Our Anniversary, You Chose Her – I Chose Divorce

The night market was so crowded that Chloe Reed couldn’t spot a single familiar figure. She stood frozen in place, slightly dazed.

”What’s wrong with you?” Daniel Hayes looked at her in confusion, clearly not understanding her sudden change in demeanor.

Chloe exhaled slowly, then pulled out her phone to type. ”I wanted to thank the person who helped me earlier, but I can’t find him anymore.”

”I wondered what was going on,” Daniel said. ”There are plenty of unsung heroes out there. It’s enough that we’re truly grateful to him.”

”Mm,” Chloe nodded.

Just then, Fiona Linton walked over carrying a handful of street food. She looked perplexed. ”Why are you guys standing around here? I almost couldn’t find you. What happened earlier? Why is that roasted pig trotter stall closed off?”

Daniel quickly explained what had just transpired.

Fiona’s eyes widened slightly. ”People actually dare to cause trouble with this many people around? They’ve got a lot of nerve.”

”A large crowd actually makes it easier for them to succeed,” Daniel pointed out. ”There’s an alley right behind here. Once they get what they want, they can easily vanish into the crowd.”

Fiona frowned. ”Looks like the security around here still isn’t great.”

”Alright, don’t dwell on it,” Daniel said with a laugh. ”The issue’s been resolved. You two go find a place to eat. I’ll stay right by your side this time and won’t wander off.”

”Okay, okay,” Fiona nodded, before shoving one of her snacks into Chloe’s hand. ”Here, Chloe, try this.”

Upon returning to Jardinelle, Chloe’s mind was completely elsewhere. Even while showering and applying her skincare, she couldn’t help but think about the man she had seen today.

She wondered how it could be possible. Julian Grant had been dead for four years. Following his plane crash into the ocean, the Grant family had dispatched salvage teams who eventually recovered his luggage and identification. Although his body was never found, that particular stretch of sea was infested with sharks; it was highly likely nothing remained of him. His death was an absolute certainty. Therefore, the man she saw must have merely borne a striking resemblance to Julian. After all, she reasoned, if he were still alive, there was no way he wouldn’t return to his family. If he came back, he would discover that he had a son—a son who was nearly four years old. Furthermore, his parents missed him dearly.

”Chloe.” Walker Grant’s deep voice carried through the bathroom door, abruptly interrupting her thoughts.

”Mm,” she responded.

”Do you need any help?” Walker asked. ”You’ve been in there for a long time.”

Chloe fell silent for a moment before picking up her phone to type. ”Do you actually want to help, or do you have ulterior motives?”

”How can you say that?” Walker’s tone took on a hint of grievance. ”We’re a married couple. Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to have certain thoughts? It shouldn’t be called having ulterior motives. It should be called a normal reaction.”

”Heh,” Chloe let out an unceremoniously mocking laugh.

After slipping into her pajamas, she walked out of the bathroom. Seeing the tall man standing at the doorway, she grabbed his hand and traced out a message on his palm: ”In your dreams.”

With every stroke, her fingertips glided across his palm. The sensation tickled him, reaching all the way to his heart, yet the words she wrote were undeniably cold.

He tried to grab her hand, but she swiftly pulled it back. She typed on her phone, ”For the time being, I want to continue practicing my combat and shooting skills.”

Walker turned around and walked very slowly toward the bed. He had already familiarized himself with the layout of the master bedroom, so he rarely bumped into things anymore.

He agreed, saying, ”Have Daniel train with you. A lot of his combat techniques are incredibly useful.”