Chapter 18
Chloe's face lost some color but soon regained her composure.
'Francis must be worried about my health.'
She gave him a tender smile, "Francis, you really don't need to worry about me. I'm still holding up."
His expression turned icy as he glanced at Chloe's pitiful eyes, then looked away without saying a word.
Harper was still in his arms, and she gave a detached smile, "Mr. Getty, your sweetheart awaits."
She couldn't bear to see their affectionate display.
All she wanted was to leave immediately.
She was so tired that she felt she could collapse at any second.
Seeing Harper's tear-reddened eyes, a sudden, inexplicable pain struck at the heart of Francis.
"I..." He hesitated to speak.
"There's no need!" Chloe suddenly spoke up, her voice soft and frail. "Francis, I know what you're trying to do, but you don't have to coerce Harper into apologizing. Let her go. I won't hold her accountable."
"..."
Her words jolted Harper back to reality, something inside her collapsing.
She looked at Francis as if seeing him for the first time.
'So, he was holding onto me just because I hadn't apologized to his darling.'
Harper's lips curled into a bitter smile.
'So, this is the so-called favoritism. It could disregard facts, abandon reason.’
'His sense of justice was skewed. If he thought you were wrong, that was that.'
Thinking this, Harper let out a cold laugh and looked toward Francis, "You just wanted an apology, right?"
Francis seemed taken aback by Chloe’s unexpected words, and witnessing Harper’s pale expression, pain gripped his heart uncontrollably.
Just as he was about to speak, Harper gently removed his hands and walked toward Chloe, bowing her head, "I'm sorry, Miss Musk."
With her head bowed, it felt as though her brain had weighed a thousand pounds, and she heard the sound of her bones cracking in bursts.
She recognized that this was the sound of her hard-won confidence being shattered to pieces.
'It's okay. Let it grind to even finer dust, together with that heart that's been thoroughly broken.
'It's only after everything is broken that I can be reborn.'
Then, bending forward once more, Harper said with a smile, "My today is your tomorrow, Miss Musk."
Chloe’s complexion shifted through a myriad of hues, resembling a palette splattered with paint.
If Francis hadn't been there, she would have leaped out of her wheelchair to strike her.
Harper straightened her back and asked Francis, "Can we leave now, Mr. Getty?"
Francis's face turned grim.
Harper couldn't understand.
'He's still upset even after my apology. But I don't want to understand it anymore. After tomorrow, we'll be strangers to each other.'
With force, Harper removed the ring from her finger and threw it mercilessly at the man in front of her.
"I'll be waiting for you at The Marriage Registry Office tomorrow, Mr. Getty."
Silence fell all around.
Only the sound of the ring clattering to the floor broke the quiet.
As the sound died, Francis's expression darkened even more. His gaze fixed on the ring, and his look was so foreboding, as though he was on the brink of hell, almost murderous.
"Harper! Are you sure about this?"
His tone was heavy and icy, each word colder than frostbite. His brows and eyes held a hint of hurt.
The next second, Harper thought she was overthinking it. 'How could Francis be hurt? He should be happy right now.’
"Crystal clear." After saying those words, Harper didn't look back and walked away.
The atmosphere immediately turned frosty. Even Chloe dared not breathe too loudly.
Victor, taken aback, quickly ran to pick up the ring, offering it to Francis with both hands. Victor knew that this ring was very important to Francis because he had always worn it close, around his neck.
"If she doesn't want it, just toss it," Francis said, regaining his composure.
Though the startling intensity from before was gone, his whole being was icy. His chiseled face frosted over with a chill that could freeze anyone solid.
Victor didn't dare throw it away. He made up his mind and carefully pocketed it.
"Francis..." wheelchair-bound Chloe approached, gripping Francis's hand. Her weak voice carried a tone of indignant protest, "That was Grandma's ring she threw on the floor. She doesn't value it at all."
She had longed for this ring, yet Francis had never given it to her.
She didn't expect that he had just given it to that wench.
Chloe's grip on Francis's hand tightened unconsciously, a malicious glint flaring in her eyes.
Francis recoiled from the intimate touch as if by reflex, a slight frown creasing his brow as he pulled his hand away.
Chloe's expression froze for a second.
Suddenly, as if a thought struck him, Francis fixed an icy stare on Chloe, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.
His voice was cold and sharp. "Did you tell Harper I bought you a ring?"
Chloe's face paled, suppressing the panic welling up inside her, her lips quivering slightly. "I did buy a diamond ring as a gift for my aunt. Her birthday is next month. Maybe Harper misunderstood something?"
Francis looked deeply into her eyes. "Chloe, I don't appreciate people trying to outsmart me in my own game. I've always said you're free to choose any jewelry you want, but there are certain things you can't have yet."
His words were so chilling that she felt as if a bucket of ice water had drenched her.
Her heart raced with fear. 'Had he discovered something?
So what if I had made a few cutting remarks to Harper?
‘He used to adore me, never allowing me to suffer the slightest indignity. And now, time and again, he was interrogating me because of Harper. That woman really deserved the worst!'
Tears welled up in Chloe's eyes, but remembering Xenia's words, she fought to hold them back.
With teary eyes, she opened Facebook on her phone and handed it to Francis. "Francis, you doubt me? If you don't believe me, see for yourself!"
On the screen were earlier messages, with photos and her asking if her aunt liked the ring.
Francis's expression softened a bit, his eyebrows knitting together. "If it's not true, that's for the best."
"How could you think so lowly of me, Francis? You're getting divorced tomorrow. Do I need to do something like this?"
As Chloe spoke, tears began to stream down her face.
"Calm down. Remember what the doctor said about getting too emotional being bad for your health?" Francis tried to stop her.
"But you've broken my heart. We've known each other for years, and you still don't trust me. What's the point of getting treatment? I might as well just die."
Chloe's sobbing intensified, her breath hitching, a picture of absolute misery.
"Don't talk like that! I will make sure you get better," Francis said firmly, comforting her by placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Francis, does this mean I can marry you tomorrow?" Chloe looked up at him, her teary eyes shimmering with hope.
Francis's gaze deepened for a moment, but he remained silent.
Nevertheless, Chloe continued, "I never thought I'd live to marry you, Francis. I could die happy now."
"Don't say that again."
He offered her a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and then he said, "I'll take you to the hospital."
He asked Victor to keep an eye on Chloe, then headed to the garage to get the car.
He couldn't quite explain it, but he didn't feel like being alone with Chloe. Her tears didn't evoke sympathy—only irritation.
No sooner had Francis left than Chloe's cries ceased, her whole body slumping as though deflated.
'Xenia was spot-on—Francis was no easy mark.
'Thankfully, I had come prepared, prepared a fake dialogue in advance.'
Chloe reflected on her recent interactions, and her heart raced with unease, swelling with each memory. It all seemed to unravel when divorce was mentioned. Francis became irritable, his patience and indulgence toward her slipping away.
'Did he not want the divorce?’
'Was it possible he had actually fallen for that other woman?'
Chloe's complexion turned ashen, her foot lashing out in distress.
A pink bag crumpled to the floor jammed beside the wheelchair. It was a bag Harper had earlier clutched tightly and apparently left behind.
'That logo...'
Chloe recognized it from a Maternity and Baby Store.
Victor was too busy on the phone to notice Chloe. Taking advantage of the moment, she quietly picked up the bag to see what was inside.
Upon opening it, her face drained of color. Without a second thought, she tossed the bag filled with baby clothes into the nearby trash can.
'Could Harper be pregnant?’
'How could this be... How could it even be possible?'
But Chloe quickly regained her composure. 'If Francis's recent behavior was any indication, he seemed oblivious to this development. This could work to my advantage.'
With a twisted scowl and a fierce glint in her eyes, she thought, 'I knew that woman was trouble. Once tomorrow's divorce is settled, I'll take care of her slowly.'
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