Chapter 98

Chapter 98
Chloe's only concern at that moment was Christopher. She studied her son's face, tracing every feature, but she found nothing that could worry her. Christopher remained completely distracted by the phone in his hands, playing his favorite game.

She let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes. She didn't give a damn about what Ruan would think of her decision; her biggest fear was letting Christopher down.

Grace hurried over, grabbing Christopher by the arm and inviting him to head to the bedroom. He agreed silently, leaving Chloe entirely alone with Ruan. It was the absolute last thing she wanted right then.

She turned her back to him and stared down at her empty plate when she heard his footsteps heading straight for her. Ruan pulled out the chair directly across from her and sat down. He placed his hands on the table and locked his fingers together. It felt like the start of a damn interrogation. The intense way he stared made her feel like a criminal waiting to receive her sentence.

A disturbing silence stretched out for nearly a minute, almost making her lose her nerve. Chloe repeated to herself multiple times that Ruan wasn't her husband anymore and that she didn't owe him any explanations.

“When were you planning to tell me?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Were you just going to pack up and leave without saying a word?”

“I literally just received the offer,” she replied, flashing a bitter smile because she found his attitude pathetic. “Besides, we aren't married anymore…”

“I am so sick of you throwing that in my face!” His voice spiked two octaves higher than it should have, and he bolted upright so fast that his chair flipped backward.

The sudden outburst startled Chloe, and her chest burned at his violent reaction.

“We might be getting a divorce—which is completely against my will, by the way,” he hissed, leaning forward and planting both hands flat on the table to stare her down, “but we still share a son.”

“Against your will?” She locked eyes with him, a gaze she hadn't managed to hold in a long time. “You never wanted to be married to me. The second Megan crawled back, you ran straight to her feet like a trained dog, and now you have the nerve to say this is against your will?”

Ruan didn't see that blow coming. He backed away, burying his face in his hands as he tried to manage the raging storm inside his chest. Chloe hit the nail on the head; she hadn't uttered a single lie. Yet, things had drastically shifted; nothing felt the same as when this nightmare started.

“Do you want me to apologize for blindly loving Megan instead of you?” he asked, completely avoiding her gaze. “Yeah, Chloe, I made the same mistake every idiot makes when they're infatuated, but that has absolutely nothing to do with what is happening right now.”

Chloe froze on the spot, her heart hammering against her ribs as she processed every single word that just left his mouth. Did Ruan actually just confess that he made a mistake by choosing Megan over her, or was she completely misinterpreting his words?

She shook her head, forcing herself to break the lingering eye contact. Staring at him completely stripped away her defenses and left her completely vulnerable. She couldn't bring herself to believe in that marriage ever again. She had believed in it for years; she had fought for her family until her absolute last breath. It was simply too late for another shot.

“You can visit Christopher whenever you want,” she said, trying to swallow the thick lump rising in her throat, though it kept suffocating her without mercy. “He can spend his vacations with you in Phoenix.”

Ruan snapped his gaze back to her, and his eyes held a look Chloe had never witnessed before. The typical cold, empty void had vanished; instead, a distinct flicker of heartbreak shone through, and he couldn't hide it.

“So you've already made up your mind…” He couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentence.

“I've made up my mind,” she whispered, lowering her eyes as tears threatened to spill. “I can't stand living in Phoenix anymore—dealing with Samantha, Leonidas, Megan, and… you. I deserve to find happiness far away from the very people who ruined my life.”

The words hit him like a brutal punch straight to the gut. Ruan still ached from the last physical beating he took, but nothing compared to this. The pain started deep in his stomach and radiated through every single limb of his body. Not even uncovering the ugly truth about Megan had cut this deep—nothing hurt more than hearing Chloe name him as the source of her life's ruin.

“And when do you intend to leave…?” he asked, his voice cracking on every syllable.

“I don't know yet. I need to talk to Elijah,” she paused to suck in a breath, her lungs desperately begging for air. “I need to prepare Christopher for another massive move. It's not exactly a walk in the park.”

“Of course it's not easy,” he shot back, trying to sound sarcastic, but his voice betrayed pure agony against his will. “You are taking my son miles away from me. It's not going to be easy at all.”

“This isn't some twisted revenge plot, Ruan,” she sighed, rubbing her face in exhaustion. “The absolute last thing I want is to see my son suffer.”

“But it's perfectly fine to make me suffer, right?” He slammed his hands back onto the table as if his legs could no longer support his weight. “I lost absolutely everything, Chloe. My home, my peace of mind, and now I am losing my son and you.”

“What?” The question escaped her lips so fast she instantly regretted asking it.

“You heard me perfectly clear,” he said, lifting his eyes to lock onto hers. “But make no mistake—I am not going to just sit back and watch you and my son walk away. If there is still one damn good thing I can do to correct my mistakes, it's keeping you from leaving. I swear to God I will do whatever it takes.”

Chloe stared at him in utter confusion, a cold dread freezing her from the inside out as she struggled to breathe. Did he actually mean what he said, or was he just playing mind games to force her to stay?

She never got the chance to ask. Ruan spun around, brushed past her, and stormed out of the kitchen. The front door slammed shut with a deafening thud, and a heavy, suffocating silence filled the room for the next minute, until she finally collapsed back into her chair and burst into tears.