ログインChloe looked at Grace packing her suitcase, tears welling in her eyes. Grace packed the clothes slowly, constantly pausing to wipe her face. Chloe couldn't tell if she cried out of sadness or happiness.“Promise you'll come visit me whenever you can,” she paused, turning to Chloe. “This house is going to feel massive without you.”She threw herself into Chloe’s arms the second she finished the sentence. She cried out of pure sadness, and that made Chloe cry too.“I’ll come visit you all the time,” Chloe said, swallowing the lump in her throat. “You should get a boyfriend, build your own family.”Grace pulled back suddenly and gave her an annoyed look. She wiped her face and tossed the clothes into the suitcase.“Men only cause trouble,” she snorted, irritated. “I feel like Ruan was my husband; all the anger I felt toward that man gave me actual trauma.”Chloe smiled because she knew it was true. From the very beginning, ever since Chloe married Ruan, Grace had been around, sharing in
“Chloe, wait,” Ruan jumped up before she could leave and blocked her path. “What exactly do you mean by that?”Chloe stood up, her knees popping suddenly as weakness took over her legs, though the virus had nothing to do with it.“That maybe I believe you,” she said, keeping her distance. “That perhaps I want to give our family a second chance.”Ruan caught his breath as Chloe walked right past him. He really hadn't expected that. He gripped the car keys like a trophy and walked through the door with a smile so wide that it even caught Chloe off guard.The ride was dead silent, which felt weird to her. He should have said something. He should have confessed his love all over again, but Ruan couldn't find the words and preferred the silence over saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.Chloe adjusted her round glasses, holding her purse tightly against her shoulders before stepping out of the car. She didn't look at Ruan, but she noticed him hop out of the vehicle and march right towa
Chloe stood by the closed door for far too long, tortured by everything she saw and heard from Ruan. Suddenly, she pictured herself walking a tightrope over a massive cliff. She felt ready to leave, to forget the past and all the pain she faced while living in Phoenix, and to start anew somewhere else. She craved a brand-new life, fresh opportunities, and meeting new people while achieving her career dream.On the other hand, she still loved Ruan madly. The feeling inside her heart grew so intense that it physically ached. Hearing him say those things made her want to run straight into his arms and kiss him.But she remembered exactly how much she loved him and how brutally he had rejected her. She felt like a broken plate trying to glue itself back together just to be useful again. Her heart was completely shattered. Suddenly, her knees gave out, and she had to grab the living room couch to keep from collapsing. The fever flared up again. Chloe dragged herself onto the cushion and sl
Chloe stood frozen right there, her hair messy, her shirt unbuttoned. She had heard everything. She looked confused and deeply uncomfortable, as if she were witnessing a car crash for the very first time.“Chloe,” Ruan stepped closer, thinking she might run away, but Chloe stayed put, merely avoiding his eyes. “How are you feeling?”His voice trembled now, and he absolutely hated himself for it. Ruan wanted to avoid making things worse between him and Chloe again at all costs.“You have company,” she said, glancing toward the door, straight into Megan's eyes. “Don't keep her waiting.”Megan let out a soft, wicked laugh that echoed down the entire hallway.Chloe turned on her heels with great effort, her heart pounding and making her blood run hot, but Ruan caught her before she could leave.“Wait,” he said, staring into her eyes. “Whatever Megan has to say, I want you to hear it.”“I don't want any part of whatever is going on between the two of you,” Chloe tried to break free, but Ru
Chloe felt the cold water hit her back while she gripped Ruan tightly, leaving red marks across his back. He didn't complain. He ran his hands through her hair, then slid them down her neck just to make sure her temperature was dropping. Not only that, but he had forgotten how good it felt to be with someone he truly loved.“Can we get this over with soon?” her voice shook. Chloe’s chin trembled uncontrollably; she could barely speak. “I’m freezing.”“I know,” he said, holding her even tighter. “Just hold on for one more minute.”Chloe rested her head against his chest. She couldn't remember a single time she had held Ruan like this and felt as safe as she did right then. Chloe had promised herself she wouldn't let him get close again. She had imagined walking away and never looking back, but now she lay in his arms, wishing this moment would never end.He finally turned off the shower. Without letting go of her for a single second, he reached out, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it arou
An icy chill ran through Chloe’s body. She trembled beneath the sheets after a nightmare jolted her awake. That specific scene had haunted her since the day Ruan confessed his love. Chloe thought about it constantly; it became an almost sickly obsession, the words “I love you” circling her mind without granting her a single minute of peace.She curled into a tighter ball as sweat covered her body. Chris sat up in bed, still half-asleep, and touched her shoulder.“Are you okay, Mommy?” She turned her neck and stared at him, rubbing her eyes.“I’m sorry if I’m keeping you awake,” she cleared her throat, her sunken eyes signaling that something was very wrong. “Don't worry, I'm fine.”Chris stared directly at her face and placed his small hand on her sweaty forehead.“What are you doing?” she asked.“You're sick,” he stated with a certainty that startled her. “You need help.”“What?” Chloe watched the boy get out of bed, open the door, and walk out of the room.Chloe tried to get up to f
The warm taste of Ruan’s mouth invaded Chloe’s lips. Her heart leaped so fast that she completely forgot to breathe. Her body refused to respond to anything apart from the raw desire to stay wrapped in Ruan's arms—until she remembered the scene she had witnessed that morning.She understood why Rua
Chloe could still see Ruan in her mind, holding Megan while her old house burned to the ground.She remembered waking up to the sound of sirens. Grace’s ice-cold hands held her body while she delivered the tragic news. Chloe rushed out in her pajamas and drove through the deserted streets of Phoeni
Ruan had been awake since the early hours of the morning. Exhaustion weighed heavily on his temples alongside the reality of his current situation. He barely even looked at Megan. Looking at her felt like a direct sentence for all his mistakes.“Can you ever forgive me for this?” she murmured, but
The raging fire quickly consumed the house, leaving absolutely no sign that anyone would make it out alive. Ruan screamed for help as sirens lit up the busy street. It wasn't even six in the morning yet, and darkness still covered the sky, but horrified neighbors already crowded the sidewalk.Ruan







