Our Anniversary, You Chose Her – I Chose Divorce

Every word from Preston Vance conveyed a sense of intimacy and familiarity. He meant well, so Chloe Reed saw no reason to refuse him.

She gave him a small nod, and a faint smile touched Preston Vance’s lips.

Mr. Aldridge sat down across from them. Looking up, he caught their interaction and raised an eyebrow, though he didn’t say anything.

Preston Vance said, ”She says it’s the result of poisoning. Mr. Aldridge, could you see if there’s anything you can do?”

”Poisoning?” Mr. Aldridge looked even more surprised, then said, ”Here, Miss, give me your hand.”

Chloe Reed held out her hand, typing with the other, ”Thank you. My name is Reed. Sorry to trouble you.”

Seeing the way she had to communicate, a complex look appeared in Mr. Aldridge’s eyes.

’Such a beautiful young woman, and yet she can’t speak. What a shame.’

’And from the way Preston acts around her, they’re clearly more than just friends. I might as well see what I can do.’

Mr. Aldridge took Chloe Reed’s pulse and examined her tongue. When he finished, he asked, ”You’ve been taking traditional medicine lately, haven’t you? And getting acupuncture as well?”

’He could tell all that just from looking?’

Chloe Reed was astonished, and she immediately nodded.

Mr. Aldridge smiled. ”I know what you’re wondering. I can see that much of the poison has already been cleared from your system. It seems your current doctor is very skilled. I’ll write you an additional prescription. If you take it together with the medicine she prescribed, it will have an even better effect.”

As he spoke, he typed the prescription into his phone. ”I’ve sent it to Preston,” he said. ”He can forward it to you.”

Deeply grateful, Chloe Reed stood up and bowed to him.

Mr. Aldridge smiled and said, ”There’s no need for that. Don’t be so formal, I just took a quick look. I have other plans, so I’ll get going now.”

He had come with a friend, who had just arrived and sent him a message.

Preston Vance stood up. ”Mr. Aldridge, I’ll see you out.”

Then, he turned to Chloe Reed and said gently, ”I’ll be right back.”

Chloe Reed nodded.

Once they were out of the private room with the door closed, Mr. Aldridge spoke. ”Preston, you’ve taken a liking to her, haven’t you?”

Preston Vance replied with a gentle smile, ”You shouldn’t say things like that. She’d feel awkward if she heard you.”

But Mr. Aldridge just scoffed. ”She’s married, though.”

”She’ll be divorced soon,” Preston Vance replied.

”You...” Mr. Aldridge wagged a finger at him. ”When her throat heals, you let me know. I’d still like to have a proper conversation with her.”

”I will,” Preston Vance nodded.

”Alright, I’m off. You two take your time and enjoy your meal.” Mr. Aldridge didn’t linger, heading to another private room after a few more words.

Preston Vance went to the front desk and paid for both of the private rooms. When he came back, he saw Chloe Reed waving her phone at him.

At that exact moment, Preston Vance’s phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a money transfer notification from her.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise, walked over to sit across from her, and asked, ”What is this for?”

Chloe Reed typed her reply: ”Mr. Aldridge helped me, so I should be the one treating you. Please don’t refuse, or I won’t feel right about it.”

Preston Vance adjusted his glasses. ”And what if I want you to feel indebted?”

Chloe Reed froze, looking up at him in astonishment.

Preston Vance’s gentle smile returned. ”That way, you won’t be able to avoid me, will you? And maybe we can start seeing each other often again, like we used to?”