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I had to stay strong. Bryce’s future depended on it. So did Noah’s. This might break my heart—it might be the thing that undid me, once and for all—but I would sacrifice myself for him. I would choose the people I loved every time.
“I’m not throwing it in your face. It’s that I love you, Bryce. I need to protect you.” Tears filled my eyes, and they weren’t an act. “Do you remember what you said? Having a wife makes you vulnerable, and you don’t do vulnerable. You’re about to take over as CEO of Windsor Enterprises. Now, more than ever, you need to be in control. You need to be safe.”
“You make me safe, babe. Iloveyou.”
“But you shouldn’t.” My voice was gravelly, full of despair. “Look at what I did to you tonight. Ihumiliatedyou. In public. Drunk and fighting, that’s Chloe Windsor. Jealous and crazy. You can’t be married to someone like me, Bryce. Look at me! I’m no better than Lydia and my father. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I guess. And an apple like me has no business being the wife of a billionaire CEO. Your company needs you, Bryce. They need you to lead. Otherwise, you’re going to lose everything.”
“If you leave me, I will lose everything.”
“That’s not true. I’m your hired bride, remember? I’m nothing, no one.”
“That’s not true, Chloe. Fuck! Don’t do this. Please.” He took my hands. “Think about my father. He’ll cut me out of the company if I’m not married. You can’t do this to me. That’s not why I want you to stay, but think about it.”
I shook my head. “We’re not getting divorced tonight. You haven’t breached any terms yet. And once he hears that I want out, he’ll be more than happy to change the terms. He hates me, Bryce. Always has.”
“Then what about your brother? If you leave, you’ll destroy him. He loves it here, Chloe. Think about him—that’s the whole reason you took the job in the first place. To give Noah a better life.”
“He’ll be fine,” I lied. “I want to go, Bryce. After tonight, it’s undeniable that I don’t belong in your world. I don’t belong withyou. So let me go. Go and live your big life. Leave me to my little one. That’s what I want. That’s where I belong.”
I rose to go, to leave. To leavehim. “I quit, Bryce. I’ll make sure that Akira returns the money she’s holding in trust. I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
Before he could say a word—before he could beg or plead—I grabbed my bag and fled the room.
I was leaving him with nothing… Except for the future he’d always dreamed of.
The only thing that would be missing was me.
* * *
