Chloe Reed’s delicate brows furrowed. Staring at his roguish act, she took a deep breath and asked, "Then what will it take for you to promise not to say the wrong thing in front of Grandma?"

A playful glint lit up Walker’s handsome phoenix eyes. "Kiss me."

Chloe looked at him coldly. "We’ve already signed the divorce papers."

"But we haven’t gotten the certificate yet, have we?" Walker countered with a slight raise of his eyebrow. "That means we’re still a legally married couple. What’s wrong with a husband and wife sharing a kiss?"

"Then go ahead and tell her."

Chloe turned away. "If anything happens to Grandma, I won’t let you off the hook."

She reached for the door, but a warm body suddenly pressed against her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and a moment later, planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You..."

She stared at him, shocked and annoyed.

Walker held her tight and murmured, "If you won’t kiss me, then I’ll just have to kiss you."

"Let me go!"

Chloe started to struggle.

"Don’t move. My wound definitely reopened," Walker said, his voice muffled.

Furious, Chloe tried to pinch his side, but his muscles were so tense that she couldn’t get a grip.

"Walker Grant, you’re the one who said you didn’t want to continue this marriage, that you’d had enough! What is this supposed to mean?" Chloe demanded, exasperated that she couldn’t push him away.

"I can’t do it."

Walker’s voice grew hoarse. "I wanted to stay away from you, to stop thinking about you, to not see you. I wanted to agree to the divorce so we would never see each other again. But I tried, and I just can’t."

That business trip had been a chance for him to cool down. He had thought about her misunderstanding, about the woman she had sent to him, about how she kept pushing him away.

She had already gone this far. Why should he keep holding on to her?

If she wanted a divorce, granting her wish would be a way to free himself, too.

But those days and nights had been pure agony.

It was all a misunderstanding that could have been cleared up, but she had been so heartless, casting him aside without a second thought.

"Chloe Reed, you must have put a spell on me. Otherwise, after you’ve hurt me so many times, why are you still the only one I can see?"

Chloe tilted her head back slightly and let out a soft scoff. "Walker Grant, you’re lying to me again. I knew it."

Walker was still holding her tightly. "I’m not lying. My wound really hurts, so don’t push me away."

His voice dropped lower. "And I’m angry, too. You let another woman get near me. How could you do that to me?"

His tone was accusatory and tinged with resentment, like an abandoned child who couldn’t fight back and could only vent his grievances this way.

Chloe’s fingers curled. Her heart clenched painfully. She grabbed his arms and said, "Let go."

"I won’t."

Walker even tightened his grip slightly.

Chloe felt her breathing grow difficult, and her expression turned cold. "Let me go, Walker Grant. Don’t make me throw you out."

Walker said nothing more. He held her for a few more seconds before reluctantly letting go.

Chloe turned to face him, her eyes cold. "You’re sad. You feel wronged. I’ve felt those same emotions countless times. But your pain is nothing compared to the heartache I felt back then. Walker Grant, even if you love me, the sacrifices you made for *her* were real. They happened. I will always hold it against you, and I will never be able to let it go in this lifetime. That’s why we are, without a doubt, getting a divorce."