Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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 Ruan pulled her along, dragging her right to the door where Megan stood.
Chloe felt so incredibly weak that she couldn't even fight him. The sickness had hit her so suddenly that she couldn't help it. She only wished to crawl back into bed and sleep for a few more hours.
Chloe paused, staring at Megan clad in Ruan’s shirt, her bare legs exposed, her hair perfectly brushed. What a pathetic sight, she thought. Someone had just murdered her mother, yet she stood there smiling like a prostitute, throwing herself at a man who clearly didn't want her anymore.
Chloe forced herself to believe that Ruan truly didn't want her.
“You should be preparing for your mother’s funeral,” Ruan said, and the smile vanished from Megan's face the moment her eyes dropped to his hand intertwined with Chloe's. “What are you doing here, dressed like that?”
“Don't you like it?” She looked down at herself and then lifted her gaze to meet his. “I came to ask you to walk me to the funeral.”
Her voice died out instantly. Megan realized the reality of the situation, though she would never openly admit it. Confessing her embarrassment was something she would absolutely never do. She forced the smile back onto her face, ready to hide her shame and keep throwing herself at him. Seeing Ruan so close to Chloe made her blood boil. She had lost everything—her mother, her peace of mind—and she simply couldn't handle losing Ruan too.
Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes, and she began to sob.
“This is being so hard on me, Ruan,” she tried to slowly edge closer to him. “Osvaldo is still out there hunting me down. I can't even go to my mother’s funeral without thinking about it for a single second.”
“That is not my problem,” Ruan's voice sounded dangerously calm. Chloe stared at him, genuinely surprised. “I am not risking my neck for you again. I am not going anywhere with you, Megan.”
She froze with her hands outstretched, just about to touch him. She never imagined he would humiliate her right in front of Chloe. That was the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to her.
“You can't just forget everything we went through…”
“I requested a job transfer,” he said, slowly squeezing Chloe’s hand. “I’m moving to Stanford.”
His eyes shifted to Chloe. His tone changed, sounding relieved as he delivered the news, but Chloe grew agitated; she didn't seem happy about it at all.
“Why on earth would you move away from Phoenix when your entire life is right here?” Megan asked, her heart burning like pure acid inside her chest. “Our house, the woman you love, our history.”
“I don't need to be part of this conversation,” Chloe snapped, pulling her hand away suddenly to free herself from Ruan. She didn't need to hear this, and the situation made her immediately regret giving Ruan any room to get close to her again.
“Please, stay,” he pulled her back, causing her body to bump lightly against his. “Maybe if you hear what I have to say, you'll finally believe me.”
He averted his gaze once more and looked back at Megan. She let out an ugly groan to mask what she felt at the sight of them so close. The view felt like literal knives piercing Megan's chest. Not even her mother’s death hurt as much as seeing Ruan with Chloe.
“You aren't wrong when you say the woman I love is right here, but that is precisely why I’m going to Stanford,” he paused, staring at her from a distance that felt much wider this time. “Chloe is going to work at Stanford University, and I could never stay away from my family—away from the woman I love.”
Ruan had already rehearsed those exact words even before Megan pushed that door open. She squeezed her eyes shut, her tears streaming down much faster now, her flushed face contorting into a painful grimace that ruined her beautiful features.
“You're lying just to punish me…”
“I sold the house, or at least whatever remained of it after your husband torched it,” he continued, cutting her off without a shred of consideration. “Nothing in Phoenix makes me want to stay. In fact, I never should have come back to this city. I never should have come back to you.”
Chloe’s heart raced at an irregular pace as Ruan let go of her, grabbing Megan by the shoulders and guiding her right out of the house. She never imagined she would ever live through a scene like this. For the longest time, she was always the one insulted, the one blamed whenever Ruan and Megan's relationship failed. Now she stood on the other side, watching him banish Megan from his life so she could finally occupy the space Chloe had fought so hard to make her own.
“Don't come back here, Megan, or I will have to call the police.”
He turned his back on her, and though she suddenly lunged forward, Ruan moved faster and slammed the door shut. Ruan met Chloe’s startled, tear-filled gaze.
“I hope you believe me now,” he said, stepping around her and walking away. “I absolutely hated doing that, but I will do whatever it takes to make you trust me again.”