Chapter 401 401

Chloe gritted her teeth and tried to struggle again, but the more she struggled, the harder Vincent pressed his hand on her throat, effectively strangling her until she could barely breathe.

"Urk— Uhk—!" Chloe's face started getting paler than before. She was trying hard to catch some air to no avail. "C—Can't— b-breathe—!"

"Will you stop struggling if I let you breathe?" Vincent asked, and Chloe nodded slowly in response.

The venomous man smirked from ear to ear as he was satisfied with her obedience and loosened his grip around her neck to let her breathe, "See? I'm not so cruel, aren't I? I'll let you off as long as you obey me."

"In fact, I should be the one getting a compliment for being nice to my wife who has been running away for a while, offering her pussy to another man like a whore that she is, don't you think so?" Vincent asked with a malicious grin on his face. "Technically, I am allowed to beat you since you cheated, but I'm not that cruel."

Vincent's voice was gentle yet held a lot of grudge in it. He was like a monster repressing his urge not to crush this petite woman at his mercy just because he wanted to play with her more.

​ Nevertheless, Vincent's threat was proven effective, and Chloe quickly stopped her vain struggle as she was too scared that Vincent would strangle her to death.

Vincent released his hand wrapping around Chloe's neck and trailed his finger on her cheek. Chloe's body stiffened, but she couldn't do anything other than let this monster caress her cheeks.

He raised his brow full of interest, "It seems that you've gotten a bit fatter than before, hm?"

…

"Tell me, does it make you happy that you can run away from me?" Vincent asked, but it felt more like a test for Chloe because no matter what answer she gave, he would twist it to make Chloe the wrong one.

She should just close her mouth and accept the beating, but…

Something in her wanted to taunt him. She wanted him to know that she was happy living with another man because Vincent would never give her the simple and peaceful life she wanted!

He treated her like she was some kind of game, a pet he could toy with when he was bored and toss or hit when he got mad at something else.

Chloe clenched her fist between her thighs and suddenly opened her mouth;

"I am happy."

Vincent's eyes widened when Chloe answered his question, "What did you say?" he asked again, making sure that Chloe knew what she was doing right now.

"I said, I. Am. Happy!" Chloe repeated while raising her voice. She dared to stare straight at Vincent boldly while making the statement. "I'm glad that I ran away from you, and I will do it again if I have the chance!"

"You—!" Vincent raised his hand and clenched his fist, ready to punch this woman who dared to disobey her own husband.

But he stopped midway and sighed as he loosened his fist, much to Chloe's shock.

'Why didn't he hit me? What's wrong?' Chloe asked herself. She was certain that Vincent would punch her, just like he did a few times when she dared to fight back.

But he didn't. Instead, he took another deep breath before saying weakly, "That makes me sad, Chloe. It seems I am the only one suffering because of our separation."

Vincent leaned his head on Chloe's shoulder and rested his chin as he murmured, "My life changed after you leave, I can't sleep well, nor can I eat well because nobody cooks better than you."

"I stopped seeing Priscilla too, I lost interest in her almost instantly when you finally left me," Vincent said.

His voice was soft and full of vulnerability, which Vincent never showed before.

"The company's profit has also stagnated because apparently, I'm not doing a good enough job to maintain my focus on my important projects," Vincent started telling many things that he had never told Chloe.

"My emotion starts to deteriorate as well. I keep getting angry at the smallest thing," Vincent said. He gulped as he got nervous about his next sentence. "I… I know it's wrong for me to say it now. I should've said this earlier, but I… I miss you, Chloe, and I miss our daughter too."

"I want you and Mackie to return home, so we can rebuild our relationship," Vincent asked softly. "How about we end this crazy escapade of yours and set everything straight? We can be a good family, don't you say that you want to have a normal family the most?"

Vincent slowly separated himself from Chloe. He wrapped his hand around her waist tighter and stared into Chloe's eyes.

"I know that you want me to be present in Mackie's life. I will do it, if that's what it takes for you to return. Does that sound fair to you?"

…

Chloe went silent for a long time as they kept staring at each other. Her soon-to-be ex-husband's eyes showed vulnerability, a trait he never showed.

And she wouldn't lie that his vulnerable gaze shook her heart.

She started trembling as she could not understand this strong emotion inside her heart.

But there was one thing that was clear to her, and that was heartache.

It was so painful that she felt her heart might explode anytime soon.

Chloe's eyes started pooling with tears, and she had nothing to wish for other than wanting the heartache to stop. She never wanted the luxury that Vincent offered, the expensive mansion he had, or the elite connection he got.

She just wanted to live a normal life with her husband and daughter.

"Chloe? Are you alright?" Vincent asked attentively. He used his thumb to wipe the tears that dropped from the corner of her eyes.

She mustered her courage to speak despite her trembling voice, "Do you mean it?"