Chapter 3

“I’ll talk to him. Hendrick is so clueless.”

Xena's innocent expression and the subtle hints in her words were all too clear.

She was obviously showing off.

Pulling me further into the room, she dug her sharp nails deep into the arm that still had the IV mark. I held back a cry, trying desperately to pull my arm away.

Just as I managed to free myself, Xena suddenly staggered backward, knocking over a glass on the table as she fell.

Hendrick rushed to her side in an instant, his face full of concern.

Meanwhile, I lost my balance and hit my forehead hard against the corner of the table. Blood trickled down, bright red against my pale skin, making the scene even more startling.

Hendrick turned around angrily, but when he saw my face covered in blood, he froze.

His brows furrowed, and a flicker of worry crossed his eyes.

“How could you be so careless? Didn’t the doctor say your health is fragile and you need to be more careful?

“I’ll take you to the hospital.”

I was stunned for a moment, then grabbed some tissues and pressed them against the wound. It hurt so much that tears stung my eyes.

So, you did hear what the doctor said that day. You knew all along.

“Hendrick, the cake hasn’t been cut yet,” Xena called out.

Ignoring her, Hendrick took my hand and led me out.

I glanced back at her with a faint smile on my lips.

Xena glared at me. Her eyes were full of hatred.

Outside, the rain kept pouring down, harder than before. But with Hendrick’s broad frame shielding me, I did not feel the cold at all.

I glanced down at our intertwined hands, feeling a little dazed. It had been so long since Hendrick and I spent time together like this, without any arguments or harsh words.

In the beginning, Hendrick was very polite to me.

He never let me do any heavy work, always remembered every holiday, and gave me gifts. Sometimes it was clothes, other times jewelry or bags. It was always the latest style that girls loved.

He even deposited over a million into my account every month. He would always address me politely as “Miss Fisher.”

When did things change?

It probably started when I stood up to Xena for the first time.

A wife without love could never matter as much as the woman he truly cared about.

I wanted to tell him that if we could always be like this, it wouldn’t be so bad.

“Hen...”

“Hendrick, wait for me!” Xena’s voice cut off my words as she came rushing over.

Hendrick turned to me. “What were you going to say?”

“Nothing.”

“Chloe, the rain’s really coming down, and Hendrick’s been drinking. Let me drive you both.

“And I should get my hand looked at. I cut it on the glass earlier.”

Hearing this, Hendrick asked anxiously, “Is it bad? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“It’s nothing, just a small cut. Chloe’s injury is much worse.

“I know she didn’t do it on purpose, so don’t be upset with her, Hendrick.”

Her words, laced with insinuation, instantly darkened Hendrick’s expression. Even the way he looked at me turned cold.

“She’s always causing trouble for herself and others. But you’re still so kind.”

Just like that, Hendrick believed her without question and condemned me without a second thought.

The rain continued to pour, growing heavier by the minute. What should have been a thirty-minute drive had turned into an hour, and we still had not arrived.

My head wound had been hastily bandaged, but the pain still lingered with a dull, constant throb.