Chapter 3

Hudson's voice melted with concern as he tried to soothe her. "It's okay, you didn't mean it. Shh, don't cry."

But when he turned to me, his tone went cold and sharp. "Chloe, you're a mature woman. Why are you making things hard for a young girl?

"It's just a cup of coffee, not some life-or-death crisis. You're totally overreacting. Besides, who asked you to make it so hot anyway?"

With that, he scooped Vanessa up in his arms and hurried her back to his office to comfort her.

Back in the day, if anyone so much as brushed up against me, Hudson would make a big scene and always be the first to stand up for me.

But now, all because of another woman, he didn't even care about my blistered arm and just made me apologize.

I just did a quick bandage job on my arm, and it was a struggle just to make it to the end of my shift.

As I stood in the rain, waiting forever for a cab, I suddenly heard Vanessa's overly sweet voice drifting from under the awning. "Hudson, these shoes are brand new. If I get them wet, they'll be ruined."

"You're such a princess. If they're ruined, I'll just buy you another pair," Hudson chuckled.

Even so, Hudson picked Vanessa up and walked right into the rain in his designer shoes, not even hesitating.

Vanessa gave me a smug look, and I glanced down at my soaking wet legs, feeling so upset.

The sharp, lingering pain in my arm mixed with the discomfort of my rain-soaked feet made it painfully clear—I was no longer the one closest to his heart.

I used to be scared of thunderstorms, and no matter how far away business took him, Hudson would always make sure to rush home and be with me whenever the storm hit.

Back then, his love felt so real, so genuine. So, when did everything change—and why?

By the time I got home, I was drenched through. I jumped into a hot shower and then buried myself in the blankets, shivering and seeking comfort.

The next second, thunder crashed outside—so loud and close. I yanked the blankets over my head and curled up tight, heart racing.

When I was little, there was a car accident. My parents clung to me, shielding me with everything they had. In the endless sound of thunder, I lost them forever.

From that moment on, every storm became a nightmare I could never escape.

In the darkness, someone, drenched from the rain, pulled me close—even with the blanket between us, I could feel his warmth.

Hudson whispered, "Chloe, don't be afraid. I'm right here."

Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. It hit me—he really did remember that thunderstorms terrified me.

For a split second, I couldn't tell if all those betrayals were real or just my own paranoia. But the faint trace of a woman's perfume—one I'd never worn—lingered on him, and deep down, I knew he didn't love me anymore.

The love was real. So was betrayal.

If only he'd hated me, or treated me like I was nothing. Maybe then, letting go wouldn't hurt this much. It wouldn't feel like my heart being torn to shreds.

Only when he felt me relaxed did he finally let go of me and flicked on the light.

Hudson bent down, picked up a platinum earring from beside my foot, and coaxed softly, "Chloe, take a look. It's a present I got for you. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

I stayed silent, just lowered my head to glimpse at the gift he offered, and that little rush of tenderness from before vanished without a trace.

Just before bed, I saw Vanessa showing off on social media, parading around the brand-new platinum diamond necklace Hudson had just bought her.

And those earrings weren't anything special, but just a throw-in, a buy-one-get-one kind of freebie.

Back when Hudson was crazy about me, he swore he'd give me the very best of everything. Now, just a few years later, all I was worth in his eyes was a freebie.

"Hudson, I'm not your dumping ground. Take these earrings back to that precious girl of yours. Maybe together with her necklace, they'll make a matching set," I said, voice icy.

For a moment, Hudson looked embarrassed, clearly surprised I'd found out about the necklace for Vanessa.

"Come on, Chloe, Vanessa felt terrible about spilling coffee on you. She spent a long time choosing that gift. She really wanted to make it up to you," Hudson said, trying to smooth things over.

"You're much more grown than her, but you can't let things go nearly as well as she does. Why are you always hung up on these petty issues?" Hudson added, disappointment creeping into his voice.

I told myself not to waste another second of my feelings on him. I just looked at him, my face calm and unreadable.

"Hudson, if I could go back, I wish I'd never..." I started, my voice barely above a whisper.

I wished I'd never met you.

I wished I'd never married you.

Before I could even get the words out, Hudson got flustered and wrapped me up in a tight embrace.

"Come on, Chloe, why are you saying stuff like that? I married you without hesitation.

"You're the only one I care about," he said. "I told you before—after I've had my fill messing around outside, I'll settle down and be yours, just you and me together till we're old and gray."

My heart was completely exhausted. I couldn't bear to listen to another one of his empty excuses.

I wasn't going to keep foolishly waiting for him to change his mind. All I did now was count down the days until the waiting period was over, just waiting for the moment I could finally walk away.

When Hudson saw how unusually calm and agreeable I was, he decided to toss me another sugar-coated promise. "Your birthday's in two days. Any plans on how you want to spend it? I'll be home with you that day."

But when my birthday came, Hudson was gone early in the morning.

That night, a couple of friends insisted on taking me out to celebrate. With thoughts of my soon-to-be freedom swirling in my mind, I ended up drinking a lot, actually feeling excited for once about my new life ahead.

Since they didn't trust me to get home on my own after all those drinks, my friends practically held me up and made sure I got safely to my front door.

I unlocked the door with my fingerprint and flicked on the living room lights. Then what we saw inside was so shocking.