“Get away from me!” Chloe shook off Ethan’s hand, glared at him, and ran out of the cafe.
After a few steps, Chloe realized running wasn’t good for the baby.
She slowed down to a walk, hailed a cab, and hurried home.
Aunt Miller had already prepared a table full of dishes.
Though the food was light, it was clear she had put a lot of thought into it.
“Chloe, you’re back just in time.
I just finished cooking.
Eat while it’s hot.” Aunt Miller looked at Chloe with her hands politely crossed.
Chloe sat down, suddenly losing her appetite.
“What’s wrong, Chloe?
Is your stomach upset?
It’s easy to get an upset stomach when the seasons change.”
“No, it’s fine.
Go ahead with your work, Aunt Miller.
I’ll just eat slowly by myself.” To prevent the older woman from suspecting anything, Chloe put on a variety show on her phone and propped it up on the table to watch.
Once Aunt Miller left, Chloe pretended to take a few bites of each dish before returning to her room to rest.
When Chloe woke up, it was already afternoon.
The first thing she did was check her phone for any new messages.
“Chloe, Mom, Dad, and I will be back late today.
Make sure you eat properly at home.
Don’t skip meals just because you’re feeling unwell.” It was a message from Jensen.
Chloe guessed he must be swamped with work right now, but he still made time to send her a WeChat message.
“I’m fine.
You and our parents just focus on your work, Jensen.
Let me know if there’s anything I can help with.” Chloe replied with a voice message and went downstairs, only to find that Aunt Miller wasn’t home.
Seeing the lemon-garlic chicken wings on the table, Chloe’s cravings kicked in again.
She picked them up and started munching non-stop.
She muttered to herself, “Old wives’ tales say craving sour means a boy, and craving spicy means a girl.
I love both sour and spicy food right now.
Could it be…” Startled by her own absurd thought, Chloe quickly put down the chicken wings and hurried to the bathroom to check the mirror.
The reflection showed that she had visibly gained some weight, and her face looked a bit fuller.
She stepped on the scale.
So far, it wasn’t too bad; she had only gained three pounds.
But as the months progressed, she couldn’t guarantee she would still be happy with her weight.
On TV, the news was broadcasting a representative from Tess Company signing a cooperation contract with Winona Hayes.
Some speculated whether Winona would develop her enterprise into an international corporation.
“Of course she will.
Look who we’re talking about!
That’s our beautiful Ms.
Hayes.” Chloe amused herself with the commentary, but soon grew bored and changed the channel.
A flurry of notifications popped up on her phone.
Chloe glanced at them; they were about organizing a class reunion.
None of her classmates knew she had married Caden, and right now, she was busy trying to get a divorce anyway.
She simply pretended she hadn’t seen the messages.
“Unless you’re out of town and can’t make it back, everyone currently in the city must attend!
Invitations have already been sent to your homes.
Remember to bring them when you come.”
The class monitor had left no room for excuses.
It would be impossible for Chloe to pretend she was out of town, as everyone knew the Austin Family’s prominent status in Maridia.
Not only that, the class monitor had specifically tagged Chloe in the group chat to emphasize the time, as if the entire speech had been directed solely at her.
Adopting an “out of sight, out of mind” approach, Chloe quit the group chat and pretended she knew nothing about it.
Wendy and the class monitor were both furious when they saw Chloe quit the group.
“Didn’t you say Chloe would definitely come?
She just quit the group!
That means she’s not coming.
How are you handling this?”
“Sister Wendy, please give me one more chance.
I’ll call Chloe.
She’ll definitely come…” The class monitor’s voice trembled.
She had always been terrified of Wendy back in school.
It was bad enough that she had been bullied by her back then, but to run into her as an adult and still be subjected to it was a nightmare.
“You’d better find a way to drag Chloe here.
If she doesn’t show up, you’ll be the one suffering in her place.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The class monitor nodded profusely, on the verge of tears.
Wendy released her grip, letting the other woman scurry away.
Then, she stared off into the distance with a malicious smirk.
“Chloe Austin, this is what you get for embarrassing me and making my life difficult.
You’re no longer my sister-in-law anyway, and my brother won’t protect you anymore.
You care about that pretty face of yours the most, right?
Then I’ll ruin it.”
“Sister Wendy, if we do this, won’t The Austins retaliate against us?”
Wendy acted as if she had just heard a hilarious joke.
“I’m not scared.
Are you?
Besides, we didn’t do anything.
It will just be an accident.
What does it have to do with us?”
“Yeah, no matter what happens, it’s just an accident!
It has nothing to do with us.
What are you guys afraid of?”
The people trailing behind Wendy were all a bunch of trust fund brats.
Cut off from their parents’ money but still wanting to mess around in society, their only option was to follow someone like Wendy.
“Sister Wendy, we’ll do whatever you tell us to.
We’re all listening to you.
Just give the order when the time comes…”
“Alright, all of you, go set things up properly.
Remember to take down the security cameras to prevent any complications.”
Wendy’s expression grew increasingly sinister.
The others had also found sick entertainment in following her lead; they were all rubbing their hands together, eagerly waiting for Wendy’s “guest” to arrive.
Unaware of these schemes against her, Chloe simply had no desire to attend a class reunion.
The gathering was at the largest karaoke club in Maridia.
Drinking was inevitable, and in her current condition, she absolutely couldn’t drink.
Karaoke clubs were always a mixed bag of people, and she wasn’t willing to gamble with her and her baby’s safety.
Since she had already quit her job to stay home, she figured she might as well opt out of all social activities.
Chloe’s wardrobe mainly consisted of highly tailored, designer outfits.
Her stomach was no longer as flat as before, meaning she could no longer fit into her current clothes.
She planned to go shopping for some new ones tomorrow.
It was also good timing, as Mark Austin’s birthday was fast approaching.
Though she still didn’t know when Caden would be back, knowing he was just on a business trip meant Chloe was prepared to sign the divorce papers at a moment’s notice.
“Here is the new divorce agreement.
You can review it to see if there are any issues.
If everything looks good, sign it and send it to Caden.” Ethan’s message popped up on her phone, and the very next second, a document landed in Chloe’s inbox.
Chloe opened the divorce agreement and looked it over.
Ethan was vigorously protecting her rightful interests.
“If I don’t ask for that money, can the divorce be finalized sooner?” she replied.
“This is a divorce case.
If you show your cards too quickly, can you guarantee Caden won’t go back on his word?
For a guy like him, there’s no trust to speak of.” Ethan detested Caden to the extreme and continued to badmouth him.
Chloe checked the rest of the document.
She could only say that the divorce agreement Ethan drafted was truly different from what other lawyers would write.