The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 7

"Who the hell are you? Are you psycho?"

Startled by the violent crash, Jenna spun toward the door and immediately started screaming.

She completely failed to notice that the two men beside her, who had been laughing a second ago, were now staring at the doorway in absolute, pale-faced horror.

Mason and Wyatt scrambled to their feet, their chairs scraping harshly against the hardwood floor.

"Chloe... Hey, you didn't say you were coming..."

Chloe's expression was glacial. "If I had called ahead, how would I have caught you spewing such disgusting garbage behind my back?"

"Chloe."

A low, displeased voice sounded from the shadows.

Preston was leaning back on the plush sofa in the darkest corner of the room. He had ditched his tie, and the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt were undone, exposing a sliver of his collarbone.

He looked like he'd been drinking. The corners of his eyes were faintly red, and his usually immaculate hair was slightly disheveled. He gave off a dangerous, lethargic vibe that was entirely different from his usual polished persona.

The moment their eyes met, Chloe went completely rigid. All the burning fury in her veins turned into ice-water.

She never, in a million years, expected Preston to be sitting right there.

She had always sensed the subtle hostility from his inner circle.

At their wedding, one of these exact guys had made an off-color joke. Preston's face had immediately darkened, and he completely cut them off for three whole years.

So why... why was he just sitting there now, watching them relentlessly insult and degrade her, without showing a single trace of anger?

Jenna sauntered over, looking Chloe up and down with exaggerated shock.

"Mrs. Hayes? Preston, is this your wife?"

Preston gave a low hum of agreement and stood up. His long legs closed the distance between them in seconds. He reached out to pull Chloe against his side.

"How did you know I was here?"

Chloe dodged his hand. Swallowing the sickening lump in her throat, she replied coldly.

"A butcher shop called. Said they needed some fresh, cheap tongues. Figured I'd come collect."

Mason and Wyatt blanched. "Look, Chloe... we're sorry. We didn't know you were standing there. We were just joking around. We didn't mean anything by it."

Chloe locked eyes with them. "A joke? Tell me, what's the punchline?"

A suffocating, toxic tension flooded the room.

Preston frowned. The faint smell of alcohol lingered around him, making his expression look dark and exhausted.

"They didn't mean any harm. They're my friends. Stop making a scene. If you don't like them, you don't ever have to see them again."

Jenna immediately jumped back in. "Exactly! We have a right to free speech! If you're too sensitive to take a joke, then don't skulk outside doors listening in! You basically asked for it!"

The more Jenna talked, the more arrogant she became. She clearly viewed Chloe as completely beneath her.

Chloe had absolutely nothing to say to someone with such a twisted sense of reality. She refused to waste her breath.

She looked solely at Preston. She fought desperately to keep her voice from shaking. "Is that what you think too?"

Preston looked confused. "What?"

Her broken phone buzzed violently in her hand again. The endless string of calls was a harsh reminder of her reality.

Looking at his handsome face, she felt like she was staring at a total stranger. It was as if she had never truly known him at all.

"Preston, let's get a divorce."

Preston's dark eyes remained entirely blank. "Jenna is just blunt. She doesn't have a filter. Don't take everything so personally."

Chloe let out a breathless, tear-choked laugh. Refusing to look at him for another second, she spun around and walked out.