Semua Bab Unexpected Marriage: The night that changed my life: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Josephine narrowed her eyes at the cup in her hands, checking every second to see if Chloe was close to finishing. When she finally emptied it, Josephine offered help, taking the cup and carrying it back to the kitchen.“You need to leave.” Her once warm voice turned cold again. “It won’t be pleasant if your father comes home and sees you here. I don’t want any trouble with him.”Chloe seemed to feel better now. She stood carefully, making sure the dizziness had passed. But she hadn’t achieved what she wanted. She needed to talk to her father and try to convince him to reverse his decision to stop paying her tuition.Josephine had been so cordial, offering her that tea, that Chloe considered it a favor not to cause more problems.“Fine,” she said, giving her stepmother a look, trying to find the old affection in her eyes, but there was nothing. “I’ll come back another day to talk to him.”“You shouldn’t come back, Chloe.” Her breath stopped when their eyes met. “I’ll talk to him about

Chloe looked into Josephine’s eyes, wondering what worse thing could happen. Her gaze darted to the door. She had never wished so desperately for Ruan to appear and save her, but no movement came. The silence was cutting.“I almost died,” she whispered, tears spilling again as she remembered the pain of her child slipping away from her.“You should have died.” The words were cruel. “No one would miss you in this world.”The calmness in Josephine’s voice was disturbing. The coldness in her eyes, as she gestured and justified herself, made Chloe’s stomach churn for the second time that day.“Why do you hate me so much?”“Isn’t it obvious?” She pressed both hands onto the bed, sinking the mattress as she leaned in close to watch Chloe’s suffering. “You ruined my daughter’s marriage. You forced her to leave the country so she wouldn’t face the humiliation of being betrayed. And you ask why I hate you?”“Megan didn’t want to marry Ruan.”“Liar!” she shouted, startling Chloe, who shrank bac

Chloe waited for Ruan’s reaction when she ran outside, but nothing happened. When she realized she had been walking the hospital corridors for too long, she had to stop to catch her breath. Talking about Leônidas should no longer hurt or bother her. At that moment, she realized the wound remained open.She curled up on the bench. The day seemed unwilling to end. She wanted to leave that place and forget everything that had happened, but the scars remained exposed. Losing her child still caused her pain. It still hurt to have married her sister’s ex-fiancé. It still hurt to remember Leônidas.A tear slid down her face. She shouldn’t be crying. She should be facing Ruan, demanding a good explanation for going to the university to pay her tuition fees.Her chest heaved, and her whole body trembled. She couldn’t control her feelings. She hadn’t felt so vulnerable in a long time.“Chloe.”The sound of that voice froze her in place. She turned slowly to make sure she hadn’t misheard or mist

Ruan’s fingers tightened lightly around Chloe’s waist. A wave of warmth spread through her body as he carried her to the car. She gripped the sleeve of his shirt so hard that he thought it might tear. Closing her eyes, she didn’t seem to feel well at all.Ruan felt obligated to help her. Chloe’s own father rejected her, and her stepmother gave her something to drink, causing her to lose the child she was expecting. The only person she had left was Ruan.He needed to help her.In the last few months, he had avoided being near her. After work, he went home and locked himself in his room. He always ate out because, usually, he considered the apartment a prison. He thought about Megan constantly and couldn’t forgive himself, nor Chloe, for losing the woman he loved.When someone called him that morning saying his wife was in the hospital, Ruan dropped everything he was doing and didn’t think twice before rushing there. Chlo

Dawn broke without Chloe managing to sleep properly. She kept remembering Ruan whispering Megan’s name on the phone with emotion. He was still madly in love with her half-sister. How could she have ever thought that marriage would work one day?She punished herself for not listening to the entire conversation. She paced back and forth, thinking about it, without realizing that her dizziness had finally stopped.The door creaked behind her, and Chloe was startled when she heard Ruan’s voice.“Are you ready?”For a moment, she couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. Her mind froze while she stared at the sharp line of his jaw, his furrowed brows, and the warm look he gave her. When she looked down, she realized she was still wearing a nightgown.Chloe flinched, and Ruan looked away, his heart pounding hard in his chest.“Just give me a few minutes.” She rushed and pushed the door against him.Reality snapped back quickly and mercilessly. She had to remind herself that the woman Ruan loved was s