Ridiculous.

The redness receded from Chloe Reed’s clear eyes, now tinged with mockery as she gazed at her. "Just listen to yourself. Do you even hear the words coming out of your mouth?"

Autumn Linton’s expression soured. "Chloe, I’m your mother. How can you talk to me like that?"

Chloe wearily closed her eyes. "Get Walker Grant to come here," she said. "If he agrees to one of my conditions, I’ll agree to your request."

Autumn Linton suppressed the rage rising in her chest and looked at her suspiciously. "Are you serious?"

"As long as Walker Grant agrees to my condition, I’ll do it." A slight smile curled Chloe’s lips.

Autumn Linton gave her a complicated look, then turned and left the interrogation room.

Everything fell silent. It was so quiet you could almost hear the fine dust motes drifting in the air.

Chloe’s eyes gradually went vacant. Her heart ached as if a chunk of it had been carved out. It hurt so, so much.

She raised her hands, cupping her face to hide her anguish.

She lost track of time until another sound came from the doorway.

Chloe slowly looked up to see Walker Grant’s tall, slender figure walk in.

The incandescent light overhead was blinding. He had a prominent brow, and his long lashes cast shadows under his eyes. His features were sharp and handsome, but his expression was cold and distant.

"Divorce me, Walker Grant. Or this will happen again," Chloe said, her gaze cold.

’She’d finally figured it out. Sunny Reed always used these kinds of tactics against her.’

’Fine, she’d give her what she wanted.’

’Once she was out, she would beat up Sunny Reed every single time she saw her.’

’She’d keep hitting her until everyone felt so sorry for Sunny that they’d be forced to agree to Chloe’s terms.’

’What she wanted was so simple.’

’All she wanted was a divorce.’

’This whole situation was an exact repeat of when Noah fell down the stairs.’

’But this time, no one was going to stop her!’

Walker Grant walked over to her, step by step. Gazing at her pale, haggard face, he reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up.

"Chloe, what do you possibly gain from this, other than hurting yourself?"

Chloe slapped his hand away, her brow furrowed in disgust. "As long as I can get away from you, I don’t care if I go to jail."

But Walker leaned in and wrapped his hand around her throat. "You want a divorce that badly?"

"That’s right!"

The rims of Chloe’s eyes reddened. The hand on her neck tightened, and she began to suffocate.

Yet, she showed no fear, forcing the words out one by one. "Walker Grant, I hate the very sight of your face. More than that, I regret ever saving you."

’Her biggest regret, really, was falling for him—love at first sight.’

’After she saved him in the earthquake, they had grown closer. Not long after that, when they started college, she thought she would give it a shot and see if they could be together.’

’If she had known back then that she would end up being betrayed and mistreated by him like this, she never would have fallen for him.’

"You’re wrong," Walker said in a cold voice. "The person who saved me was Sunny Reed, not you."

Chloe’s eyes grew even redder. She gritted her teeth, her voice strained. "Divorce!"

Seeing the shattered light in her eyes, the chill in Walker’s expression deepened. "Impossible. You’re the one who pursued me in the first place. We promised a lifetime together, not a minute less. Chloe, no matter what you do, you can only ever be my wife."

He slowly released his grip. "If you insist on this, then you can stay here for a few days. You’ll find out that no matter what you do, we are never getting a divorce."

With that, he turned and left.