Our Anniversary, You Chose Her – I Chose Divorce

He didn’t speak. Instead, he simply buried his face in her palm, absorbing her warmth and scent in an expression of complete dependence.

A hush fell over the study. Chloe Reed had already said everything she needed to say. Whether he chose to go or not was entirely up to him.

After sitting together in silence for a while, she gently withdrew her hand and typed out a message on her phone. ”I’m going to go back and rest for a bit.”

”Alright,” Walker Grant replied. ”I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

”Okay.”

The moment she stepped out of the study, she saw Judith Pierce standing a short distance away, looking in her direction with an expectant expression. Seeing Chloe emerge, Judith hurried over.

”Chloe, did he agree?”

Chloe typed out her reply. ”I don’t know. He didn’t say.”

A wave of disappointment washed over Judith’s face. She nodded. ”Okay, I understand.” She paused for a moment before probing further. ”You didn’t complain about me to Walker, did you?”

Chloe’s delicate brows immediately knit together. She stared at Judith with cold, impassive eyes.

Judith took a deep breath. ”You don’t need to look at me like that. You know perfectly well that with just one word from you, Walker will cut off all contact with us. I don’t want that to happen at all. Chloe, you understand what I’m getting at, right?”

The corners of Chloe’s lips curled into a mocking smile. Without another word, she turned on her heel and headed straight back to the master bedroom.

That mocking smile stung Judith’s eyes. What did she mean by that? Was she making fun of her? Judith was furious. But given the current situation, she couldn’t afford to antagonize Chloe. In fact, she had to coddle her to prevent Walker from getting angry at her.

Judith closed her eyes and took a moment to steady her breathing. Then, she turned around and went downstairs.

Chloe drifted off into a light sleep. By the time she woke up, it was already evening. The sky outside was completely dark, and the bedroom was plunged into gloom. She sat on the edge of the bed in a daze, her mind still foggy from sleep.

”Chloe.”

A familiar voice suddenly broke the silence. Startled out of her reverie, Chloe looked toward the nearby sofa. Walker was sitting there. He must have heard her waking up and called out to her.

She opened her mouth and spoke, forcing out each syllable one by one with painstaking effort. ”Why... are... you... here?”

Walker stood up and walked over at a measured pace. Only when his leg bumped against the edge of the bed did he stop, feeling his way around to sit beside her. ”I was worried you might get scared, so I came to keep you company,” he said. ”Is it dark out now? I heard fireworks.”

Chloe glanced out the window. ”Yes,” she managed to reply.

”They must be beautiful.” Walker lowered his head slightly, his voice soft. ”I won’t be able to watch the fireworks with you this New Year. But you can watch them for me. You can tell me what colors they are, and what shapes they make in the sky.”

Chloe’s eyelashes trembled violently. She grabbed his hand and traced the words into his palm: ”Let Noah tell you.”

She was still stubbornly insisting that he return to the old family estate for the New Year.

”Okay,” Walker replied faintly. He closed his fingers around her slightly cold hand. ”Let’s go. It’s time to eat.”

”Okay.”

They headed downstairs just as the dishes were being set out in the dining room. Chloe guided Walker to his seat and helped him sit down.

Noah greeted them with sweet obedience. ”Uncle Walker, Aunt Chloe.”

Walker nodded in the boy’s direction. ”Did you take your afternoon nap?”

Before the child could answer, Judith eagerly interjected. ”Walker, I’ve finalized the menu for our New Year’s dinner. Let me read it to you—see if you want to add a few more dishes?”