Chapter 727 727



"Chloe, please hug me, I need to feel your warmth," Vincent said as he opened his arm, waiting for Khloe to hug him. 

Khloe hesitated for a second, but seeing how desperate Mr. Gray looked, she thought he must've missed his wife so much. 

So she helped Vincent to sit on the bed and then hugged him.

Vincent responded by hugging her tighter. 

'This is different,' he realized in his heart. 'This is not how Chloe is supposed to feel. This woman doesn't have the same feeling as Chloe, even though they have the same eyes and hair, even the same demeanor. But this feeling cannot be fooled.'

Vincent wasn't an idiot. He could fool himself into thinking that he was hugging Chloe right now. But his heart still felt empty. He craved the real person.

The real Chloe that he couldn't have right now.

The Chloe that he wasted for ten years straight. 

"I was stuck in a long nightmare, Chloe…." Vincent said. 

"Nightmare? What kind, Mr. Gray?" Khloe asked.

"… you should call me Vincent instead of Mr. Gray. We're husband and wife, remember?" Vincent said. 

Khloe went silent again before she murmured softly, "Vincent."

"Yes, Wife," Vincent responded. "I had a nightmare, and it involves you."

"Involves me?"

"Mhm, in that nightmare, I was stuck in a dark place. I can't move my body from neck down, and no matter how hard I scream, nobody will be there to respond," Vincent recalled. "I was all alone, and it's so scary."

"And then, I saw my little brother. The dog that I raised since he was young. He came to me and tormented me, saying all the stuff that got me angry. But since I couldn't move my body at all, I can only glare at him and yell in retaliation," Vincent said. "But that's not the worst part."

"The worst part is you," Vincent's heart ached when he remembered the content of his dream. "Vernon said that you're his new woman, and you actually walked in and stood right next to him. You allowed him to hug you tightly, and even let him kiss your head."

"I was so angry, I became a mad dog out of anger, but again, I was still hopeless because I couldn't move my body at all," Vincent then hugged Khloe even tighter as he remembered how Vernon embraced his wife as if they had been in love for so long. 

"I kept begging for your forgiveness. I regret everything. I regret cheating on you, I regret hurting and neglecting you, and I regret ever thinking that I can keep you by my side as long as I suppress you enough until you have a mental breakdown," Vincent confessed. "I'm a horrible man, and I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness. But I still want to. I want to start a new life with you, and I will try to be a good husband and father for you and Mackie."

Khloe was listening to him the whole time. She zipped her lips but couldn't hold it as she felt that Vincent was being ridiculous, "And you think by apologizing, it will erase ten years worth of abuse?"

Vincent's body stiffened.

He didn't know why this fake Chloe was trying to make him feel even guiltier than before. But he still wanted to talk to her, "I know that it won't erase anything. I've put you under so much pain, and I know that you probably don't want to be with me for the rest of your life. But I still want to try, Chloe. I want to be the good husband that you want."

"So please, please allow me to be with you. Please give me a second chance."

Vincent began to hug Khloe so tight that she could barely breathe right now. He was desperate and knew he must've looked pathetic right now.

Khloe waited a while until she tried to push herself away from him. But then Vincent suddenly trembled and begged, "Chloe! Please don't push me away! I—I will change! I will change for you and our daughter, I promise!"

…

Khloe sighed and, in the end, whispered, "Vincent, you're hugging me too tightly. I feel suffocated. Don't worry, I will never leave you, unless you're the one who kicked me away, Vincent."

"I will never!" Vincent vowed. "Trust me, Chloe. I will never leave you. I will never hurt or ignore you, and I will never cheat!"

Khloe could sense the desperation in Vincent's words. She didn't really understand why this man could be such an asshole.

How could he ruin a woman's life, tormenting, taunting, humiliating, and even assaulting her many times for the past ten years, only to beg for forgiveness after he got knocked from his high horse once by the same woman?

He was so overbearing before, claiming that nobody in this world could stop him.

But look at him now, desperately begging a woman who had similar hair and eyes as his wife. It was pathetic beyond belief.

'But well, no matter how pathetic he is. I still can't help falling in love with him,' Khloe thought. Her smile bloomed as she patted Vincent's back. 'I don't care what he did after this, but as long as he won't kick me away, then it will be more than enough for me.'

'After all, I just want to be by your side, Mr. Gray. I want to be Mrs. Gray, even if that means I will be Khloe Gray from now on.'

**

A week had passed since the press conference, and there was no news about Vincent after he fainted. 

Vernon worked tirelessly for the past week because of the golden opportunity of destroying Gray's family businesses.

Vernon got the insider information that he got hospitalized but ended up discharged and was now resting in his mansion since he was in a coma.

Priscilla gave him a daily update, and today's update seemed a little different. 

Usually, Priscilla would text him saying that Vincent was still bedridden. He was sleeping peacefully, as if there was nothing wrong, even though the Gray company was about to crumble soon.

But she called him today, so he knew this must be important.

—

"What's with the call?" Vernon asked. "You better bring me good news, Priscilla."

"Oh, sure is, Boss," Priscilla giggled. "Vincent woke up about an hour ago. I heard him screaming Chloe's name, and then he hugged me so tightly just because I look like Chloe with my dyed hair and colored contact."

Priscilla had that sneer, as if she was also angry at Vincent, even though she loved him enough to dress up as Chloe, even dyed her hair, wore colored contact, and changed her name. 

"He told me what kind of nightmare he went through, and he said that he was trapped in a dark place with no way to break free," Priscilla said. "And then you came with Chloe, tormenting him with the fact that you two are going to marry, and all that stuff."

"In the end, he begged for forgiveness," Priscilla laughed mockingly. "Can you imagine that? He's the one who told me to assault Chloe. Telling me that I will be on his good side as long as I can beat her up. I was so blind back then, thinking that Vincent wants to divorce her as soon as possible."

"But turns out, it's just his way to express his twisted love and obsession at Chloe," Priscilla said. "He wants her to suffer, so she wont run away from him. It's crazy, yet pathetic at the same time. I can't believe that I'm obsessed with this man."

"Hmm," Vernon already expected everything that Priscilla said. He knew that Vincent must've had an awakening about all this after he knew that Chloe was the one who set up everything to destroy him.

After all, Vincent and Vernon were blood brothers. They had the same way of thinking. 

Vernon was also destroyed when he realized he had lost his chance to be with Chloe because Chloe accepted Vincent's proposal, and they married soon after.

That realization was like doomsday for him, and Vincent must've felt the same thing right now. This was his doomsday, and he would never recover after this unless Chloe returned to him.

'And of course, I won't let that happen.'

"So, what will you do next?" Vernon asked. "After realizing how pathetic he is, will you stay with him? The choice is yours, I will support you nonetheless."

…

…

There was a long silence after that question. Vernon didn't know whether Priscilla was considering it or she was just not in the mood to answer it.

"So, what's your answer?" Vernon urged as he wanted to know. Because if Priscilla decided to walk away, he had to form a new plan for Vincent.

"I think the answer is clear, Boss," Priscilla replied. "I will be Mrs. Khloe Gray from now on. I want to be with him no matter how pathetic he is."