Chapter 3

"I bought this house! I paid every cent of the mortgage! This is my home, and both of you can get the fuck out!"

In a blind fury, I grabbed them both and dragged them toward the exit.

Chloe wrenched her arm out of my grip, her face darkening.

"Did I beg you to buy this house?"

"Did I force you to pay the mortgage? You did all of that willingly!"

I was rendered speechless, choked by the suffocating burn in my chest.

I glared at her, praying to see even a shred of conscience left in her eyes.

"This house belongs to me, so get out!"

Instead, her icy glare pierced right through my heart as she shoved me toward the door.

"Then give me back every penny I spent on this house!"

The words burst out of me in sheer desperation.

Seeing Chloe freeze in shock, my heart hardened. If our marriage was over, why show her any mercy?

"Lucas, you intentionally pushed Chloe into my arms just so you'd have an excuse to take the house back, didn't you?"

Tyler shielded Chloe behind him, suddenly twisting the truth.

"You finally showed your true colors."

"Lucas, you only treated Chloe well because you viewed her as your personal maid! When you want her, you keep her; when you don't, you discard her. You're such a fake!"

Instinctively, I looked at Chloe, wanting to clear the air.

But Tyler tugged at her arm. "Chloe, divorce him already! Why waste another second on a man like this?"

"Don't listen to his bullshit!"

I shouted, desperate to reason with her.

The next second, Chloe slapped me across the face with all her might.

My ears rang sharply, and my head buzzed in shock.

I stood frozen, stunned to my core.

In all the years we had been together, this was the first time she had ever hit me—and it was over another man's venomous lies.

"If he wasn't right, why are you so worked up?"

Chloe's harsh interrogation left me suffocating.

He was slandering me—was I not even allowed to defend myself?

Were you completely blind to how devoted I've been to you all these years?

"Stop making excuses, you hypocrite!"

Tyler rolled his eyes at me.

Rage flared in my vision. Just as I lunged forward to beat the hell out of him,

Chloe whipped out a freshly drafted separation agreement and slapped it onto my face.

"Sign it!"