Chapter 3
Chloe had already planned exactly how she would surprise Arthur with the news on his birthday.
Her heart buzzed with anticipation.
The day arrived quickly.
But when Chloe woke up, the space beside her was empty.
The sheets were cold—Arthur had been gone for some time.
Chloe got up and went through her morning routine slowly, even taking time to apply light makeup. She pulled out the pregnancy test results she'd hidden in her nightstand drawer.
Her heart danced with excitement, her face unable to contain her smile.
She was desperate to share the good news with Arthur. He would be thrilled.
It only took half an hour to get from home to the company.
Chloe wished the car would go faster.
She had imagined countless scenarios about their future, but when she pushed open the lounge door and saw Avery sitting intimately close to Arthur.
It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her, chilling her blood.
The color drained from her face instantly.
Arthur noticed her presence and stood up anxiously. "Chloe, what are you doing here?"
Chloe's gaze locked onto a thin piece of paper discarded on the floor.
Arthur's pupils constricted as he instinctively moved to pick it up.
But Chloe, with speed that surprised even herself, grabbed it first.
The black text on white paper was unmistakable—a pregnancy report.
Avery was identified as the pregnant woman.
Chloe's hand trembled as she held the document. The lipstick and Avery's taunting messages suddenly flashed through her mind.
So that was it.
That was the truth.
Arthur's chest tightened with inexplicable panic. He hurried to Chloe's side. "Chloe—"
Before he could explain, Avery cut in, her eyes full of feigned remorse, "I'm so sorry, Chloe. This is all my fault. Don't let me ruin your relationship."
Chloe snapped her head up to look at her.
Avery's tone dripped with guilt, but her eyes clearly showed triumph—just like all those times she'd stolen Chloe's possessions in the past.
Arthur's gaze turned sharp as a blade. "Shut up and get out!"
Avery slunk away.
In the vast office, only the two of them remained.
Arthur looked at Chloe's pale face and the despair in her eyes, feeling as if his own heart had shattered.
"Chloe, listen to me. It's not what you think."
He reached out, trying to take her hand.
Chloe jerked away, her pupils dilated with pain and disbelief at the betrayal.
"What is there to explain?"
Her voice was strained, each word requiring immense effort.
"If I hadn't walked in on this, how long were you planning to keep it from me? Is this the 'mistake' you mentioned?"
By the end of her sentence, tears were already streaming down Chloe's delicate face.
Arthur anxiously stepped forward, wanting to wipe her tears, but seeing the wariness in her eyes, he reluctantly held back.
"Chloe, listen to me. I haven't betrayed you. I haven't done anything to hurt you. This is a deal I made with the family patriarch."
He kept his tone as gentle as possible.
"My father wants a child to inherit the Williams legacy. Once that goal is met, he'll stop interfering in our lives."
Chloe stared at him in utter disbelief, her heart twisting like a knife was being turned in it. She stepped back.
"So you want me to accept a child you had with another woman?"
Arthur's brow furrowed as he tugged at his tie in frustration.
"The baby in Avery's womb was conceived through artificial insemination. I never touched her. I've kept my vows."
Chloe's back pressed hard against the wall, her sharp nails digging into her palms.
The pain in her heart was so intense that she could barely stand, using the wall for support.
How laughable, how ironic.
Under the pretext of securing their future, Arthur had made this decision without consulting her at all, and now expected her to accept this child?
She didn't want her child to have half-siblings!
After suffering from such an arrangement her entire life, how could she possibly subject her child to the same pain?
Chloe's face was streaked with tears, like a porcelain doll about to shatter.
Arthur felt as if someone had slashed his heart.
He said, "Chloe, I know this is hard to accept right now, but everything I've done is for our long-term future. Do you want the Williams family interfering in our lives forever?"
Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, exhaling deeply before looking at the man she had once loved to her core.
"Arthur, if I made you choose—me or that child—which would it be?"
Arthur's expression grew grave. "Chloe, we need to consider each other's perspectives. Once this child is born, I'll have Avery sign papers severing all parental rights. I'll send her abroad. This will be our child, with no connection to her."
He continued his persuasion, one sentence at a time.
"I know how hard you've worked to prepare your body for pregnancy, drinking all those bitter medicines. It hurts me to see you suffer, and I don't want you to go through the pain of childbirth. From every angle, accepting this child is the best option."
The last shred of hope in Chloe's heart was extinguished completely.
She searched Arthur's face carefully but found no trace of guilt or remorse.
At that moment, Chloe felt as if she had never truly known the man standing before her.
Her palms were bleeding from her nails digging into them. She slowly released her grip, her voice distant.
"Let's get a divorce."
Arthur instantly panicked. "No. I refuse to divorce."
The man who could negotiate billion-dollar deals without blinking finally lost his composure.
His upbringing had taught him to perfectly conceal his emotions, but this was the second time he had lost control.
The first was when he proposed to Chloe and she said yes.
Arthur had been ecstatic then, feeling like he'd been struck by a shooting star.
If that day had been the happiest, most joyful moment of his life, this was now the most painful and helpless.
"Chloe, listen to me. I haven't betrayed you in any way. We've been through so much together over the years to get where we are. Can you bear to throw it all away?"
Arthur finally managed to grasp Chloe's hand.
His chest ached dully.
But wasn't Chloe feeling the same?
Her face was as white as paper as she looked at the man she had loved for so many years.
They had known each other since they were learning to talk!
Two people ostracized by society, finding warmth only in each other, stumbling through life together for all these years.
Though time had flown by, she would never forget all they had experienced together—the love and joy they had shared.
The clearer and sweeter those memories, the more laughable this betrayal felt now.
"Arthur, do you know how I feel right now? Like a clown."
"All that happiness I once bragged about feels like a slap across my face."
Chloe spoke each word deliberately as she slowly but firmly pulled her hand away. Seeing his helpless expression, she stepped back.
Arthur stared at his empty palm, suddenly feeling a void in his chest as well.
"No, Chloe. I can give you anything you want, just don't leave me."
"I gave you a chance when I asked you to choose."
"Arthur, we're adults. Let's be realistic."
Chloe took a deep breath, turned away, and wiped the tear about to fall from the corner of her eye.
"Tomorrow we'll file for divorce. I hope we can end this marriage like adults, but I'm not opposed to taking legal measures if necessary."