I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 45

"Okay. Don't worry, I know what I have to do."

Lyra turned her head to stare out the window.

The city was swallowed by the dark night, a pale moon hanging high above, casting a hazy, almost intoxicating glow over the streets.

"Chloe, I need a drink."

She desperately wanted to get drunk and sleep until the sun came up.

"You got it, bestie. I'm right here with you."

Chloe steered the car toward their usual downtown bar, and the two women walked in together.

It was the same neon-lit lounge as last time, and they snagged the exact same booth.

But tonight, it was Lyra who was knocking back shots like water.

Watching her spiral, Chloe's eyes filled with concern.

"Lyra, slow down. You're going to make yourself sick."

Lyra offered a fragile smile, her stunning eyes brimming with endless sorrow.

"Chloe, I've messed up so much."

It was true what they said—one wrong step could derail a whole life.

She was living proof of it.

She downed another shot of liquor. The burn seared her throat, yet somehow only made her mind sharper.

"Chloe, I want to go home so badly, but I'm terrified."

She was terrified of seeing the disappointment in her family's eyes, terrified of facing their reprimands and blame.

Chloe gently rubbed her back, sighing in frustration. "You really didn't listen to a word I said in the car, did you?"

She paused before adding.

"If your parents were still holding a grudge, they wouldn't have gone out of their way to send you this bank card. You—"

Her sentence was cut short by the blaring ringtone of her cell phone.

Chloe was briefly stunned by his audacity before her temper flared. "I have never done a single thing to betray this marriage. Just because your own mind is in the gutter doesn't mean everyone else is cheating."

"And for the record, I'm coming to pick up Snowy tomorrow. Don't worry, there is zero chance I'd ever leave him in your care for long!"

Having practically yelled the last sentence, Chloe viciously hung up the phone.

She stood in the hallway for a few moments, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She had just turned to head back to the booth when her phone started ringing again.

Groaning in annoyance, she yanked it out, only to freeze when she read the caller ID.

It was Beatrice Jude.

In all the years she had been married to Julian, the number of times she had spoken on the phone with his mother could be counted on one hand.

The first two years of the marriage had been tolerable, mostly because Chloe had swallowed her pride and yielded at every turn for Julian's sake.

But over the last two years, she had finally woken up. No matter how much she compromised, Beatrice would never like her, so she had simply stopped trying to please the woman.

The last two times they had spoken, the conversation had devolved into a screaming match.

God only knew what she wanted this time.