"Yes."

Every single affirmation was nothing short of a blade plunging straight into her soul.

The tears Chloe had tried so desperately to restrain finally burst forth, cascading down her face in a silent torrent.

"I will ask you one final thing. When you promised to build a home for me... was that a lie as well?"

Eric find himself instinctively clenching his jaw, forcing out one last syllable: "...Yes."

The remaining luster in Chloe’s eyes vanished in an instant. Every ounce of strength was instantly drained from her body, leaving her completely incapable of uttering another word.

Eric’s expression turned remarkably grim, the atmosphere within the sterile room seeming to turn completely stagnant in a fraction of a second.

For a fleeting heartbeat, an overwhelming urge to retract his words washed over him.

Yet his strict rationality forced him to remain rooted to the spot, and ultimately, he merely dropped a cold instruction: "Get some rest."

With that, he turned and escorted Lyndsey out of the room.

The heavy door slammed shut behind them, inviting a draft of piercingly cold air into the space.

Staring at the lifeless barrier, Chloe finally let out a devastated cry.

Her ragged sobs and agonizing wails echoed through the empty ward, continuing for an eternity before fading into a heavy silence.

As night fell, a darkness as cold as ice began to consume her.

Chloe curled her body tightly on the mattress, her eyes wide open, completely unable to drift into slumber.

She rested her hand gently over her abdomen, feeling nothing but a vast, hollow emptiness; the tiny life that had once brought a sense of warmth to her existence was truly gone.

A dense, throbbing pain rippled through her soul, and her mind unexpectedly drifted back to their wedding day three years ago. She remembered the way she had gazed up at him during the ceremony, her heart filled with an overwhelming sweetness and an inexplicable touch of sorrow.

She had been fully prepared to spend the rest of her days walking by his side, yet the entire marriage had been nothing more than a calculated deception from its very inception.

Every ounce of sweetness they had shared was laced with shards of broken glass, leaving her bleeding from every facet of her being.

Eric, if you do not love me, what purpose does this marriage serve any longer?

...

On the seventy-sixth floor of the Vance Group headquarters.

The assistant pushed the door open and stepped inside: "Mr. Vance, your wife has arrived. She is requesting an audience with you."

Sensing the sudden, dark drop in Eric's aura, the assistant felt his chest tighten with apprehension.

Eric, however, was merely calculating how much time had actually elapsed since he last encountered Chloe at the hospital...

Had it been a month, or perhaps two?

He glanced down at the time, only to realize that it had merely been a single week. An unnameable frustration surged deep within his mind, and he lifted a cold, dismissive gaze: "I will not see her."

The assistant turned to depart, yet a short while later, he knocked gently and re-entered the room with immense caution, presenting a document: "The mistress stated that I must deliver this file to you directly."

Eric’s brows knitted into a deep frown. He accepted the document and flipped it open, only for a few bold words to greet his vision: Divorce Agreement.

The Vance villa.

The divorce papers were tossed onto the table by Eric, his tone completely detached as he looked at Chloe: "There is still a single month remaining before the three-year mark is reached. We cannot dissolve the marriage just yet."

A wave of bitter sorrow rippled through Chloe’s eyes before she forcefully suppressed it, her tone matching his own absolute stillness: "As you wish. I have already affixed my signature to the document. I shall utilize this final month to move my belongings out of the house."

With that, she turned and made her way up the grand staircase.

Eric instinctively tracked her decisive figure, which seemed utterly devoid of a single shred of lingering attachment, his fingers clenching into tight fists.

Ultimately, he offered no response, turning on his heel and departing the estate.

From the landing above, Chloe cast a distant look backward at his unfeeling, retreating figure, a tragic, broken smile slipping past her lips.

Then, she turned away, her footsteps resolute as she walked toward her room.

Chapter 9: The Truth Exposed

Late into the night, Eric returned to the residence.

The massive estate appeared no different than it did on any ordinary day, yet for some inexplicable reason, it felt terrifyingly silent and cold.

He intended to make his way toward the study as was his usual routine, yet his footsteps inexplicably guided him toward the master bedroom instead.

Pushing the door open, he froze instantly.

The room was immaculately clean—so pristine that it looked as though no one had ever inhabited the space.

He strode over and pushed open the doors to the walk-in closet, only to discover that Chloe had truly removed every single article of her clothing, leaving behind nothing but the extravagant jewelry he had provided.

Staring at the half-empty wardrobe, his heart experienced a violent, sudden tremor.

Aving control over his emotions, he strode out of the room and delivered a cold instruction to the butler: "Dispose of every single item she has ever used."

Since she desired to depart so fiercely, then let her vanish entirely from his existence; out of sight, out of mind!

The following morning, the sky was heavy with dark clouds.

Chloe sat inside a quiet café, positioned across from a middle-aged man wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

"Detective Wu, have you managed to locate the owner of that supercar?"

Following her brother's passing, the authorities had been entirely unable to trace the vehicle responsible for the hit-and-run. Yet she had refused to abandon the pursuit, commissioning a private investigator to continue the search.

Four years had passed, and at long last, a breakthrough had arrived.

Detective Wu flipped open his laptop, displaying a segment of video footage: "This was extracted from the dashcam of another vehicle that happened to be parked along the roadside on the night of the incident. It successfully captured the license plate number of the red supercar."

Chloe’s hands trembled violently as she reached out to play the file.

"Have you verified the registration? Whose vehicle is it?"

Detective Wu selected a document from his folder and slid it across the table toward her: "The vehicle is registered under the name Lyndsey. Immediately following the incident, she was escorted out of the country by Eric. However, I have confirmed that she recently returned to the city."

The name Lyndsey struck Chloe’s mind like a sudden clap of thunder, leaving her completely paralyzed in her seat.

Her fingers tightened around the documents, her teeth clenching with immense force as her eyes turned a sudden, fiery red.

In an instant, every single puzzle piece fell into place, painting a horrific picture.

Her brother's blood-stained face, Eric's expression when he uttered the words "marry me," Lyndsey's triumphant smirk... each image flashed vividly before her eyes.

Ultimately, only a single thought remained.

How utterly pathetic you are, Chloe. You actually married the very man who acted as an accomplice to your brother's murder.

The Vance villa.

Chloe stared at the structure she had called "home" for the past few years—the place she had departed only days prior—and stepped inside with absolute resolve.

The moment she entered the living room, she spotted Lyndsey and Eric seated together on the sofa, engaged in conversation.

Upon noticing her presence, Lyndsey’s expression shifted slightly, yet she stepped forward to greet her, putting on a show of deep remorse: "Sister Chloe, you've returned? I only discovered after moving in that you intend to divorce Eric simply because you lost the child. I am truly, deeply sorry..."

As it turned out, the very moment she vacated the property, this woman had swooped in to take her place.

Chloe’s heart was subjected to another brutal stab of pain, yet the agony only served to sharpen her focus.

With a sharp, resounding crack, Chloe suddenly raised her hand and, without a single introductory word, delivered a fierce backhanded slap across Lyndsey’s face!

Lyndsey clutched her burning cheek in sheer disbelief, preparing to strike back, when she was instantly frozen in place by a single sentence.

"You have been running from the law for four long years. Have you finally figured out how you intend to answer for my brother's life?"

Lyndsey’s face drained of all color, and she instinctively shrank behind Eric’s form: "Eric, you know as well as I do that it was nothing more than an accident! Please, you have to help me!"

Chloe maintained an entirely expressionless demeanor, her icy gaze locked firmly onto Eric—the man who had deceived her and wounded her beyond measure.

At times, the reality of a situation was far more devastating than the truth itself.