He Gave Her Strawberries, Gave Me Hives (Ford and Sylvia) novel Chapter 43

The party was packed with people.

Since they all ran in the same social circle, more than a few of them knew about the divorce.

Now, seeing the two of them arrive together inevitably drew a lot of curious and probing stares.

Chloe had no desire to be the topic of tonight’s gossip, so she got up and found a quiet corner to herself.

After she sat down, she realized Ryan was still standing where she’d left him, frowning as he stared at something in the distance.

Following his line of sight, Chloe immediately spotted Jessica.

She was holding a glass of wine, dressed in a stunning, tight red mini–dress, standing in the middle of a group of unfamiliar men with a playful smile on her lips.

Ryan, on the other hand, had a deep frown etched on his face, his jaw was clenched, and a dark energy was radiating off of him.

Chloe knew that look all too well.

Eight years ago, when she and Ryan had just started dating, they went to a club party, and some guy had asked for her number. Ryan had gotten that exact same look on his face, and he’d almost started a fistfight with the guy right then and there.

Snapping back to the present, she saw Ryan walking towards her holding a plate with a slice of mango crepe cake.

“I got you some dessert. Have a few bites so you’re not on an empty stomach.”

Chloe glanced up at him.

Her tone was flat and indifferent. “No, thanks. I’m allergic to mango.”

Ryan froze for a second, a flustered look crossing his face as he opened his mouth to explain himself.

But just then, a sharp scream from across the room cut through the noise. It was Jessica.

A drunk man had her by the hair, his face twisted into an ugly snarl.

“You little bitch! I was doing you a favor by offering you a drink, and you have the nerve to throw it in my face? You ungrateful piece of trash!”

He raised his arm to slap her, but was sent flying to the ground by a vicious kick.

It seemed that wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy Ryan’s rage.

He pinned the man to the floor and started punching him like a madman, one fist after another, again and again.

“Who the hell gave you the nerve to touch her!”

Watching the man, now bleeding from his head, curl up into a ball and wail in agony.

Chloe, worried things were about to get seriously out of hand, went to break it up. But the moment she touched Ryan’s arm, he violently shook

her off.

The small of her back slammed hard into the corner of a table, the pain was so intense her face went pale, and she slid weakly to the floor.

He Gave Her Strawberries, Gave Me Hives. I Gave Them Both A One–Way Ticket To BANKRUPTCY

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Just then, Jessica started to cry, her voice trembling.

“Ryan, I’m scared.”

Ryan’s movements paused. He walked over, draped his jacket over her shoulders, then scooped her up into his arms and strode away.

The onlookers who had been enjoying the spectacle immediately started gossiping amongst themselves.

“What the hell was that? I thought Ryan couldn’t stand that obsessive simp. Why did he get so pissed off seeing her get picked on?”

“Looks like the simp finally got her man. I really thought Ryan was one of the good ones, but I guess not, since they got divorced.”

“His poor wife is so unlucky. To have a perfectly good husband stolen away by a homewrecker like that.”

A few of Ryan’s buddies rushed over to help Chloe up from the floor.

They shooed away the gawking crowd while trying to make excuses for their friend.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Chloe. Ryan just can’t stand to see a guy bully a woman. He would have stepped in like that for anyone.”

“Yeah, seriously. We all know you’re the only one Ryan really loves.”

“And don’t pay any attention to what those people are saying. They don’t know the whole story. They don’t know he only divorced you to protect you!”

Was Ryan really trying to protect her?

A sharp pain throbbed in her lower back. Chloe let out a dry, self–deprecating laugh.

“Ryan and I are really, truly divorced. You guys shouldn’t call me that anymore.”

With that, ignoring their shocked expressions, she grabbed her bag, walked out of the party, and hailed a cab to go home.

In the taxi, Chloe received a text from her boss.

[Chloe, the departure date has been moved up. The company has rebooked your flight for the day after tomorrow. Please get your things ready over the next couple of days.]

Seeing the message, she let out a long, slow sigh of relief.

The heavy frustration that had been building up inside her for days seemed to finally dissipate, just a little.

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