The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 128

Chloe grabbed the ointment and snapped, "Turn around. Lie face down."

Droplets of water still clung to his pale, firm skin, slowly trailing down the hard lines of his muscles, carrying a faint, cool dampness.

As he rolled over, the horrific, mangled burn across his back suddenly came into full view.

Chloe's hand froze mid-air.

"Preston, you need to be in a hospital."

He had looked so normal during the day that Chloe assumed his injuries were minor. She had no idea the burns on his back were this severe.

Preston replied calmly, "No need."

He paused for a second before adding, "I just want to stay home."

Before he knew it, a whole week had passed since Chloe moved out.

For those seven days, the house looked the same, yet it felt as if everything was missing.

Every time he walked through the door, his chest tightened and a suffocating wave of despair washed over him.

"Suit yourself," Chloe said flatly. "If it hurts, you brought it upon yourself."

Her tone was icy, but her hands instinctively grew gentler. She practically held her breath, carefully dabbing the ointment over the gruesome wounds.

Once she finished dressing the burns, Chloe let out a long breath. She was just about to leave when a hand suddenly gripped her wrist.

"Let..."

Before she could finish the sentence, the lights abruptly snapped off. The next second, the world spun around her as she was yanked into a firm, burning embrace.

"What are you doing?!" Chloe demanded furiously.

Preston buried his face deep into the crook of her neck, his voice low and raspy. "Don't move. Just sleep..."

In the darkness, he simply held her quietly, making no further aggressive moves.

Clinging to her last shred of patience, Chloe said, "Go to sleep on your own. Let me go."

Preston didn't answer, nor did he loosen his iron grip even a fraction.

Chloe originally planned to wait until he fell asleep to slip away, but to her own surprise, she drifted off into a deep slumber.

When she opened her eyes again, it was to the sound of Yuri's frantic barking.

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