Mrs. Ellsworth stared at Ethan Ellsworth, giving him a long, hard look before turning to Mrs. Grant with a dry laugh. "But what are we to do now that our Chloe is pregnant? Is she supposed to get an abortion?"

Mrs. Ellsworth’s words hit them like a tornado.

Even Chloe Marshall herself didn’t know when she had gotten pregnant. She had never even slept with Ethan Ellsworth, so how could she possibly be pregnant—

’There was only one possibility: Mrs. Ellsworth was deliberately saying this for her sake.’

’The corner of Ethan Ellsworth’s mouth twitched. He knew exactly why his personal Empress Dowager was pulling this stunt, but he also knew he couldn’t expose her. If he did, knowing his mother’s personality, she might genuinely try to kill herself by jumping into a river.’

The smile on Mrs. Grant’s face instantly faltered. She and Jean Grant both glanced at Chloe Marshall’s flat stomach.

Mrs. Grant’s expression soured in an instant. "Ellsworth, our Jean just had her heart broken. Aren’t you just rubbing salt in the wound? How could you do this? Getting another woman pregnant and then saying you want to be with our Jean?"

A smile played on Mrs. Ellsworth’s lips. "Exactly, Jean’s Mom. My son is so unreliable. Don’t you think this would just be pushing Jean into another pit of fire?"

Jean Grant’s chest felt tight. She looked at Ethan Ellsworth. "I’m asking you, are you going to be with her or with me? If you choose me, then take her to the hospital and get rid of the baby. If you choose her, Ethan Ellsworth, then I have nothing more to say. And you said you loved me? Is this how you love me?"

Mrs. Ellsworth immediately grew anxious. "Jean, how can you say that? Our Ellsworth likes you; I’ve known that for a long time. He’s liked you for so long, but how did you treat him? You got married! Why shouldn’t our Ellsworth be with someone else? Now they’re about to get married, and you come charging back in. Jean, I’ve watched you grow up. I used to hope so badly that Ellsworth would bring you home, but you didn’t cherish him. Don’t you find this terribly ironic now?"

Mrs. Grant knew Mrs. Ellsworth was telling the truth and was at a loss for words. She could only say, "Ellsworth’s Mom, that’s enough. We’re so close, is all this really necessary? I want to know what Ethan Ellsworth’s plans are."

Ethan Ellsworth stood there, wanting to say something but unable to get the words out.

Chloe Marshall knew he was in a difficult position. With a THUD, she knelt before Mrs. Ellsworth. "Auntie, I’ve called you ’Mom’ so many times, and I wished so much that you really were my mom. But this puts Boss Ellsworth in a terrible spot. I know you said all that for my sake, but I don’t want Boss Ellsworth to be unhappy. Call me foolish, call me stupid, but please, let them be together. They love each other."

’Seeing this, Ethan Ellsworth’s hands clenched into fists. He fought the urge to pull her to her feet and demand if she was really that stupid!’

Mrs. Ellsworth sighed and pulled her to her feet.

"I’m washing my hands of this. Do whatever you want. Chloe, come here. I have something to say to you."

Watching Chloe Marshall get pulled away by Mrs. Ellsworth, Mrs. Grant was fuming. "So that whole pregnancy thing was just a lie your mom made up? And here I thought we were so close, but she’d do that for that little chit—"

’At that moment, Jean Grant was jealous to her core. Why did Mrs. Ellsworth have to be so good to someone like Chloe Marshall!’

*

In the car, Mrs. Ellsworth looked dejected. "You were so foolish just now. Ellsworth didn’t dare to expose me, but you did. Now, there’s a rift between me and Jean’s mom."

"I’m sorry, Auntie. I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault." Chloe Marshall was so anxious that tears started to well up. "What should we do now?"

Mrs. Ellsworth took a deep breath and stared at Mrs. Grant up ahead. "It’s fine. Everyone looks out for their own interests. Don’t be fooled by how close we seem. When it comes to our companies’ interests, she won’t give an inch. Our good relationship is just on the surface. This is a small matter. The real question is, what will you do now? Ellsworth is with Jean. What are you going to do?"

Chloe Marshall’s tears fell even faster. At that moment, the woman before her was worrying about her like her own mother.

"I’m only twenty-one, I’m still so young. Worst comes to worst, I’ll go on some blind dates. I’m sure I’ll be able to get married."

Mrs. Ellsworth reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Silly child. Why are you always thinking of others? A moment ago, you did that so Ellsworth wouldn’t be put in a difficult position. But what about you? You clearly like him, yet you won’t fight to keep him by your side."

She forced a smile. "As long as he’s happy, I’m happy."

’Mrs. Ellsworth felt a strange pang of pity for the girl, but she was powerless. This was her son’s choice; what could she possibly do?’

From a distance, Chloe Marshall saw Nora Ainsworth running anxiously toward them. "Auntie, Nora is here. I’ll get out now."

Mrs. Ellsworth looked up. "So this is the Nora Ainsworth that Quentin loves?"

Chloe Marshall nodded. "Yes."

Mrs. Ellsworth seemed lost in thought and said nothing more.

Chloe Marshall called out, "Nora."

Nora Ainsworth looked her up and down. "Chloe, are you okay?"

She shook her head. "I’m fine."

Nora Ainsworth took a moment to catch her breath. "You scared me to death. I thought you—"

Chloe Marshall grabbed her hand. "Nora, what happened to your hand?"

"It’s nothing, I just burned it by accident," Nora Ainsworth said softly. "Chloe, let’s go sit over there."

The two of them went to a café and sat down at a table by the window.

"Chloe, running away isn’t the answer. Don’t sneak off again and make me worry. Tell me, what are you thinking now?"

"At first, I just wanted to love him quietly from afar. But now I realize I’ve become a burden to him. Nora, people’s feelings don’t stay the same forever. So, now I have to think about a different approach," Chloe Marshall said, looking down at her coffee.

Nora Ainsworth pressed on, "A different approach? Are you thinking of letting him go?"

Chloe Marshall gave a sad smile. "Some people are meant to be kept buried deep in your heart. You still have to live your life. You can’t just shamelessly pester someone into loving you for your own selfish desires. To love him means respecting his decision. Nora, isn’t it said that the best way to forget someone is to fall in love with someone else? I’m going to go on blind dates."

Nora Ainsworth couldn’t help but feel a little wistful, but she also thought this was for the best.

"I support you, Chloe. You can’t force love. It’s best to let things happen naturally. By the way, Quentin and I are flying abroad tomorrow."

Chloe Marshall’s head shot up. "Nora, why are you going abroad?"

Nora Ainsworth didn’t want to hide it from her. "Remember when we went for the D&C together? The report said I have endometrial cancer. It’s in the early stages, but the best treatment is a hysterectomy."

Tears instantly streamed down Chloe Marshall’s face, falling into the coffee cup she was holding.

"What?! Cancer... early stage? How could this happen? Nora, you’re so young."