My Husband Let His Pregnant Ex Move Into Our Home

Chapter 6

Christian and Riley had gone out. The servants left in the villa cast glances at Chloe filled with a mixture of fear and open disdain.

Not a single soul seemed to remember that she was covered in wounds and hadn't even been treated yet.

Desperate not to let the scars ruin her future acting career, she gritted her teeth, dragged her battered body upright, and took a taxi to the hospital alone.

When the doctor examined her back, he couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. "Are these whip marks? This is incredibly brutal."

Chloe bit down hard on her lower lip, refusing to let the tears fall. She merely replied in a flat voice, "It was an accident."

Only after her wounds were thoroughly disinfected and bandaged did she slowly shuffle out of the hospital doors.

The moment she rounded the street corner, a cacophony of excited chatter caught her attention.

Not far away, right outside a high-end department store, Christian was shrugging off his tailored coat and draping it carefully over Riley's shoulders.

Riley nestled comfortably against his chest, her expression the picture of gentle bliss.

A crowd of onlookers had formed a circle around them. Phones were raised high, snapping pictures as a chorus of swooning compliments washed over the couple.

"Mr. Ford treats Miss Cross like absolute royalty! This is literal fairy-tale romance!"

"A match made in heaven! And they're having a baby, too. Talk about a happy ending."

"Hey, where's that homewrecker Chloe Sterling? Guess she's too ashamed to show her face in public, huh?"

Every word acted as a poisoned needle, driving itself deep into Chloe's heart.

She clutched the hem of her jacket and turned, desperate to escape. But in her frantic haste, she accidentally collided with a woman behind her.

"Watch where you're going, are you blind?!" The woman instinctively shoved her back.

The force knocked Chloe's medical mask askew, revealing her pale, haggard face.

The woman’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. She pointed a trembling finger at Chloe and screeched, "It's Chloe Sterling! The cheap homewrecker!"

That shriek was the spark that ignited a powder keg.

The surrounding pedestrians instantly swarmed her. The swooning admiration for the couple immediately morphed into vicious, malicious abuse hurled at Chloe.

Chloe struggled desperately to break free, but her injuries sapped every ounce of her strength. During the scuffle, her jacket was yanked to the ground, and the fabric of her blouse tore, exposing the fresh, horrifying welts across her collarbone and shoulders.

The crowd went dead silent for a fraction of a second before erupting into an even more abrasive uproar.

"Oh my God, what the hell are those marks?"

"It looks like she got beaten up!"

"Are you kidding? I bet she's into some sick, twisted kinks! Probably tied up for some b**m or weird cosplay!"

"Who would've thought? She looks all innocent, but she's totally degenerate behind closed doors! You really can't judge a book by its cover!"

The vile obscenities crashed over her like a tidal wave. Chloe’s face turned ashen. Trembling uncontrollably, all she wanted was to vanish.

Suddenly, several street thugs boxed her in, completely blocking her exit.

One of them reached out, grabbing her wrist with a sleazy, leering smirk. "Didn't know a big star like you had such wild tastes. Come on, tell big bro, were you playing too rough to get whipped up like this?"

Another thug chimed in, whistling. "With a pretty face like that, you should come play with us!"

Chloe thrashed and clawed wildly to free herself, but her feeble resistance was nothing against the mob.

Just as a greasy hand was about to grab her face, a frigid male voice sliced through the chaos. "Putting your hands on a woman in broad daylight... don't you think that's a bit out of line?"

A man wearing dark sunglasses strode forward. He had a tall, commanding build, and an overwhelming aura of authority radiated from him.

He pulled a business card from his pocket and tossed it onto the pavement.

The lead thug picked it up. The moment he read the name, his face blanched. He signaled his crew, and they scattered like rats.

Sensing that they had messed with the wrong person, the rest of the crowd quickly dispersed as well.

Chloe slumped to the ground, utterly exhausted. The man stepped up beside her and handed her a crisp, clean suit jacket. "It's over."

Chloe looked up, but all she could make out was his sharp, chiseled jawline; the dark lenses concealed his eyes completely.

She took the jacket, her voice raspy. "Thank you."

Without daring to linger a second longer, she scrambled to her feet and hurried away.

She didn't look back, entirely missing the moment the man pulled off his sunglasses. His deep, piercing eyes watched her retreating figure, swirling with a storm of complex emotions.

When Chloe arrived back at the villa, Christian was sitting on the sofa. His tone was as unfeeling as stone. "Riles's pregnancy has been unstable lately. You will go to the Abbey and stay there for a few days, seeking spiritual guidance to protect her and the baby."

Chloe had been racking her brain for a way to escape. Hearing this, her heart gave a wild lurch, but she kept her face carefully subdued. "Alright."

She turned, went back to her room, and packed her luggage with frantic speed.

The next morning, she arrived at the entrance of the Abbey. Pulling out her phone, she snapped a picture of the ancient wooden gates and texted it to Christian.

The instant the message read "Delivered," she spun around, hailed a cab, and sped straight toward the airport.

Meanwhile, miles away, Christian received the photo. He gave it a cursory glance, tossed his phone aside, and went back to helping Riley pick out baby clothes.

It wasn't until dusk had settled that Riley casually remarked, "Christian, did Chloe ever send you photos of her reciting prayers today?"

Only then did Christian realize that Chloe hadn't sent a single message since that initial picture of the gates.

He grabbed his phone and dialed her number, but it went straight to voicemail over and over again.

A suffocating sense of dread suddenly seized him.

Christian sprinted to his car and drove like a maniac to the Abbey. Finding the Abbot, his voice bordered on frantic. "Where is my wife, Chloe Sterling?"

The Abbot blinked in mild surprise and slowly shook his head. "No female donor by the name of Chloe Sterling has visited our temple today."