Lovestory-cc

It was her fifth wedding anniversary, and Evelyn found a fresh scratch on her car in the parking lot. She'd only meant to pull up the dash cam footage to see what had happened. Instead, she got a total shock. Her husband Leo's voice came through, clear as day. His voice was clear, calm, but every word cut straight into her like a knife. "I never loved Evelyn. I married her just because she was the right fit for a wife. "Chloe, you were my first love. You were the only one I ever loved, and you always will be." Every drop of blood in Evelyn's body froze solid instantly. Right after that, a female voice came through the speaker, laced with amusement. "Really? I'm just a divorced woman. She's a university professor." "Of course. Evelyn is too plain and boring. How could she ever be as captivating as you?" Leo declared sharply and unflinchingly, oozing with obvious favoritism, "She can't hold a candle to you." The footage went dead quiet for a few seconds. Then, the heated, sloppy sounds of lips and teeth tangled together filled the speakers. It sounds dirty enough to make anyone blush. When that sickening, sloppy kissing finally faded, Chloe breathed out a playful little complaint, "Ugh, stop it. You've rubbed all my lipstick off." Leo chuckled low, his voice soft and coaxing. "Can you blame me when you taste this sweet?… After all these years, you still only buy strawberry-flavored lipstick, huh?" BANG! Evelyn slammed the strawberry cake onto the car seat—the one she'd run three streets to get. Leo was always cool and reserved, so careful and controlled in everything he did. Even the presents he brought her were always strawberry-flavored. She'd always believed it was their little thing, a sweet secret that belonged only to the two of them. And right then, everything clicked into place. Leo never loved strawberry flavor at all. And he never loved her, either. He just couldn't get Chloe, his strawberry-scented first love, out of his head. Every present from him was but a vessel for him to yearn for another woman through her. How laughable. Evelyn closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. When she opened them again, there was nothing left in her gaze but cold, empty clarity. She picked up her phone and dialed the number of a used car dealer with a poker face. The used car dealer showed up in no time. He circled the practically brand-new car twice, and his face twisted up in confusion. "Ms. Bennett, this car's been kept in such great shape. That little scratch is nothing. It is just a quick touch-up paint job. Are you really sure you want to sell it?" "I'm sure." Her answer didn't hold a single shred of hesitation. "Anything that's an eyesore doesn't need to be kept around." The second she handed the keys over, she never looked back. When she got home that night, she'd expected the house to be quiet and empty. Instead, it was packed full of people. Her friends surged toward her the second she walked in, confetti and flower petals showered down all over her shoulders. Evelyn's gaze cut straight through the crowd of well-wishers, locking in the center of the living room. Leo was standing right there. Dressed in a neatly pressed grey suit, he looked just as warm-eyed behind his gold-rimmed frames, wearing the tender smile she had once been so familiar with. Right beside him stood a woman clad in a form-fitting red dress, with soft, lazy loose curls. They kept a polite, socially appropriate distance from each other, but their eyes twisted together like clinging vines, thick with a shameless, sticky intimacy that wouldn't be denied. Leo felt her stare and lifted his head to meet her gaze. Then, naturally, he laced his fingers through hers and guided her straight through the crowd toward Evelyn. "Evelyn, let me introduce you. This is Chloe, one of my former juniors from college." I Chapter 2 Before Chloe even got close enough, her cloyingly sweet strawberry perfume came drifting toward Evelyn ahead of her. The scent was like a hook, instantly stirring up those ambiguous murmurs she'd heard on the dash cam. Her stomach twisted violently. She clapped a hand over her mouth and nose with instinct, stepping back hard and fast at a full pace. That obvious disgust slammed Chloe's feet to a dead stop. Her big, innocent eyes instantly glistened with unshed tears, and she cast a pitiful, pleading look up at Leo. Leo froze too, clearly caught off guard by Evelyn's blatant reaction. He pushed down the flicker of unease in his chest, reached out to curl his hand around Chloe's, and led her straight to Evelyn. "Are you two that impatient to get close?" Evelyn's ice-cold voice dropped out of nowhere, hitting them both like a punch. Her gaze locked so tight on their intertwined hands it might as well have been a blade, sharp enough to carve flesh right off the bone. Even Leo felt a sudden, unwelcome chill prickle up his spine, and he wrenched his hand away from Chloe without thinking. "Evelyn, what the h*ll is your problem?" Evelyn smiled and shook her head. She just stared back at him, her eyes frozen solid over with ice. When he saw she wasn't responding, Leo's tone grew even harsher. "Chloe just got back into town! She hasn't even finished unpacking her new place, yet the second she heard today was our anniversary, she jumped in to help more than anyone! "She ran around nonstop to pull this whole party together. Doesn't everyone say how thoughtful and perfect she is?" Evelyn almost laughed out loud at that. Their anniversary had been overrun with guests, turned into a stage for Chloe Reed to display her care and devotion. And she was supposed to thank her husband's mistress for that? "Is that so?" Evelyn tugged the corner of her mouth into a sharp, empty smile. "So I should be thanking her, shouldn't I? Or… should I be thanking you?" "Oh, don't be so polite, Evelyn." Chloe cut in. Her voice was soft and sweet as melted sugar. "I just… I just feel bad for you, that's all. "You've been with Leo for years now, and you never even got a proper anniversary. He's really let you down so much. I even told him off about it already." "This is business between me and my husband," Evelyn said flatly, not even bothering to lift her eyelids. "Since when does an outsider get to stick their nose in our affairs?" Chloe's face drained of all color in an instant. Her eyes flushed pink in the blink of an eye, tears trembling on her lashes, hanging right on the edge of falling. "Leo…" She turned to Leo, and her voice quavered. "I said the wrong thing again, didn't I? I'm so clumsy with words. I'm not good at winning people over like Evelyn is. She's so smart and capable, I always end up making her angry…" The second, Leo saw her helpless, pitiable act, his gaze softened instantly. But when he turned back to Evelyn, all that was left was raw irritation. "Evelyn, look at what kind of occasion this is! Do you really have to make such an ugly scene in front of everyone? If you don't care about your own reputation, don't you care how you look in front of all these esteemed senior academics?" Evelyn followed the direction of his nod, and her heart dropped straight to her feet. Sitting right there in the corner of the living room were several top academic giants. Just then, an elderly professor walked over with a wine glass in hand, a warm smile on his face. "Leo, what a rare gathering this is! If Chloe hadn't put her heart into this, we would never have gotten all together like this." "Come on, Chloe, let me toast you. Thank you for all the hard work you put in." He held the glass straight out to Chloe. Chloe looked hesitant, biting her lip as she was about to decline, when Leo stepped forward and casually took the wine glass. "Professor Wilson, she doesn't drink. I'll take this one for her." Professor Wilson threw his head back and laughed. "You are playing the hero! You have to drink the whole thing for that, you know!" "He can't drink..." Evelyn blurted out the words before she could even think of stopping herself. But it was already too late. Leo had already tilted his head back. His Adam's apple bobbed as he chugged the entire glass of strong liquor down in one go. He'd had surgery for a stomach ulcer five years earlier, and Evelyn had cared for him meticulously every single day since. She'd cut out all cold, spicy, or irritating food from his diet completely. No matter how swamped she got with work, she always made time to go home and cook for him herself. And right here, right now, for Chloe, he'd downed this gut-rotting poison without even flinching. The second the glass hit the table, Leo pressed a hand hard into his upper stomach. His face drained of color. Even so, he raised his voice to address the crowd: "Everyone, tonight we're not just here to celebrate Evelyn and my wedding anniversary. I also have a piece of good news to announce." "Professor Bennett will officially be taking on her very first graduate student." He paused, and let his gaze sweep over to Chloe, then boomed out: "And that first student is—Chloe Reed!" Leo came from a distinguished academic family and had connections for days. Evelyn had asked him before—begged him, even—for an introduction. He turned her down every single time. Said it was better to make her own way than to rely on handouts. Now, all those introductions she'd once groveled for? They were all sitting at this table, brought here by a single offhand comment from Chloe. They were practically shoving Chloe's favors down her throat. Boom! Applause and congratulations erupted through the room in a deafening crash. Every pair of eyes in the room snapped straight to Evelyn and Chloe. Amid all the noise, Evelyn slowly lifted her head. Her gaze stayed calm as it slid past Leo's pain-twisted face and the triumphant glint in Chloe's eyes, then she enunciated two sharp, clear words: "I WON'T." II Chapter 3 Applause screeched to a dead halt. The entire living room dropped into an eerie, unnatural hush. All you could hear was the nervous murmur of guests gawking at each other, unsure what to do next. Leo's brow furrowed so tight it might as well have been carved from stone. He'd announced the decision in front of everyone on purpose. He'd gambled that Evelyn would never dare call him out in front of all their senior colleagues. She'd never risk destroying the professional reputation she'd spent years building up. He leaned in close, and his voice dropped to a low, menacing growl: "I have already worked everything out with the academy on your behalf. Chloe becoming your student is a done deal. "Back down now. Don't make this awkward for everyone." Evelyn held his gaze, not moving an inch. Leo's jaw tightened. Finally, he softened his tone, speaking in a rare, almost pleading voice: "Chloe's research aligns perfectly with yours. It doesn't match my specialty at all. I wouldn't be asking you for this favor otherwise. I'll owe you one for this, I swear." As Evelyn looked at him, a sharp, bitter taste flooded her mouth. "What if I said," she enunciated each word slowly and clearly, "I JUST REFUSE?" Fury blazed to life in Leo's eyes. He opened his mouth to snap back, but his face drained of color in an instant. He clapped a hand hard over his mouth, but stark, bright red blood still seeped out between his clenched fingers. The next second, he pitched forward. A mouthful of blood went spraying straight across Evelyn's crisp white shirt, before he crashed heavily to the floor. Evelyn instinctively reached out to steady him, but then she remembered what he'd done, and she stopped herself. Her hand dropped back to her side. Chloe, who was already standing right next to him, only screeched and scrambled backward, pointing at Evelyn and screaming, "Evelyn! You made Leo so mad he coughed up blood!" Evelyn watched the whole thing with cold detachment. "Talk about twisting the story. Wasn't he just taking that drink for you?" In the end, this "carefully planned" fifth anniversary banquet ended with the shrill wail of an ambulance siren screaming into the night. After emergency treatment, Leo stabilized and was moved to a regular ward. No sooner had the doctor stepped out than Chloe, who'd vanished the entire night, reappeared. Chloe's smile was a blend of smug satisfaction and ill intent. "Aren't you even a little curious how Leo got his stomach ulcer?" "Not interested." Evelyn started to leave. "Of course not!" Chloe's voice cut through the air, sharp and relentless. "Because you've never seen him love anybody. He chased me like I was the only thing in the world. He once drank so much for me he ended up with a ulcer. Has he ever taken a single drink for you?" Evelyn's chest tightened. She remembered all those gatherings—Leo not only refusing to help her out, but shoving her into the line of fire, making her drink round after round. Chloe tilted her head and gave a light laugh. "So tell me, if I asked him to divorce you tomorrow, do you think he'd say no?" "Then do it. I'd love nothing more." Evelyn's laugh was cold. "Go ahead. Talk to him right now." She pulled out the dashcam footage, her smile turning sharp. "I have proof that'll take every penny he's got. When he's got nothing left, will you still want him?" Chloe went pale. She couldn't move. Evelyn's lips curled. "I'm done with this marriage."