บททั้งหมดของ THE CONTRACT OF MARRIAGE: TWO YEARS: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

"I think starting with Mrs. Eleanor sounds interesting..." The words whispered from her red lips served as the opening act of Chloe's new performance. She knew precisely that Eleanor had never liked her, even before the accident occurred. The old woman had always looked at her with a cold, suspicious gaze, as if she could pierce right through the mask of kindness Chloe perpetually wore. However, the fake amnesia currently attached to her identity was her most powerful weapon. To the rest of the world, Chloe was a fragile victim whose memories and mental state hung by a thread. If she could win the heart of the dying Eleanor, the door to claiming Lucas entirely would swing wide open, devoid of any obstacle capable of blocking her path. Yet, if that effort failed, if the old woman stubbornly refused to yield, Chloe would not hesitate to resort to more extreme measures. Silencing Eleanor's consciousness or rendering her even more helpless was hardly a difficult feat in a room filled w

"You don't need to ask me back to that house, because very soon, you will have a daughter-in-law..." The hope-shattering words reverberated through the quiet care unit, leaving behind a terrifying, paralyzing silence. Lucas's eyes widened, the sharp pupils laced with red veins as a sudden panic erupted in his chest. His heart beat wildly, hammering against his ribs as if trying to break free. The absolute worst scenario seized his mind. He assumed Aria was about to expose Chloe's vile plan or, even more horrifying, announce that Lucas would marry Chloe to satisfy his misplaced sense of obligation. Deep within his heart, however, Lucas had never harbored the slightest intention of marrying Chloe. To him, marriage was a sacred bond reserved solely for the one woman standing before him now. The fear of losing Aria permanently shattered every ounce of his pride within seconds. "Aria, shut your mouth!" Lucas cut in, his low voice trembling violently. Without giving Aria a single momen

The vengeful whisper vibrating behind the glass door of the VIP room faded into the cold silence of the hospital corridor. Chloe turned abruptly, her high heels clicking loudly against the marble floor as she walked away with wide strides fueled by a burning rage. Her chest heaved, struggling to contain the surge of jealousy and desperation boiling in her blood as the image of Lucas and Aria's intimacy kept replaying mercilessly in her mind. Every breathless gasp, possessive touch, and hungry look Lucas directed at his ex-wife felt like a brutal slap, shattering every last piece of Chloe's pride. The sweet plan she had built on a foundation of carefully crafted lies was now at risk of crumbling into pieces within seconds. "I will never let you win, Aria! Never!" Chloe whispered to the empty air, her fingers gripping the strap of her designer handbag so tightly that the leather twisted under her force. She quickened her pace, leaving the intensive care wing with a mountain of malic

The raspy confession sliding from Lucas's lips landed like a thunderclap through the silence of the night. The word *love*, which Aria had once longed to hear, was now uttered trapped against the wall of a hospital room, wrapped in searing regret and an intense dominance that strained her sanity. "Lucas... what are you saying?" Aria whispered in a trembling voice, unable to process what she had just heard. Before she could absorb the raw reality of his words, Lucas shook his head slowly, his eyes darkening with a deep, suppressed hunger. "I'm not lying, Aria. I mean it with all my heart." Before Aria could voice another rejection or curse, Lucas's firm lips crashed onto hers again. The kiss was no longer born of hesitation, but was a relentless continuation of long-repressed passion and an overwhelming terror of losing her. "Mmph!" Aria gasped, her eyes widening in shock as his slick tongue surged forward, claiming the sweetness he had missed so desperately. Lucas devoured her u

"Lucas... you..." The words caught in her throat, trapped alongside the suffocating tightness knotting her chest. The breeze blowing through the hospital garden whipped against her cold face, biting down to the bone. In her grip, the photographs and the declaration outlining the Sacred Vows between Lucas and Chloe crumpled further, the edges folding under the violent trembling of her fingers. Aria truly had not anticipated that Lucas could be so heartless as to play with her feelings like this. He had feigned the deepest remorse, kneeling to beg for her forgiveness, striving to win back her love as though she were the single most precious woman in his world. Yet the bitter reality struck without mercy. All his tenderness, his possessive touch morphing into sweet attentiveness, and the lingering warmth that had momentarily reignited a spark in her chest were nothing more than pure manipulation. She was nothing to him but an easily fooled toy. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks, was