Our Anniversary, You Chose Her – I Chose Divorce

His eyes were bright, completely devoid of the weariness and sorrow that should have come from experiencing so much. He shook his head, then furrowed his brow due to a sudden headache. After a sharp *HISS* of pain, he continued, ”Even if you look like her, I can’t take you home. I can only have one daughter, Chloe. If I had another, she would definitely be heartbroken.”

Then, he withdrew his gaze and went back to muttering about Chloe.

Hearing his words, Chloe Reed’s expression froze. A sharp pain pierced a corner of her heart, but the feeling faded as quickly as it came. Taking a deep breath, she turned and left the ward.

She asked Daniel Hayes to hire another caregiver so that two of them could look after Charles Reed together, and then she left the hospital.

This was all she could do.

She wouldn’t forgive him, nor would she dwell on those matters anymore. She still had a long road ahead of her and couldn’t stay trapped in past sorrows, unable to free herself.

Jardinelle.

Seeing her return, Fiona Linton immediately went to greet her and asked with concern, ”Chloe, nothing serious happened, right?”

Chloe typed on her phone and held up the screen. ”He has dementia.”

Fiona’s expression froze at the news. ”What are you going to do next, then?”

”I don’t have any other plans,” Chloe typed in response. ”I’ll send him to a nursing home in the future. That will be my way of repaying him for raising me.”

Fiona nodded. ”Yeah, that’s for the best. After all the ways they hurt you, you’re still doing this much for him. Let them rot in regret!”

Chloe forced a small smile. Without another word, she headed straight for the dining room.

Walker Grant was already there. Hearing her footsteps, he turned his head slightly toward her and said, ”Daniel Hayes already told me everything. If you have any thoughts on the matter, you can tell me.”

Chloe sat down and spoke, enunciating each syllable slowly and carefully, ”I. Don’t. Have. Any.”

Walker gave a soft hum of acknowledgment. ”That’s for the best. No one can hurt you anymore.”

Chloe lowered her eyes slightly and didn’t respond.

After eating, she felt much better. She spent another two hours practicing her shooting and combat skills, sweating out the heavy, oppressive emotions weighing on her heart until she felt significantly more relaxed.

On the morning of the Spring Festival, the intermittent popping of firecrackers began to ring out bright and early.

Walker had woken up very early. He was constantly listening for any movement from her side of the bed. Sensing that she was awake, he said, ”Happy New Year, Chloe.”

Then, he leaned over and gently kissed her forehead.

Chloe didn’t pull away. She replied slowly, ”Hap-py. New. Year.”

Walker tilted his head slightly. ”I think your voice has recovered a bit more.”

Hearing this, Chloe’s eyelashes fluttered, and she reached up to touch her throat.

Upon exiting the master bedroom, Fiona immediately gave her a giant hug. ”Happy New Year, Chloe!”

Chloe returned the tight embrace and her well wishes. Then, looking at her with bright, watery eyes, she asked haltingly, ”Is. My. Voice. Much. Bet-ter?”

Fiona nodded. ”It really is. Your tone is much softer now. From now on, you can try speaking in full sentences. Practice doing it a few times, and you’ll slowly get better.”

Chloe nodded; she would definitely practice. But soon, her brow furrowed as she forced her next words out, ”Are. His. Eyes. Not. Bet-ter. Yet?”

Fiona sighed slightly. ”From checking his pulse, there shouldn’t be any underlying issues left. We’ll have him thoroughly examined after the holidays.”

Chloe couldn’t help but feel a heavy weight in her heart. She wondered why, even though she was recovering more every single day, he was still completely blind.