Chapter 726 726
Even if that meant Vincent had to destroy her self-confidence and reduce her self-worth until she felt more disgusting than a sewer rat every day. He would do anything as long as Chloe stayed by his side.
"I was cruel," Vincent murmured. "But I did it because I love you, Chloe. I know no better, and I thought that's the only way for you to stay."
"Had I known that you would never betray me, then I wouldn't have done that horrible stuff to you..." Vincent said. His lips began to tremble as he tried to hold his sobs. He didn't want to look absolutely pathetic, but he couldn't help it.
He was just so heartbroken, knowing that Chloe must be the one who did everything just to ruin his reputation. She must have advised her new man to manipulate public opinion by trapping him in a scenario where he couldn't escape his fate.
She wanted to shred his angelic public persona and show his true nature for the people to see.
And she did it successfully.
Because now, nobody would remember Vincent as the perfect gentleman anymore.
Everyone would remember him as an abuser instead, a man who failed to keep his family intact, and now was under public scrutiny for abandoning his own wife and daughter.
After all these things happened, Vincent didn't feel disappointed that his public persona had been shattered.
After all, he had grown tired of maintaining that persona.
But he was devastated after knowing that Chloe was the mastermind behind his downfall.
His wife.
The woman that he fell in love with and married.
"Is this what you want? Do you want me to suffer as a revenge for what I did to you for the past ten years?" Vincent murmured. He tried to picture Chloe's beautiful face in his mind, but somehow the only face he could portray right now was his wife's haggard face, which he had abused for ten years.
She was frail, with only skin and bones left. She looked hollow as if she could die soon.
Vincent had successfully turned a beautiful, promising young lady into a sickly, traumatized woman with a lot of physical and emotional scars.
"Then, would you forgive me after all of this? We're even now, right?" Vincent said. "Or do you need to torture me for ten years more, so you will be happy?"
Vincent began to laugh but was laughing at himself as he knew how desperate he was right now, "Then so be it. You can torture me for ten more years, but please forgive me after that, so we can start anew. It's never too late when I'm with you, Chloe."
Vincent was staring emptily for a long time until he heard the click from the door. He darted his eyes at the door and saw the door was opened from outside, and a woman with a beautiful smile, chestnut hair, hazel eyes, and a meek appearance entered his bedroom with a bowl of warm soup.
The girl was shocked when she saw that Vincent had opened his eyes. She quickly put the food on the table and rushed towards him, "Mr. Gray!"
The girl sat next to the bed and began checking on him. She made sure that Vincent was responsive and breathing normally. And after she made sure that Vincent was alright, she shed some tears.
She tightly wrapped Vincent's hand and said, "Thank God, I really thought you won't wake up anymore!"
"... what are you doing here?" Vincent asked as he frowned at the young woman. The first thing on his mind was the presence of another woman in his bedroom with Chloe.
Nobody was supposed to be here except for them, including this woman who had just become his secretary for a day.
"A—Ah, I'm sorry, Mr. Gray," Khloe, his new secretary, quickly released his hand after knowing that she had gone overboard. She lowered her head and replied, "Um, you've been unconscious for a whole week, Mr. Gray. You fainted after the press conference. The doctor said that you suffered a mental shock that makes your brain shut down indefinitely. You're basically in a long slumber, Sir."
"They want to send you to the hospital for treatment, but the doctor said that all they could do was to feed nutrition into your bloodstream to keep you alive," Khloe explained. "So you've been in your house for a while, and since no maid dares to take care of you personally, so I volunteer."
"I—I'm sorry that I might not be good at taking care of you, Sir," Khloe said sheepishly. "I tried my best, and I made sure to call an older maid to clean your body. B—Because, you know...."
Khloe's cheeks reddened as she got shy with the idea of bathing Vincent.
Meanwhile, Vincent kept staring at Khloe.
Deep down, he knew this woman was definitely Priscilla or at least someone related to her.
But he also wanted to live in this illusion for a moment. He wanted to relive the time when he was just a man living with his wife.
She had the same long, chestnut hair—the same kind of hazel eyes and a sweet smile that could melt your heart.
One time, Vincent got very ill at the University, and Chloe juggled between studying, working part-time, and taking care of him. She was tired, but she still had the same sweet smile when she took care of him.
'Why did I do it?' Vincent asked himself. 'Why did I ruin her? Why did I ruin my own wife?'
He didn't know either.
"Yes, Chloe."
"... Yes, Sir. I... I am Chloe."
Maybe it was the devil who whispered to his ears, or maybe he was just a cruel man who had gotten enlightened after realizing his beloved woman was out to get revenge on him.
"I see, thank you for taking care of me, Chloe."
"Ah—M—My name is Khloe, Sir," Khloe said. Though they were pronounced the same, she felt Mr. Gray was referring to his wife right now.
"I know, Chloe."
"K—Khloe, Sir."
"Yes, Chloe."
"... Yes, Sir. I... I am Chloe."
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