Chapter 8 — The Secret Chloe Was Desperate to Hide
Chapter 8 — The Secret Chloe Was Desperate to Hide
The ballroom had gone silent again.
But this time, the silence felt different.
Earlier, everyone had been watching me as if I were the person on trial.
Now, everyone was looking at Chloe.
The woman who had spent years judging me.
The woman who had called me worthless.
The woman who had tried to destroy my reputation in front of two hundred people.
She suddenly looked like someone who had something to hide.
My father held the tablet in his hand.
“Explain this.”
Chloe stared at the screen.
She didn’t move.
She didn’t blink.
It was the first time I had ever seen her speechless.
“What is that?” Eleanor asked nervously.
My father looked at her.
“A private investigation report.”
The guests began whispering.
“A private investigator?”
“About Vivienne?”
“Why would she investigate her?”
I watched Chloe carefully.
Because deep down, I already knew.
This wasn’t about the ring.
It never was.
The ring was only a weapon.
A way to create a scene.
A way to make everyone believe I was exactly who they always assumed I was.
Poor.
Desperate.
Unworthy.
But Chloe had known something.
Something that scared her.
My father tapped the screen.
“The investigation began four months ago.”
He looked at Chloe.
“Long before this wedding.”
Dominic turned toward her.
“Four months?”
His voice was filled with confusion.
“Why were you investigating Vivienne?”
Chloe looked at him.
Then at me.
For a moment, I saw something I had never seen before.
Not anger.
Not arrogance.
Fear.
“I wanted to know who she really was.”
The excuse sounded weak.
My father raised an eyebrow.
“And?”
Chloe stayed silent.
“And what did you find?”
Nobody spoke.
Finally, she laughed.
A small, nervous laugh.
“You want the truth?”
My father nodded.
“Yes.”
Chloe looked around the room.
“You all think she’s perfect now because her father walked in.”
Her eyes moved toward me.
“But you don’t know everything.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
Dominic looked at me.
“Vivienne?”
I ignored him.
Because I wanted to hear it.
Whatever Chloe thought she had discovered.
I wanted to hear it from her mouth.
Chloe stepped forward.
“For years, everyone thought Vivienne was just a quiet woman from a simple background.”
She smiled bitterly.
“But that was a lie.”
A few guests looked confused.
My father’s expression remained unchanged.
Chloe continued.
“She wasn’t just the daughter of a wealthy businessman.”
She pointed at me.
“She was the only heir to the Whitmore family trust.”
The room erupted.
I expected shock.
But not from the people who knew.
They knew.
They just didn’t know how much.
Chloe continued.
“After Mr. Whitmore retires, she controls billions in assets.”
Dominic stared at me.
Not with anger.
With surprise.
I hated that look.
Because it reminded me of everything I never wanted.
People seeing the money before seeing me.
Chloe noticed his reaction.
“See?”
She laughed.
“She never told you everything.”
Dominic looked at me.
“Vivienne…”
I finally spoke.
“I told you enough.”
His face changed.
“You knew this would happen?”
“No.”
“Then why hide it?”
I looked at him.
“Because I wanted a husband.”
The room became quiet.
“Not someone who would treat me differently because of a last name.”
Dominic looked away.
The words hurt him.
But they were true.
My father stepped forward.
“Chloe.”
She looked at him.
“You spent months investigating my daughter.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She hesitated.
Then her expression hardened.
“Because I knew she was hiding something.”
My father nodded.
“And you decided that gave you permission to humiliate her?”
Chloe didn’t answer.
“That gave you permission to accuse her?”
Silence.
“That gave your mother permission to tear her dress?”
Eleanor looked away.
The truth was becoming impossible to escape.
But then Chloe said something that changed everything.
“You don’t understand.”
Everyone looked at her.
She took a deep breath.
“Vivienne wasn’t the only person I investigated.”
My father narrowed his eyes.
“What does that mean?”
Chloe looked toward Dominic.
And suddenly...
My husband’s expression changed.
“What are you talking about?”
Chloe smiled slightly.
“I found out something about Dominic.”
The room became tense.
Dominic stepped forward.
“Stop.”
But Chloe continued.
“You should ask your husband why he never told you about the company debt.”
My heart froze.
“What?”
Dominic’s face turned pale.
Chloe looked at me.
“Yes.”
“Your husband wasn’t protecting you from his family.”
“He was protecting himself.”
Nobody spoke.
My father looked at Dominic.
“Is this true?”
Dominic remained silent.
And that silence...
That familiar, painful silence...
Returned.
Except this time, it wasn’t protecting his family.
It was exposing him.
My father’s voice became colder.
“Dominic.”
“Answer the question.”
The entire ballroom waited.
And for the first time that night...
The truth was not about me.
May you like
It was about the man I had trusted most.
To be continued...
