When She Ended It With Divorce (Chiara and Titus) novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Paul had been the first to notice it, though he hesitated, unsure how to bring it up. By the time he gathered his thoughts, the opportunity to mention it seemed to have slipped away.

Titus fixed his gaze on the car for a long, lingering moment before finally turning his eyes elsewhere. When he did, he found Chiara already watching him — calm, composed, and unwavering.

Their eyes locked, and Titus opened his mouth to speak, but Chiara interrupted him gently. “You should let go of my hand.”

His brow knitted together in confusion. “Why would I do that?”

A subtle, knowing smile curved her lips. “Because someone might see us and get upset.”

She glanced briefly toward the entrance of the police station, where Elaine stood on the steps, her eyes sharp and focused on the two of them.

The instant Chiara caught Elaine’s gaze lingering on their linked hands, she pulled her hand away from Titus’s grip with deliberate firmness.

Titus’s expression darkened. “What are—”

“Titus,” Elaine’s voice cut through the tension.

Without so much as a glance, Chiara strode past Elaine as if she were invisible — an unworthy presence not even deserving of acknowledgment.

Elaine felt the sting of the slight, her fists tightening at her sides, but she forced herself to maintain calm as she turned to Titus.

Only after Chiara had disappeared from sight did Titus slip his rejected hand into his pocket and approach Elaine.

“Titus, why were you two—” Elaine began, but he interrupted sharply, “Why are you here?”

Elaine froze, sensing the displeasure in his tone. It hit her then — he must suspect she had sent those fans to throw paint at Chiara. The unfairness of the accusation stung deeply.

“Titus, you can’t seriously believe I’d tell my fans to do something like that,” she said, her voice tight with anxiety and hurt.

He met her worried gaze briefly. “I know it wasn’t you,” he said evenly.

Elaine exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, her expression softening. “I just found out what happened. I tried calling you, but when you didn’t answer, I assumed you were busy…”

Now the truth dawned on her — he’d been busy escorting Chiara to the police station instead.

“You should go home,” Titus said, his tone final and unwavering. “This doesn’t concern you.”

Chiara observed the group of young girls gathered nearby without revealing any emotion.

Her stance was firm and unyielding. “I’m not agreeing to any settlement. Handle this through the proper channels, and I will cooperate fully.”

The female officer closed her notepad decisively. “Alright, we’ll take it from here.”

The girls immediately began to sob, turning to Elaine in panic. “Elaine, please help us! We can’t afford a fine. Please, you have to do something…”

Elaine glanced at the frightened group, then looked over at Chiara, who stood there, completely unbothered and resolute.

“Ms. Lynch, I’ll cover the cost of the damages,” Elaine offered, her voice steady but pleading. “They’re just college kids. Please, be the bigger person and let this go.”

As she spoke, she shot the girls a sharp look. “Well? Aren’t you going to apologize?”

Scared yet sulky, the girls muttered, “Sorry, Ms. Lynch. We shouldn’t have thrown the paint. It was wrong. Please forgive us.”

Chiara remained silent, but Heather stepped forward, her voice cold and firm. “An apology is the least you owe us. Being students doesn’t give you the right to break the law.”

Elaine glanced between the sisters, then turned to Titus with a desperate look.

“Titus, they’re just young girls who’ve learned their lesson. Can you ask them to let it go this once? If this goes on their record, how will they face their families? They’ll be humiliated at school,” she pleaded.

Heather’s face grew even darker. “Why should we just let them get away with this?” she challenged coldly.

“If Ms. Jensen can protect her cousin, then I will absolutely protect my sister,” she declared with unwavering resolve. “Mr. Goodman, even if Chiara drops this, I won’t.”

Titus’s features hardened as he looked between the two sisters. “Then what is it that you want?” he asked.

Heather opened her mouth to speak again, but Chiara gently stopped her with a touch.

Her eyes shifted from Titus to Elaine, then finally settled on Theresa.

A faint, almost mocking smile curved her lips. “Actually, that’s my question,” she said. “What exactly are you all trying to achieve?”

With every cold word from Chiara, Titus’s displeasure deepened.

“You’re only protecting her because of Ms. Jensen, but I’m not so forgiving. Your forgiveness doesn’t change how I feel, and you have no right to tell me what to do.” As she finished, she tried to pull her arm free from his grip.

But Titus held firm. “Just this once. I’ll make sure they never try anything like this again.”

“We won’t do this again. We promise,” the girls cried out together, their voices trembling.

Though concern flickered in Elaine’s eyes, a faint smile played on her lips. “Ms. Lynch, you weren’t actually hurt. There’s no need to be so harsh with these reckless girls.”

Chiara let out a sharp, humorless laugh. She took a steadying breath and met Titus’s gaze again. “What if I refuse to let this go?”

He saw the anger simmering in her eyes and paused before answering. “Do what you want with the others… but Theresa stays out of this.”

“What?” one of the girls gasped.

“Theresa, you can’t leave us like this! This was your idea. We were just following your lead. Don’t abandon us now,” another girl cried out, desperation thick in her voice.