Loved You Once But He's My Forever (Chloe) novel Chapter 18

Grandma was the only person in the family who didn't resent me due to Anna's drama.

Sadly, her health was getting worse, and she had been bedridden for six months.

She understood my struggles. A week before my wedding, when I went to see her, she softly patted my head and said, "Chloe, if you don't want to marry, then don't go through with it. If he's not the right man, marrying him will only cause you sorrow."

Back then, my mind was filled with thoughts of exposing the truth at the wedding and getting revenge. I turned down my grandma's advice.

"Don't worry, Grandma. I've got everything under control. You need to focus on getting better soon."

"Chloe, I will hold on until my birthday. I know you've been through so much since Anna returned. You'll always be my beloved child. I have a special gift for you on that day."

My grandma owned five percent of the company's shares. When Anna came back, the family suggested giving her those shares as compensation, but my grandma declined. I knew she kept them to make sure I wouldn't end up with anything in the future.

Unfortunately, despite all her careful plans, I passed away before she could hand me the shares.

Luke quickly managed the harassing calls and messages, and his dislike for me only grew.

To look after Anna, he made soup for her himself, carefully cooling it with each spoonful. He was so focused on her that there was no space for me in his thoughts.

I realized that if that mysterious man truly wanted to hurt me, this time would be enough for my body to vanish completely.

I couldn't help but wonder how they would react when they found out I was dead.

Would they feel sorry for how they treated me today?

Luke, worried that Anna might get upset again, stayed by her side that night.

He woke up from yet another nightmare in the middle of the night.

"Luke, did you have a bad dream?" Anna asked.

His sudden movement must have been too abrupt, waking the person on the hospital bed.

Luke wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his face looking drained.

"I'm ... alright," he muttered.

Anna walked over to him and asked, "What dream frightened you this much?"

"I dreamt that Chloe was dead. She was losing so much blood, and she kept pleading with me to save her."

Anna gently patted his back, saying, "Don't worry, Luke. Dreams are often the opposite of real life. That means Chloe is probably happy and healthy right now."

Luke rubbed his tired temples. "I've had this same dream for several nights in a row."

"Maybe you're just too concerned about her. If you can't stop thinking about her, why not bring her back sooner? That way, I can also stop worrying," Anna suggested.

Anna quickly remarked, "Luke, you're mistaken. I was actually thinking about why Chloe chose Cloudville, a place known for its cult activity, instead of somewhere else. I've heard that some cultists on the border use dark rituals to harm others. Lately, none of you have been at peace, and I almost died yesterday. Could it be that Chloe ... "

My mom slammed her hand on the table, "No wonder I can't sleep at night. Did that girl curse us with some evil spell?"

My dad quickly tried to calm my mom down. He was easily swayed and usually let her make all the decisions at home. It was uncommon for him to speak up for me, "In the end, we're family. Why would we want to harm her? Plus, all of that is just outdated superstition, nothing to take seriously."

A few people helped Anna out of the hospital. As they were leaving, I could still hear Anna's voice, lightly teasing, "Mom, I was just joking. Don't think too much of it."

My mom responded, "When that girl comes back, I'll have a serious talk with her."

I trailed behind Luke, noticing the concern etched on his face. He appeared unfocused throughout the day.

Things didn't get better. In fact, they worsened. Every night, he would wake up from nightmares, soaked in sweat.

My phone remained out of service. He tried to book a flight to Cloudville, but either the flights were canceled due to bad weather or all the tickets were sold out.

As my grandma's birthday approached, he eventually abandoned the idea altogether.

Just like the Sanders, he was convinced I would return for my grandma's birthday.

But unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it back.