I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 39

On the other end of the line, Chloe let out a defeated sigh.

"I knew I shouldn't have picked up."

Lyra smiled softly. "Too late for regrets now."

*Beep.*

She hung up.

Seconds later, a new message popped up on her screen.

It was a location pin from Chloe.

A private dining room at The Grand Imperial.

How could a VIP room possibly be that chaotic?

Were they negotiating their divorce with two full legal teams screaming at each other?

With her mind racing, Lyra didn't waste another second and jumped straight into a cab headed for The Grand Imperial.

It was the height of rush hour, and the brutal traffic meant the sun had completely set by the time she arrived.

A swarm of reporters was camped out near the main entrance, making Lyra wonder if they were there for Chloe's high-profile split.

Not wanting to risk it, Lyra slipped in through a side door.

She found the private room.

Before she even touched the handle, furious shouting bled through the heavy mahogany door.

"Julian Jude, I've endured years of abuse from your family, and now you think you can dictate whether I take my own dog? I bought Snowy! You have absolutely no right to take him from me!"

It was unmistakably Chloe's voice, vibrating with rage.

A man's voice immediately fired back.

"I am Snowy's father, and I have every right to keep him! Who cares if you picked him out? You swiped my credit card to pay for him! Chloe, I'll compromise on everything else, but I am absolutely not letting you walk away with Snowy."

The man's tone was slightly more controlled than Chloe's frantic screaming.

But to Lyra, they both sounded equally unhinged.

Chloe scoffed bitterly. "There's nothing left to talk about. Lyra, you know how much Snowy means to me. I refuse to abandon him in that cold, miserable house."

Her words carried a razor-sharp double meaning, and both Julian and Lyra caught it instantly.

"What is that supposed to mean? As long as I'm there, Snowy would never be mistreated. You—"

Chloe savagely cut him off before he could finish.

"You were there the whole time, Julian! So why was I mistreated every single day for years?!"

That single sentence violently sucked all the air out of the room.

Lyra knew the intimately painful details of their marriage.

The core issue hadn't even been between the two of them.

But as far as Lyra was concerned, a husband who stood by and did nothing while his wife was tormented was just as guilty.

"I'm entirely done talking to you. We end this right now. You give me Snowy, and you can keep the rest. Keep the house, keep the cars, keep the money. I don't care anymore."

It was Chloe's final, devastating concession.