Chapter 301 — Choose Her or Me

Chapter 301 — Choose Her or Me
The gun was already raised.

The cold barrel pressed firmly against Hazel’s temple, and Chloe’s finger tightened slowly around the trigger as if she were savoring the moment. The metal felt icy against Hazel’s skin, sending a sharp chill through her entire body.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to freeze.

Time slowed.

Hazel could hear nothing except the violent pounding of her own heartbeat. Each breath felt heavier than the last, as though the air itself had thickened around her.

Her eyes were locked on Chloe’s face.

And what she saw there made her blood run cold.

There was no hesitation in Chloe’s expression. No trace of doubt. Only madness burned in her eyes, mixed with a twisted satisfaction that curled her lips into a cruel smile.

Chloe meant it.

She truly meant to kill her.

Hazel understood that with terrifying clarity.

Her mind flashed quickly through a thousand thoughts at once—fear, regret, anger, and the sharp instinct to survive. But her hands were tied tightly behind her back, leaving her helpless against the gun pressing into her head.

Chloe’s finger began to pull the trigger.

And then—

The door burst open.

It exploded inward with violent force, slamming against the wall so hard that the wooden frame cracked. The sudden noise shattered the heavy silence of the room.

Torres Rowan stormed inside.

“Chloe?!”

His voice was thick with disbelief, shock cutting sharply through the air as his eyes swept quickly across the room. In a single glance, he took in the entire scene before him.

Hazel stood there with her hands bound behind her back, her face pale but determined.

Chloe held the gun firmly against her head.

And the kidnappers lingered nearby like shadows waiting for chaos.

For the briefest moment, even Torres seemed stunned by the sight before him.

But the hesitation lasted only a second.

Then his face hardened.

His eyes darkened into something cold and dangerous.

“Torres… itIt’s good you came.”

Chloe’s voice changed instantly.

The rage in her expression softened into something darker, something seductive and sinister. A slow smile spread across her lips as if she had been waiting for this moment all along.

Her eyes gleamed with dangerous excitement.

Slowly, almost lovingly, she flicked the safety off the gun.

The quiet click echoed loudly in the tense room.

“Let’s kill this bitch,” Chloe purred, her voice thick with twisted affection. “And then you’ll finally be mine.”

Her smile widened.

“No one will stand between us anymore.”

The words hung in the air like poison.

Torres felt something inside his chest turn completely cold.

For a long moment, he simply stared at her.

This woman sits and stands before him.

Once, he had loved her.

Once, he had believed she was someone worth protecting.

He had once seen her as someone fragile and misunderstood. Someone who needed care, someone who deserved patience.

But now, looking at the hatred twisting her face, he felt nothing but emptiness.

Was this truly the same woman?

Had she always been like this?

Torres suddenly realized how many warning signs he had ignored in the past.

Her jealousy.

Her manipulation.

Her cruel temper.

Each time he had dismissed it. Each time he had told himself she needed time to change.

That she would eventually grow into someone better.

But now the truth stood clearly before him.

Chloe had never intended to change.

This had always been who she was.

The realization settled heavily inside his chest.

“No, Chloe.”

His voice dropped low, steady, and dangerously calm.

“Don’t make this mistake.”

His eyes shifted briefly toward Hazel before returning to Chloe.

“Let my wife go,” he said quietly. “And I will allow you to leave.”

The room fell completely silent.

Torres’s gaze hardened.

“But if you hurt her…” he continued, his voice growing colder with each word, “…you will regret it.”

The warning was not loud.

But the threat behind it was unmistakable.

Chloe froze for a moment.

Then her expression twisted with fury.

“Your wife?!”

The words exploded from her like venom.

Her eyes filled with jealous rage as she glared at Hazel.

“So now she’s your wife?” Chloe spat bitterly. “Now you suddenly care about her?”

Her breathing became uneven as anger consumed her.

“Have you fallen in love with her, Torres?” she demanded sharply.

Her voice rose louder.

“You have to choose!” she screamed.

Her eyes burned with madness.

“Choose right now!”

Her finger tightened around the gun again.

“Me… or her!”

The question echoed through the room.

But Torres did not answer.

Instead, his voice remained calm.

“Let her go, Chloe.”

He ignored her demand completely.

His gaze shifted subtly toward the edges of the room.

Without Chloe noticing, he made a small movement with his hand.

A silent command.

His bodyguards began moving quietly into position.

“The police are already on their way,” Torres said firmly.

His voice carried authority.

“Surrender now, and this doesn’t have to get worse.”

For a brief moment, Chloe hesitated.

Her mind raced.

The situation was slipping out of her control.

Her eyes darted quickly between Torres, Hazel, and the bodyguards slowly surrounding them.

“Don’t move!”

Chloe suddenly screamed.

The gun pressed harder against Hazel’s head.

The cold metal dug painfully into her skin.

Chloe’s breathing grew frantic.

Her frustration was obvious now.

Suddenly she swung the gun away from Hazel—

And aimed it directly at Torres.

Her eyes burned with fury.

“So this is your answer.”

Her voice dropped into a bitter sneer.

“You’ve made your choice.”

Torres did not move.

He stood perfectly still.

Watching her.

Waiting.

“If I can’t have you,” Chloe hissed, her voice trembling with hatred, “then no one else will.”

Her eyes filled with something dark and final.

“Goodbye, Torres.”

Her finger began pulling the trigger.

Torres did not step back.

He did not run.

He wanted to see how far Chloe was truly willing to go.

But Hazel’s heart nearly stopped.

She could not let this happen.

No matter how complicated their marriage was…

No matter how confused her feelings for him had become…

She could not allow Chloe to kill him.

Fear and desperation exploded inside her.

Without thinking, Hazel moved.

Her hands were still tied tightly behind her back.

But she threw her entire body forward.

Using every bit of strength she had, Hazel slammed into Chloe.

The sudden impact knocked Chloe off balance.

Her body stumbled backward.

And in that exact moment—

A gunshot rang out.

One of Torres’s bodyguards had been waiting.

The bullet struck Chloe directly in the head.

Her body froze.

For a single moment, she stood there motionless.

Then she collapsed.

Her body hit the ground heavily.

Blood slowly spread beneath her head as her lifeless eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

Chloe was dead.

The room fell silent.

Within seconds, the remaining bodyguards moved quickly.

They forced the kidnappers to the ground and handcuffed them.

Moments later, the police arrived.

Officers rushed inside, taking control of the scene and dragging the criminals away.

Even Chloe’s body was removed.

Torres stood quietly for a moment, staring down at the woman who had once been part of his life.

His expression revealed nothing.

Then he turned toward Hazel.

Without hesitation, he walked to her side.

He helped her stand gently.

His hands moved carefully as he untied the ropes binding her wrists.

The red marks on her skin made his jaw tighten slightly.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

His voice was calm.

But his eyes searched her face carefully, checking for injuries.

Hazel nodded slowly.

Her breathing was still uneven.

“I’m fine.”

Torres studied her for another moment.

Then he spoke again.

“Let’s go.”

His tone was simple.

Almost detached.

He guided her out of the building without another word.

Hazel followed quietly beside him.

But her mind was racing.

Everything had happened so quickly.

And something about Torres’s reaction unsettled her deeply.

Chloe had just died.

This was the woman he once loved.

Yet Torres showed no grief.

No shock.

No visible emotion.

He had watched her die without hesitation.

Hazel could not understand it.

How could someone move on so easily from a person they once claimed to love?

The question lingered heavily in her mind as they returned to the manor.

The house stood as peaceful as ever.

Servants moved quietly through the halls.

Everything appeared completely normal.

But inside Hazel’s mind, nothing felt normal anymore.

A disturbing thought slowly formed.

If Torres could allow the woman he once loved to die so coldly…

What would stop him from letting her die too?

The chilling possibility made her body shiver.

He had already made it clear many times.

He did not love her.

She was here for one reason.

To carry his child.

That realization settled heavily inside her chest.

The man who sometimes showed flashes of care… the man who protected her from danger… the man who kissed her with such intensity…

Was also capable of terrifying emotional detachment.

Hazel suddenly felt as if she had never truly known him.

Was she simply another piece in his carefully controlled world?

Another pawn in his larger plan?

The thought made her heart tighten painfully.

But slowly, something inside her began to change.

The fear.

The uncertainty.

The helplessness she had carried for so long.

It began transforming into something stronger.

Determination.

Hazel lowered her gaze quietly.

And in that silent moment—

She made a decision.

From now on, she would take control of her own life.

Her future.

Her destiny.

She would no longer live trapped by fear or confusion.

Whatever she chose to do next…

She would do it for herself.

And for the child growing inside her.