Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Little Uncle, Be My Dad

Chloe Reed finally passed out.

As she drifted in and out of consciousness, she felt someone pick her up and lay her on a soft, warm bed. The wound on her knee was being treated.

She gasped in pain.

She couldn’t help but burst into tears.

"Walker, it hurts so much..."

She thought things were still like they used to be, when even the slightest scrape would have him rushing over to comfort her, his heart aching, and she would take the opportunity to whine playfully for his affection.

She had grown accustomed to that dynamic.

In her dream, Walker held her, tenderly kissing her eyes and brows, his soft voice soothing her.

As her tears rolled down, he kissed each one away.

But this only made her cry harder. She grabbed his collar, her voice breaking into sobs. "Why are you so good to Sunny Reed? I hate her! I hate her so much, and you should hate her with me! But you’ve changed. You’ve fallen in love with her. You were there with her when she had her baby... *sob, sob*... Walker, I don’t want you anymore."

In the hazy dream, she cried until she had no strength left, finally sinking into a deep sleep.

When she woke up the next day, she found herself in her room. Sitting up in bed, she looked at the treated wound on her knee.

She was dazed for a moment before it hit her: last night hadn’t been a dream.

She closed her eyes. ’What is this supposed to be?’

’First, he watches coldly as I’m forced to kneel, and then he comes to fuss over me?’

’It’s just like how he plays both sides between me and Sunny Reed.’

’Are all men masters of time management or something?’

When Chloe Reed opened her eyes again, her expression was once again cold and distant. She got out of bed and washed up.

As she left the bedroom, she heard the sound of laughter and conversation coming from downstairs.

"Uncle, can you be my daddy?" came the distinctly innocent voice of a child.

Madam Grant laughed. "Noah, you like your uncle that much?"

"I do," Noah Grant said, nodding earnestly. "I want him to be my daddy and be with Mommy."

Sunny Reed quickly chided him. "Noah, you mustn’t say such things. Your aunt will be angry if she hears you."

But Madam Grant said, "What’s the harm in a child’s words? If she takes it seriously, it just proves how petty she is, getting worked up over a child."

Chloe Reed stood by the railing, looking down at the happy, harmonious scene below.

Noah Grant was sitting in Walker Grant’s lap with Sunny Reed beside them, looking for all the world like a perfect family of three.

Chloe Reed took out her phone, snapped a picture of them, and posted it directly to her socials.

Chloe Reed: Let’s all congratulate them on finally getting together. Round of applause!

Chloe Reed: [Image]

Her post immediately caused an uproar among their social circle, but she didn’t look at her phone again.

She went downstairs and headed straight for the door.

"Stop!"

Madam Grant’s voice rang out. "You ill-bred thing! Don’t you even know to greet your elders?"

Chloe Reed turned her head slightly and said, "When the day comes that you pass on, I’ll be sure to visit your grave."

"You—!"

Madam Grant’s face turned livid with rage.

Walker Grant said in a low voice, "Chloe, stop this nonsense. We know what happened last night. We were wrong about you."

Sunny Reed also stood up and walked over, taking her hand. "Sister, thank you for bringing Noah home last night. If it weren’t for you, he surely would have been in danger."

Where no one could see, she dug her fingernails into Chloe Reed’s skin.

Chloe Reed shoved her away. "Don’t touch me!"

But Sunny Reed collapsed to the floor, tears instantly welling in her eyes. "Sister, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I didn’t raise Noah right. He lied and framed you. I’ll make him apologize." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

She dragged Noah Grant over and forced him to kneel in front of Chloe Reed. "Hurry up and apologize to your aunt! How could you lie like that!"

"Enough!"

Walker Grant shot to his feet, his handsome face darkening. He strode over, pulled Sunny Reed up, and fixed his cold gaze on Chloe Reed’s face.