<b>Chapter </b><b>88 </b><b>Chloe </b><b>Wants </b>to <b>Punch </b>Liam


    Chloe met Brian’s gaze. Their bodies were so close she could feel the chill radiating from his skin.


    <b>“</b><b>If </b><b>I </b>ever truly wanted a man, it would be only because I love him deeply. That’s the only reason I would


    ever want him,” she said, then pulled herself out of his arms.


    Their sped hands finally slipped apart. Brian stared at the emptiness in his palm, and a hollow ache spread through his chest.


    “Let’s leave this room first,” Chloe said.


    Brian slowly rose to his feet and asked, “How did you even get in here?”


    “I heard you groaning inside,” she exined. “I called your name and knocked, but you didn’t answer. <b>I </b>


    was worried something had happened to you, so I forced my way in. I’m sorry for breaking your rule.”


    Chloe hadn’t meant to intrude. Still, she had stepped into a ce he had marked as forbidden.


    “Other than that, don’t you have anything else to say?” Brian pressed, his dark eyes fixed on her.


    The whips covering the wall, coupled with the oppressive atmosphere in the room, could easily make anyone feel sick to their stomach.


    Chloe bit her lips. “It’s all in the past. You’ve grown up now, and you shouldn’t let this room keep you


    chained.”


    She didn’t know everything that had happened here, but she could piece together enough. And even that much left her burning with anger.


    Brian’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at her.


    “And one more thing…” Chloe paused, then said, “If I ever see Mr. Steele again, I think I’d like to punch


    him. When that happens, do you think your legal team could keep me out of jail?”


    His surprise turned into sheer disbelief. It had been years since anything managed to truly startle him, yet her words left him stunned.


    <i>“</i><i>You</i>… want to punch my Dad?” Brian asked in a daze.


    “Yes. I want to hit him. Just tell me this. Can yourwyers make sure I don’t end up behind bars?<b>” </b>


    No one had dared say such a thing about Liam, not even him. Brian had only ever thought of bing strong enough so that Liam could no longer control him.


    But here Chloe was, standing before him. She boldly dered that she wanted to strike the man.


    Was it because of him? It had to be. She wanted to hit Liam because of him.


    The corners of Brian’s lips lifted in the faintest smile. “Alright, I’ll protect you. No matter what happens, <b>I’ll </b>


    Chapter 88 Chloe Wants to Punch Liam


    keep you safe.”


    Willow stared at the vivid red marks circling her neck in the mirror, her jaw clenching in fury.


    There was no mistaking Brian’s intent. When his hands had closed around her throat, he had truly meant


    to kill her.


    Even if she had touched on something he didn’t want to hear, he never should have gone that far. It had


    to be because of Chloe.


    Ever since Chloe appeared in his life, Brian had changed. He had shown up at her parents‘ funeral and even behaved in ways he had never done before.


    Now, even within the Quall family, criticism of Willow was growing. Many of her peers saw her as if she were a pitiable woman on the verge of being cast aside.


    The humiliation was unbearable. Why should anyone pity her?


    The Qualls had only received the Steeles‘ support because of her. She was the one who had sacrificed an eye for it.


    Without having sacrificed a thing, Chloe had won it all. She had gained Geoffrey’s affections, the family’s


    favor, and Brian’s attention.


    All of it should have been Willow’s!


    Willow tugged at her cor and stepped out of the bathroom. But as soon as she reached a corner, she


    froze. <fne286> Follow current nov?ls on find{n}ovel</fne286>


    A familiar female voice carried down the hall. “Curtis, do you still have feelings for Chloe?”


    <b>It </b>was Sonya.


    Willow edged close and peeked around the corner. There stood Sonya and Curtis, speaking quietly. If she


    remembered correctly, Curtis was Chloe’s ex–husband.


    “Chloe and I are divorced, so how could I still have feelings for her?” Curtis replied.


    “Then why are you looking for those two rings?” Sonya pressed.


    Sonya had brought Curtis <i>to </i>Quall Manor today to win him a stake in the ind development project. But right in the middle of the discussion with her rtives, his demeanor shifted abruptly, and he left with a rushed excuse,


    Sonya had thought something serious had happened, but it turned out he had been searching for the cheap wedding rings he and Chloe had once shared.


    “I just want to remind myself not to repeat the same mistakes in my next marriage,” Curtis replied. His words were meant for Sonya and for himself.


    Chapter 88 Chloe Wants to Punchl Liam


    Yes, that was the only reason he kept the rings. Nothing more.


    “In that case, what if I told you that you won’t make the same mistakes ever again? Would that free you to discard these?” Sonya suggested, opening her palm.


    Resting in her hands were the two missing wedding rings.


    At that, Curtis‘ eyes widened. “You… how did you…”


    “I happened to find them while you were searching for them,” Sonya exined.


    He stepped forward to take them, but she quickly closed her hand. “Curtis, we’ve already wasted three years. I don’t want to waste any more time. Our future will never end the way it did for <i>you </i>and Chloe, so you don’t need these rings to remind yourself of that anymore!”


    Curtis hesitated, conflict flickering in his eyes. “Just give them to me first.”


    “And what if I decide to throw them away instead?” Sonya countered.


    “What?” The words burst from him just as she lifted her hand, the rings poised to vanish into the trash can


    beside her.


    Curtis immediately grabbed her wrist. “Don’t throw them away!”


    “And yet you have the nerve to say that you don’t care about Chloe?” Sonya snapped.


    “I think that if the rings are to be thrown away, then it should be done in front of Chloe. That would be the only closure!” he shouted.


    “Well said,” Willow said. She stepped out from around the corner, pping with a smile.


    <i>“</i>Willow<i>.</i><i>” </i>Sonya frowned slightly. Had she overheard everything?


    “In a few days, there will be a government–led groundbreaking ceremony on the ind,” Willow smoothly said. “Why don’t you <i>and </i>Mr. Green attend together? Brian will likely be there as well, and Chloe will almost certainly be with him.


    Both Sonya and Curtis stiffened. <i>Of </i>course, they wanted to attend the ceremony. It would be the perfect opportunity to connect with government officials and thepanies involved in the development. They might even secure some projects, but….


    “Will Chloe be there too?” Sonya asked.


    “Most likely,” Willow replied, smiling. “If Mr. Green truly wants to sever ties with Chloe once and for all, why not take this opportunity and throw the rings away before her?”


    Chapter 89 Stay With Me Again Tonight