LOGINPOV 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
POV ChloeChloe got into the car with Chris while Grace drove toward the hospital. The drive was silent, but a contagious joy lit up Christopher’s face because he was finally going to see his father. As soon as they stepped out of the car, Christopher ran into the hospital before Chloe could stop him. She chased after her son as fast as she could, only to find a woman he knew all too well grabbing him by the arm."Rude boy!" she shook Christopher violently. "Can't you see I'm in your way? You could have caused an accident.""Let go of my son right now, Megan!" Chloe screamed.Megan’s eyes snapped to Chloe, and a devilish smile spread across her face. Was she actually enjoying humiliating a child? Especially knowing the boy was the son of the man she claimed to love? Megan released Christopher brutally; he only stayed upright because Grace caught him. The sight of her own half-sister mistreating Christopher sent shivers down Chloe’s spine. Her blood boiled, rage seeping into every fibe
Ruan sat on the hospital bed, restless, waiting for Chloe to walk through that door and tell him it had all been a mistake—that the man who attacked him had nothing to do with Megan. When he thought of Megan and the possibility of being deceived, it made his heart bleed, and every time he followed that train of thought, it was Chloe’s face that appeared at the end of the road.“Why the hell am I thinking about Chloe?” He shook his head, refusing to think about his ex-wife. It made no sense that she had been on his mind for the last thirty minutes.When the door to his room opened, his eyes filled with anticipation.“Chloe?” he called out, but the face that appeared before him wasn't hers.“What?” Megan stepped into the room, a deep scowl forming on her face. “Why the hell are you confusing me with Chloe? And why would she be the one coming into this room instead of me?”Inevitably, Ruan felt a wave of disappointment, which was quite strange. He used to be happy whenever he looked at M
POV ChloeChloe entered the house to an eerie silence. She walked to the sofa and sat there, her thoughts drifting far enough away to drown out the world. She didn't even notice the door opening or Christopher running in to find her.“Mom, is it true that Dad is in the hospital?” The boy's eyes were bloodshot.Chloe looked at him as a tear escaped her eye. She pulled him into her arms and held him tight while Chris sobbed uncontrollably. She glanced at Grace, but even her best friend didn't know what to say.“Who told you that, Christopher?” She pulled back, wiping away the boy's tears with her fingers.“My classmates at school are saying my dad got beaten up,” he stammered between sobs, leaving Chloe speechless. “Is it true, Mom? Who did this to my father?”Chloe exhaled the breath she’d been holding so sharply that her chest ached. She could simply tell the boy the truth, but a child Christopher’s age wouldn't understand. How could she tell her son that his father had been thrashed







