Semua Bab The Substitute Bride : Bab 81 - Bab 90

The tension inside Liam's office lingered long after Blaze's questions had been answered. For years, Blaze had believed his brother's silence stemmed from pride, stubbornness, or perhaps guilt. Never once had he considered that Liam had been fighting a battle behind the scenes while allowing the entire world—including Chloe—to misunderstand him. The realization sat heavily on his shoulders. As Liam stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline, Blaze found himself seeing his brother differently. The man standing there wasn't indifferent. He wasn't heartless. If anything, he had sacrificed more than anyone knew. Unfortunately, sacrifices made in silence often looked identical to betrayal. That was Liam's tragedy. The more he protected Chloe from the shadows, the more she came to resent him. The more he concealed the truth, the more he became the villain in her story. And now they were paying the price for it. Blaze listened quietly as Liam continued

The moment Blaze stepped out of Liam's office, he finally answered the call that had interrupted their conversation. The tension he had carried throughout his discussion with Liam immediately shifted into something else entirely when he heard Chloe's voice from the other end of the line. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. Three years. Three whole years had passed since they had last spoken properly. Three years since Chloe vanished from everyone's sight. Three years since the city branded her a murderer. Three years since Liam nearly tore the city apart looking for her. And yet hearing her voice now felt strangely familiar, as though no time had passed at all. Blaze found himself leaning against the corridor wall as Chloe awkwardly greeted him. Beneath her calm tone, he could hear something unusual. Uncertainty. For the first time since her return, Chloe sounded uncertain. The Chloe currently dominating headlines, winning awards, and commanding the attention of milli

Long after Chloe left the restaurant, Blaze remained seated in the same spot, his untouched coffee growing cold before him. The restaurant had gradually emptied around him. Waiters moved quietly between tables collecting dishes and wiping down surfaces, yet Blaze hardly noticed any of it. His thoughts remained trapped in the conversation he had just had with Chloe. Rose. Gwen. The missing memories. The orphanage. The mysterious boy from that bloody night. Every piece sounded unrelated at first glance, yet somehow they all seemed connected by an invisible thread. What troubled him most was not Chloe's suspicion toward Gwen. It was the certainty in her eyes. Chloe was not someone who made reckless accusations. She could be impulsive and stubborn, but she was never careless when it came to matters involving people's lives. If she believed Gwen had something to do with Rose's disappearance, then she must have seen something that convinced her. Yet Blaze also knew things Chloe di

The moment Chloe realized nobody intended to tell her what was happening, she made up her mind. She hated being kept in the dark. Perhaps that was why the missing phone bothered her so much. Someone had deliberately removed it. There was no other explanation. Her phone never left the nightstand beside her bed. Yet this morning it had vanished without a trace. Combined with the crowd outside, the repeated mention of Rose's name, and the strange behavior of everyone around her, Chloe could only arrive at one conclusion. Something major had happened. Something they were desperately trying to hide from her. A cold determination settled inside her chest. She wasn't the same Chloe she had been three years ago. The old Chloe would have waited patiently for answers. The current Chloe knew better. Answers rarely came to those who waited. They came to those who sought them. Taking one last glance toward the balcony where reporters and fans crowded the gates below, she turned and he

The afternoon sky darkened steadily as thick rain clouds gathered above the filming location. What had begun as a normal shooting day had transformed into one of the most difficult days Chloe had experienced since returning to the city. Only a few hours earlier she had stood before dozens of reporters, answering accusations she did not deserve. Now another blow had arrived. One she never saw coming. After completing two scenes successfully, Chloe had retreated to the set prepared for the final shoot of the day. The scene required rain. It required heartbreak. It required betrayal. Ironically, reality was already providing more than enough of those emotions. Dressed in costume and waiting for the weather to cooperate, Chloe sat quietly beneath a temporary shelter while crew members adjusted cameras and lighting equipment. The first raindrop landed softly against her shoulder. Then another. And another. Recognizing the signs, she instructed Hilda to notify the crew that the