Chapter 402 402

"Do you mean it?"

"Do I… mean it?" Vincent blinked a few times as he tried to process the question. "Are you doubting me?"

Chloe's lips thinned as she was holding the pain in her heart, "Just tell me, do you really mean what you said? About wanting to live together and mend everything that you did wrong?"

…

"I mean it, Chloe," Vincent replied to assure Chloe. "I mean everything I said. I realized that I can't live without you. I feel empty when you're not by my side."

…

'Looking at him like this makes me think that all the pain I've experienced for the past ten years is all an illusion in my head,' Chloe thought. 'That all of my hardships get invalidated just because he said some sweet words….'

Chloe's heart was crushed because she realized she couldn't feel a thing anymore. Even after all the sweet words, he said, her heart was cold and dead for him.

No matter how many times he begged, she would always be haunted by all the beating and humiliation she had to endure for the past ten years, and nothing could erase that.

So she collected her courage once more to reply;

"It's too late, Vincent," Chloe replied. "Y—You… you can't just say sorry after ten years of abuse you did for me. You won't be able to mend a deep wound you've inflicted for ten years straight, and never will."

"Is that a no?" Vincent asked. There was a trace of sadness in his eyes as if he truly wanted Chloe to say yes and he could fix everything.

"Can you pity me a bit, Chloe? If I beg, would you consider returning home with Mackie?"

Chloe's heart wavered. Her lips almost blurted out a 'yes' for his plea. But she could not and would not return. Even if Vincent changed to be a better man, there was too much pain that she had no desire to be with Vincent anymore.

"I—I can't, Vincent…." Chloe replied. "There is no way for us to be together anymore. I've fallen out of love, and I—"

Chloe stopped as she almost blurted that she had a new man in her mind. But then realized that she also had no right over that guy.

That guy was young and should find someone young, or at least a woman without too much physical and mental damage like her.

"J—Just… sign the paper, Vincent…" Chloe said. "I want the divorce to be processed, and we can part ways. I… I want to start a new life without you..."

"I see," Vincent lowered his head and went silent for a long time, but his hand around Chloe's waist was shaking for an unknown reason.

Chloe got worried, as it was her nature to do so, "V—Vincent, I'm sorry, but I… I can't do this anymore. Please just let me go…."

…

…

"Pffth-" Vincent scoffed before he smirked from ear to ear again. He lifted his head and stared at Chloe with a completely different gaze and facial expression. "Did I fool you?"

Chloe's heart dropped when she saw all the sadness and pity that Vincent had shown before suddenly disappearing. Now he had returned to be the same man who abused her for ten years straight.

Ruthless, arrogant, and a complete sociopath.

"You— D—Did you—" Chloe stammered as she tried to make a sentence to question what he had done before.

"What?" Vincent perked his left brow and the corner of his lips simultaneously, "Do you think I will beg for your forgiveness? Do you really think I have become a different person just because of you?"

"Chloe Gray, you're a woman, a species that won't fool me, nor change me," Vincent said ruthlessly. "Stop flattering yourself. You're just one of those women I fucked— well, you're the lucky one, I guess. Since you have the privilege of bearing my child."

Chloe was speechless. She was truly feeling heartache when she rejected Vincent's apology. She thought she was making a big step by rejecting him despite all his sweet words.

Turned out it was all fake.

'Ah, what am I thinking anyway? There is no way a bastard like Vincent would change because of me. I'm just one of the random women he fucked….'

Chloe was unresponsive as she kept staring at Vincent with a sad gaze, and her tears flowed without reason.

"Anyway, I didn't expect you to be quite smart not to fall into that kind of honeypot trick, hahah," Vincent ridiculed. "It seems that you've gotten a wee bit smarter after leaving me. This is bad, Chloe Gray, I don't want my woman to be smart. You should just serve me like usual, that's your use as a woman."

"Oh, by the way," Vincent released his hand that wrapped her waist and grabbed her arm instead. He suddenly flung Chloe until she fell on the floor face first.

"AH!" Chloe groaned in pain, but she recovered fast as she didn't know what Vincent would do next.

She turned around and tried to grab the Principal's desk, using it as support to get back up.

Her legs trembled from all the pain she had experienced, but the fear was far bigger than just physical pain.

Chloe's chest rose up and down, trying to gasp as much air as possible as she stared at Vincent, who stood about three feet away from her.

Vincent clapped his hand with a grin, "Congratulations for not falling to a stupid trick. But don't get carried away, Chloe. You're still too stupid to face me."

"Do you think I don't know that you're sad? You're crying like a little bitch while rejecting me," Vincent's smile suddenly disappeared, replaced with a sharp gaze darting at Chloe with flat lips. "You look disgusting. Stop crying like a doormat, you weak bitch."

He was right. She was weak.

Chloe realized that she was vulnerable and weak. She didn't even know that Vincent was fooling her because, judging from Vincent's eyes, he looked genuinely sad and in so much pain.

But even if he was genuine…

"Whether you fool me or not, my answer will not change, Vincent," Chloe stated firmly. "There will be no second chance for you— for us as a family. We're done."

"Can you repeat that again?" Vincent taunted.

Chloe took a deep breath and shouted, "WE ARE DONE, VINCENT GRAY!"