.Seeing them asleep together was the most beautiful scene she had witnessed in the past fe







