How could he believe her?

She had saved him during an earthquake back then. To marry him, she’d been willing to kneel in the pouring rain, and had even agreed to the Grant family’s condition that she couldn’t study abroad.

Her love was fiery and intense, something she never hid. She would always look at him, her smile tinged with a hint of shyness.

All of that had been real.

It was all proof of her love for him.

So, he believed that everything that had happened since the anniversary was just her throwing a tantrum.

All because he hadn’t spent the entire anniversary with her.

But now, as he listened to her say, word by word, that she was done, he simply couldn’t believe it. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He tightened his grip, took a steadying breath, and his voice grew deeper. "Chloe, marriage isn’t child’s play. You can’t just get married on a whim and then expect to get divorced on a whim. Have you forgotten we promised we’d be together for a lifetime?"

Chloe Reed looked at the handsome face before her. She had once loved everything about him, but now he just felt like a stranger.

"A lifetime together, without our own children, without our own lives, just revolving around Sunny Reed and Noah Grant for the rest of our days?" she demanded, her brow furrowed and her eyes full of disbelief.

Noah Grant was already three years old. The time and care Walker devoted to him went far beyond what was expected of an uncle.

And now, he was going to throw his whole life into it?

And he wanted to drag her into it, too?

She suddenly shoved him away, backing up step by step as she shook her head. "In your dreams! Noah Grant is part of your Grant family. If you want to spend your entire life taking care of him, then go ahead! But don’t you dare drag me into it!"

"That’s not my intention," Walker Grant said, reining in his temper. "Once Noah starts elementary school, I’ll step back."

"I’m not okay with that."

Chloe’s attitude remained resolute. "I don’t want you to give him so much as another glance!"

"Chloe Reed!"

Walker looked at her resolute expression and found her utterly unreasonable. "Why must you pick a fight with a child?"

"That’s right, I am picking a fight!" Chloe’s hands clenched into fists. "Walker Grant, if you don’t divorce me, I’ll make sure your Grant family never knows a moment’s peace!"

Walker’s expression turned grim. A chilling pressure radiated from him, bearing down on her.

"I wouldn’t want to hurt you," he said in a deep voice. "But dealing with an outsider... that’s easy enough."

"You can’t!"

Chloe stepped forward. "Direct it at me! You’ve bullied me so many times already, what’s one more?!"

’Don’t involve innocent people!’

"So, I bully you, is that it?" Walker let out a sudden, cold laugh. Then he shot out a hand, grabbed her, and pushed her straight down onto the hospital bed.

She landed face down on the bedding, his warm body pressed against her back.

She froze. "Walker Grant!"

"Save your voice for when you really need to scream." Walker’s breath was growing hotter. "Now, I’m going to show you what being mistreated *really* feels like."

Chloe’s eyes flew wide, her heart hammering in her chest. She tried to struggle, but he held her fast, pinning her so she couldn’t move.

The scent of disinfectant filled her nostrils. They were still in the hospital room; someone could walk in at any moment!

Chloe panicked, her voice trembling. "Don’t you dare go crazy in here, Walker Grant..."

But the man was already enraged, completely deaf to her words.

His scorching presence engulfed her. Their encounters were rarely this rough—she was actually in pain!

’He was never like this before!’

He used to coax her, seduce her, make her feel utterly ecstatic. The one thing he never did was cause her pain!

Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes as Chloe opened her mouth and bit down hard on the bedding.