Chapter 8 Not love but sympathy

Elizabeth's cold voice filled the sterile hospital room, her words like daggers aimed straight at Cloe's heart. "I haven't forgotten what your father, Jason William, did for me," she said, her gaze unrelenting. "Jason died to save my son's life. And I raised you to return that favor."

Cloe's breath caught in her throat. Return the favor? The words echoed in her mind, too shocking to fully grasp. Her body went cold as she stared at Elizabeth, trying to make sense of what she was hearing.

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed, her teeth gritting as she continued. "Do you think my son wanted to marry you because he's in love with you? Do you honestly believe that?"

Cloe's heart shattered. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks uncontrollably as Elizabeth's cruel words cut deeper than any wound she'd ever felt. Ethan... didn't love her? She shook her head slightly, as if denying it would make it untrue, but the weight of the truth pressed down on her, suffocating her.

"All Ethan has ever felt for you is sympathy," Elizabeth said, her voice biting, her lips curling into a mocking smile. "Sympathy, because your father died saving his life. That's not love, Cloe William. It never was."

Cloe felt the floor give way beneath her, her chest tightening as the reality hit her like a tidal wave. Everything-everything-she had ever believed about Ethan, about their love, their future, was a lie. The countless nights they had spent dreaming of their life together, the whispered promises, the moments of joy-they were all built on something false. Sympathy? Was that all she was to Ethan?

Her body trembled as more tears streamed down her face, her heart breaking piece by piece. She looked up at Elizabeth, her vision blurred by the tears, unable to speak, her voice stolen by the devastation swirling inside her.

Elizabeth's cold smile grew. "And now your game is over."

Cloe was paralyzed, every part of her body weighed down by the crushing realization that her entire life had been built on a lie. The room around her felt distant, like a scene playing out in a nightmare she couldn't escape. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move. All she could do was sit there, her mind shattered, her soul unraveling, as the harsh truth settled into every corner of her heart. She had never been loved.

The rain that had soaked her to the bone last night felt like nothing compared to the storm raging inside her now. Her body trembled violently, but there was no escape. No way out of this cruel, twisted reality. She had nothing left.

Sofia stood beside Elizabeth, a satisfied smirk on her face, while Elizabeth's words echoed in Cloe's mind, leaving her in the dark, cold abyss of betrayal.

Elizabeth stood over Cloe, her voice cold and calculated. "Your hospital bills are high, Cloe. I can pay them for you, if you leave this city and disappear from Ethan's life forever."

Cloe's entire body froze, her heart racing as the weight of Elizabeth's offer settled in. She looked at Elizabeth in disbelief, her hands trembling. Leave Ethan? The one person she had always believed in, the love of her life? It was unthinkable. She shook her head slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I will never give up on Ethan."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. How could Cloe refuse such a deal? Sofia, standing beside her, let out a mocking laugh. "Do you really think Ethan will accept you after seeing that report? I'm pregnant with his child!"

The words cut through Cloe like a knife, but still, she stood her ground. Her heart may have been shattered, but she wasn't ready to surrender. The thought of Ethan being with Sofia was unbearable, but even that wasn't enough to make her walk away without a fight.

Elizabeth's face remained stone cold, though her gaze dropped slightly, her posture stiffening. There was a flicker of something-maybe uncertainty, maybe something else-but she quickly buried it. She straightened up, her voice low and filled with warning. "I'm warning you one last time, Cloe. Leave this city. Leave my son. And never show your face again."

Cloe's mind whirled, the weight of the decision pressing down on her. The hospital bills, the unbearable pressure, Sofia's pregnancy-everything was crashing down around her. But despite it all, she looked Elizabeth in the eyes, her voice steady, even though her world was spinning out of control. "I won't leave, Elizabeth."

The room fell silent, thick with tension, as Cloe held her ground.