Divorcing 416
Chapter 416 A Slap
Michael dispatched Ethan to deliver the ticket and promptly drove over, his urgency fueled by the fear of missing Chloe.
His heart finally settled slightly when he saw her.
"You're really here!"
Chloe frowned and responded with sarcasm, "I didn't expect you to be a fan of Borges, Mr. Shawn. I thought your reading material was limited to business success manuals." Michael was momentarily silenced.
He felt the sting of her words and wondered if she was mocking his world of profit-driven business acumen.
"Chloe, must you be so cutting? Didn't you come here today hoping for a chance to talk to me?"
Michael misunderstood her sarcasm due to her strong sense of pride.
"Mr. Shawn, you overestimate yourself. Had I known you'd be here, I'd have chosen tomorrow."
The poetry gathering spanned three days.
Thus, her encounter with Michael felt like a stroke of bad luck.
As Chloe headed to the restroom and passed him, Michael grasped her wrist.
"Chloe, I want to discuss the possibility of our remarriage."
Chloe felt ridiculous.
"If you're looking to lose your mind, don't involve me!"
Her good mood was now in ruins.
Michael watched her retreat into the restroom, feeling somewhat adrift.
His thoughts were messy, and his words to Chloe did not reflect his true intentions.
He acknowledged his ineptitude with words.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
When Chloe emerged three minutes later, she found Michael still waiting. His persistence grated on her.
"I don't care whose child you're carrying. After we remarry, I'll raise it as my own and won't hold it against you."
Michael declared, but his words irrigated Chloe again.
"Hold it against me? What right do you have to hold anything against me?"
"You conceived another man's child during our marriage, and I haven't contested it. Isn't that concession enough?" Chloe laughed furiously.
"That's quite generous of you. You don't need to concede because I won't remarry you."
She strode past him without sparing him a glance, and her high heels clicked decisively.
Concerned by her extended absence, Quinn approached.
Seeing Michael, Quinn inquired gravely, "Did he trouble you?"
Chloe shook her head. "No, let's leave. There's no point in lingering here."
Witnessing Quinn stand by Chloe, Michael felt his heart filled with a fit of bitter jealousy.
"Chloe, you're carrying the child of James, yet you are with Quinn? Are you so fickle?"
Chloe, who had been about to depart, felt her anger boiling over.
She turned around and walked back.
A sense of calm washed over Michael, who believed that Chloe felt at fault and was open to granting him an opportunity to talk. However, Chloe raised her hand swiftly to deliver a stinging slap across his face.
"You're the one who has no right to call me fickle!"
Stunned by the slap, Michael ignored the blood in his mouth.
Ignoring the onlookers' murmurs, Chloe took Quinn's hand and exited the poetry gathering.
After a long walk, she calmed slightly.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you."
Observing the red mark on his wrist, she felt a pang of guilt.
Quinn pressed his arm and explained, "My skin is sensitive. It'll fade soon."
In truth, Chloe's grip hadn't been strong, and he was glad she had sought his support as if he were her boyfriend.
Chloe stared at his arm for a long time before sighing helplessly.
An excellent opportunity to join in the poetry gathering was ruined.
"Thank you for today. You can go now; I need some time alone."
Quinn was concerned at her words.
Before he could utter his concerns, she cut him off. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
With a helpless nod, Quinn left.
Chloe wandered along the street that led close to the coastal highway, eventually finding herself drawn to the beach. She sought solace in the embrace of the sea breeze. Her heart was heavy with the weight of her decision to reveal to Michael that the child she was carrying was not his.