He Cheated I Rose Making Him Regret Everything (Chloe and Arthur) novel Chapter 613

She stood there, breathing a little harder than usual. Eugene took a slow drag from his cigarette before speaking softly into the quiet between them.

"On paper, Charles' death looked perfectly natural. But that was the problem—it was too clean. I had someone pull all his old medical records, including the resuscitation reports from that night." He let the smoke drift out gently. "The official cause was respiratory failure, but it was triggered by acute stress just before he died."

Chloe went still. Her hand tightened at her side.

Charles' death had haunted her for years. She'd carried the guilt, believing her leaving had weighed on him in those final moments. But if what Eugene said was true—if someone had pushed Charles over the edge deliberately—then who?

Who could have reached him like that? Who would even want to?

"Who was it?" she asked, her voice low but edged with ice.

"I'll find out. You have my word. Charles was like my grandfather too. I'm going to dig until I get answers—for him, and for you." Eugene held her gaze, then shifted tone smoothly. "I had this dinner arranged especially for you. Why don't we sit and share a meal? Like we used to."

Chloe didn't reply. She worked to keep her composure, not wanting him to see how his words rattled her.

"I can't. I have things to take care of," she said, turning to leave.

"This whole time... what you're really after is Nance's pink diamond, isn't it?"

She froze after only two steps.

Her stomach dropped. He knew.

She didn't turn back, afraid that if she met his eyes, the carefully built wall around her would crumble right there.

How? No one knew—not even the Binghams had figured it out. Yet Eugene had just said it aloud, casual as anything.

A waiter approached with the final dish but hesitated at the tension, lingering a few steps away.

"Food's here," Eugene said, putting out his cigarette on a nearby tray. "Let's eat."

Chloe didn't reach for her fork. She just watched him, silent, as he began peeling shrimp next, preparing them just how she liked. Every movement was deliberate, every detail arranged with her in mind.

It should have felt considerate. Instead, it felt like a revelation—he'd seen right through her, past all her defenses and half-truths.

Her appetite vanished. This was more than she'd bargained for. All she'd wanted was for him to stay out of her business, to keep his distance for both their sakes. But Eugene had never been one to watch from the sidelines.

Maybe that was the problem—he'd always been too bold, too perceptive, too much. It was why she'd fallen for him in the first place, why his intensity still drew her in even now, against all reason.

Part of her wanted to let go—to forget the plans, the danger, the past, and just lose herself in him again, even if the world turned upside down because of it.

But the other part knew better. Silverash was no game. Vincent wasn't someone to provoke—once unhinged, he'd stop at nothing. She couldn't drag Eugene into that.

Maybe the only real mistake was timing. They'd met in the wrong era of their lives—when love wasn't enough to shield them from what was coming.

And yet here they were, sharing a meal like old times, with the past and the future pressing in from all sides, and a diamond hanging between them, silent as a secret.