10
At the birthday gala, Jackson and I arrived fashionably late. We had both overslept. I opened my eyes and it was already noon, and then he kept me entangled for another two hours before finally relenting. Who would have thought the old–fashioned Mr. Reed, the esteemed lawyer, would be so insatiable in private?
The moment we entered the ballroom, my brother whisked Jackson away. Mark, my best friend, looked at me, nostalgic. “You two were fiercely debating each other in college. Who would’ve thought one day your fingers would be intertwined.” Mark and I went to the same university, and he knew everything about Jackson and me, Years ago, when I married Connor, despite knowing it was an unbreakable family command, Mark still asked me, “Are you really not going to wait for old Reed?”
At the time, I hadn’t answered him.
ملا
robably remembered that too because be sbuckled ‘Good thing Copper was blind otherwise Jackson wouldn’t have stood a chance
At the birthday gala, Jackson and I arrived fashionably late. We had both overslept. I opened my eyes and it was already noon, and then he kept me entangled for another two hours before finally relenting. Who would have thought the old–fashioned Mr. Reed, the esteemed lawyer, would be so insatiable in private?
The moment we entered the ballroom, my brother whisked Jackson away. Mark, my best friend, looked at me, nostalgic. “You two were fiercely debating each other in college. Who would’ve thought one day your fingers would be intertwined.” Mark and I went to the same university, and he knew everything about Jackson and me. Years ago, when I married Connor, despite knowing it was an unbreakable family command, Mark still asked me, “Are you really not going to wait for old Reed?”
At the time, I hadn’t answered him.
He probably remembered that too, because he chuckled, “Good thing Connor was blind, otherwise Jackson wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
Just as he spoke, Connor walked into the ballroom, Chloe following behind him. Mark scoffed softly. “Connor’s really losing his touch. Last time he brought her to
his grandpa’s birthday and caused a scene. Why’d he bring her here today?”
That reminded me of the birthday gala. “What happened at Grandpa Walker’s birthday that day?”
“You didn’t know?”
I shook my head. I’d been working intensely during that period, with no energy to pay attention to anything else.
Mark explained, “He brought her in front of Grandpa Walker and said he wanted to marry that woman. Grandpa Walker threw a huge fit, saying if he married her, he’d be disowned from the family tree.” Connor was the only male heir in his generation of the Walker family. For Grandpa Walker to say such a thing, you could imagine his rage.
“But then, Connor said one thing that shut down everything the Walkers were going to say next.” Mark looked at me intently. “Do you know what it was?”
“What?”
“He said Chloe was two months pregnant.”
I pressed my lips together. This outcome didn’t surprise me at all. From the moment Connor and Chloe reconnected, I had anticipated this. Unlike the high school Connor, the Connor who took over the company was no longer controlled by his elders. He had grown his wings, gaining the power to marry Chloe. Naturally, he wou- Id seek to mend the regrets of his youth.
Connor and I had been married for over two years, and my womb remained silent. Though the Walker family elders never explicitly said it, I could feel their eagerness for a grandchild. And now, Connor had used that very point to successfully bring Chloe openly to his side.
“But don’t be sad. Even though he got what he wanted, he cheated on you while married, and his family still gave him a beating.”
Midway through the banquet, I went to the restroom. Coming out, as I passed a lounge, I heard Connor and Chloe arguing. Getting closer, I saw Chloe’s eyes were red- rimmed. “Are you regretting being with me?”
Connor held a cigarette between his fingers. “Don’t overthink it. I just came out for a smoke.”
Chloe bit her lip. “But the moment Layla left, you followed her.”
Through the haze of smoke, Connor said softly, “Sweetheart, go outside. Don’t let the baby breathe secondhand smoke.” Although Chloe
came fr
a poor backgro- und, she had always been fiercely proud. She couldn’t bring herself to humble herself and cater to Connor. After a brief, tense standoff, she left, her face ashen.
I walked past Connor without looking, but he called out to me. “Have you and Jackson Reed been in contact all these years?”
I paused, turning to look at him, His eyes were downcast; I couldn’t read his expression. “When did you two get together?”
I felt a surge of exasperation. “Connor, we’re divorced. Given our relationship, you shouldn’t be asking questions like that.” People were coming and going in the hall- way, occasionally glancing curiously in our direction. Connor extinguished his cigarette in a standing ashtray, quietly watching the flickering light for a moment. Then he turned and left without another word.
