The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 84

She never expected the tables to turn so spectacularly. Staring at the tidal wave of damning exposés, Jeremiah turned deathly pale. He grabbed his sister's arm.

"Jenna! What do we do now? You promised me this was foolproof! Why is this happening? I told you to let it go! We should have just apologized, paid her off, and begged for mercy! But no, you insisted on destroying her! Are you trying to get me killed?"

Jenna, already on the verge of a breakdown, yanked her arm away. "How is this my fault? Who told you to dig up a grave in the first place? You couldn't even bother to check if he was a martyr?"

Jeremiah was practically pulling his hair out. "How the hell was I supposed to know Zachary Reed was a martyr? He was a deadbeat thug who was never home! His wife screamed about him at the poker tables every single day! How did he magically become a national hero?"

Jenna was losing her mind. Suddenly, her phone rang. Seeing Preston on the caller ID, her blood ran cold. Jeremiah lunged for the phone.

"Answer it! Beg your brother-in-law to kill the story! He has the power to save me!"

"No!" Jenna scrambled backward. "Preston is too smart. If I admit to it, he'll dig into everything..."

If he started doubting her, if he started digging, every single vile thing she had done would see the light of day. She remembered the look in his eyes the last time they spoke. The sheer panic gripped her throat. He hadn't yelled. He hadn't accused her. But she felt it in her bones, he never wanted to see her again. She had been forced to fake a suicide attempt just to get him in the same room.

Growing up, when kids bullied her, when neighbors whispered and pointed, when Linda got drunk and cursed her father's name, when Percival Hayes made his sneering, condescending remarks... Did he think she didn't want to tell someone? But because of her father's classified status, she had to swallow the pain and bury the secret deep inside. Preston was the only one. She loved him so deeply. She trusted him. She relied on him. She had tried so many times to tell him the truth. But he never let her finish a single sentence. Because deep down, he didn't care about anything that mattered to her.

Preston's eyes darkened. He knew she had every right to be furious. Guilt consumed him. He knelt in front of the grave, his broad back perfectly straight, his voice thick with gravity. "Mr. Reed, I apologize. I failed to protect Chloe, and I failed to protect you. I swear on my life, from this day forward, I will never let her suffer again. If I break this vow..."

Chloe slapped a hand over his mouth. Preston stared at her, his dark eyes intense. "You still care about me..."

Chloe let out a cold laugh and pulled her hand back. "My dad's spirit is watching. Curses made here will come true. I just don't want your bad luck rubbing off on my family." She looked up at the first light of dawn breaking over the horizon. "It's morning, Preston. Leave. I'll see you at the lawyer's office tomorrow."