Chapter 8

Chloe's POV

When I woke again, I was lying on my stomach in the bedroom, my back burning with sharp pain.

The phone beside my pillow was ringing. It was my lawyer.

"Ms. Vance, the divorce proceedings are finalized. Where should the judgment be delivered?"

After a moment of thought, I gave the address of the villa and added, "Please keep the divorce strictly confidential."

"Divorce? Who's getting a divorce?"

The door was kicked open, and Ryan Hayes stood in the doorway.

I hung up without looking at him, brushing it off coldly. "A friend of mine met a scumbag and got divorced."

Ryan seemed relieved, but fury quickly washed back over his face.

He glared down at me darkly.

"Chloe, do you realize what you did wrong?"

Propping myself up against the edge of the bed, I met his gaze with a frosty stare.

"Ryan, did you check the surveillance footage?"

Ryan froze. "What?"

"Wendy Hayes pulled the champagne tower down herself to frame me. Do you dare check the cameras?"

Ryan almost laughed out of sheer fury.

"I thought that seeing Wendy so badly hurt, you would feel at least a shred of remorse. Not only are you shameless, but you're also turning around to slander her!"

He seized my wrist and dragged me toward the door.

"Come with me to the hospital and apologize to Wendy face-to-face!"

"Let go of me! I'm not going!"

I struggled with all my might, the wounds on my back tearing with excruciating pain, yet his grip remained as unyielding as iron.

"Even if you drag me there by force, I won't apologize!"

Ryan stopped in his tracks.

His expression turned grim as he pulled the bracelet from his pocket and held it before my eyes.

"Since you refuse to apologize, you have to pay the price."

He opened his hand. The bracelet fell to the floor, snapping into pieces.

"No—"

I threw myself onto my knees, picking up the broken bracelet as tears poured down my cheeks.

Growing up, my parents had been too busy with business to care for me, so my maternal grandmother had raised me.

This bracelet had been passed down from her grandmother.

Before she passed away, she had put it on my wrist with her own hands, saying that as long as I wore it, it would be as though she were still by my side, keeping me safe.

Forcing myself to my feet, I brought my hand across Ryan's face with a sharp slap.

"Ryan Hayes, I hate you!"

The force of the blow turned his head, and he looked back at me in utter disbelief.

My eyes were frozen, filled with nothing but pure hatred.

"Fine! Just you wait!"

He grabbed me again, dragging me toward the door far more violently than before.

"I didn't want to do this, but you forced my hand!"

The wounds on my back had completely ripped open, leaving me too weak to fight back as he shoved me into the car.

The car drove all the way to a hotel. Ryan pushed me into a room and threw down a final sentence.

"This is what you owe Wendy. Enjoy it!"

The door slammed shut.

Covered in injuries, I barely managed to prop myself up and twist the doorknob.

It was locked from the outside and wouldn't budge.

Just as I began looking for something to shatter the window and call for help, the door suddenly opened.

Several ragged vagrants barged in, surrounding me in the middle.

"Who are you? What do you want?!"

The man in the lead grinned. "What do we want? Ryan Hayes told us to come teach you a proper lesson, Mrs. Hayes."

They rushed forward together.

My clothes were torn to shreds. Filthy hands pawed at my skin, and a foul stench washed over me, churning my stomach with nausea.

Memories of that alley from five years ago flashed through my mind.

The man who had pulled me out of hell back then had personally pushed me right back into it today.

Just then, the door was kicked open.

Luke Soeng charged in with several men, instantly pinning the vagrants to the ground.

He slipped off his coat and wrapped it around me.

"Are you all right? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Forcing my tears back, I shook my head.

"Please take me home to grab my luggage. I need to go to the airport."

Luke asked no questions. He nodded, scooped me into his arms, carried me downstairs, and put me into the car.

Back at the house, the divorce documents sent by the lawyer had just arrived.

Taking the papers, I walked inside.

I slipped off my wedding ring and threw it into the trash can. After changing my clothes, I picked up the suitcase I had packed in advance and walked out the door, without looking back at this home a single time.

At the airport, Luke studied me with furrowed brows.

"Ms. Vance, I can arrange a safe place for you to rest for the night before you leave. In your current condition, traveling far isn't wise."

I shook my head.

"Thank you, Mr. Soeng , but that won't be necessary. I don't want to spend another minute in this city."

I pulled a flash drive from my bag and handed it to him.

"Everything is inside. We're even."

With that, I turned and walked toward the gate.

Ryan Hayes, everything you owe me, I will settle with you one by one from now on.