Chapter 54
She never expected Lucas to feel this way about her, but at this point, explaining anything would be pointless.
Chloe sighed, "Lucas, no matter what I say now, you won't believe me. Linda occupies your heart and mind now."
She paused for a moment, then said, "In that case, let's just end things here."
It was only then that Lucas noticed Chloe had been packing. Two huge suitcases were sitting in the room, filled to the brim with her clothes and everyday items.
Lucas let out a sarcastic laugh. "Are you threatening me again, Chloe? Can't you come up with something new?"
Chloe crouched down, zipped up one of the suitcases, and walked over to Lucas. Her voice was calm but firm. "This time, I'm serious. I'm moving out tonight, and I'll explain this to everyone later."
Just then, the butler called them for dinner. Chloe strode out of the room.
Dinner was a somber affair. Both Chloe and Lucas were lost in their own thoughts. Halfway through the meal, Chloe put down her fork. "I have something to say."
Everyone turned to look at her, sensing the gravity in her voice. Tara spoke up first, "Chloe, what's going on?"Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
"For these past three years, thank you all for taking care of me. But I've decided to move out tonight."
Tara was shocked and immediately turned to Lucas, scolding him. "Did you do something to upset Chloe again? Apologize to her right now!" Chloe stopped her. "Mom. Lucas and I have decided to part ways."
"You're getting a divorce?" Tara asked, incredulous.
Chloe responded calmly, "Actually, we never officially got married, so it's not really a divorce."
Everyone appeared visibly stunned. Antonio was confused and said, "But you two definitely had a marriage certificate. It's still in the drawer at home."
Chloe explained, "That was fake. It was bought online for $9.99 with free shipping."
Antonio's face turned red with anger. "That's ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."
Joshua had initially forced Lucas to marry her, but Lucas had backed out on the day they were supposed to go to the registry office. To deal with the family pressure, Chloe found a fake marriage certificate service online and photoshopped a wedding photo. In reality, she and Lucas were never husband and wife.
Tara stood up and punched her son on the shoulder. "It's you, isn't it?"
Lucas remained silent, his expression dark. He hadn't expected Chloe to be serious this time. Was she forcing him to choose between her and Linda?
Chloe, however, remained calm.
"Please, don't hit Lucas. It's not his
fault. He just doesn't love me. No law says he has to love me. Let's not pressure him."
Tara started to cry. "But you two were childhood sweethearts. I've always thought of you as my daughter-in-law. How can I accept this?"
"Even if Lucas and I part ways, you'll
cagan
always be my family in my heart. But
we can't force love. Lucas loves
el
Linda, and Linda is already pregnant. I don't want to torment them of myself any longer. I want to end this and give myself a new start."
Tara was stunned. "Linda is pregnant?"