Our Anniversary, You Chose Her – I Chose Divorce

When Chloe and Fiona stepped out of the kitchen, they found Judith Pierce alone in the living room.

”Chloe, I want to talk to you.”

Judith had been waiting for Chloe and got straight to the point the moment she appeared.

Chloe nodded in agreement. Judith stood up and walked straight toward the greenhouse.

As Chloe followed her, Fiona tugged lightly at her arm. She turned back, smiled at her friend, and shook her head to indicate that she would be fine.

Fiona felt incredibly conflicted. Aunt Jensen had always been kind to her, but the older woman treated Chloe terribly. Her prejudice against Chloe ran far too deep, and Fiona didn’t know whose side she should take. Sighing helplessly, she turned around and retreated to her room.

The greenhouse was comfortably warm. The colorful flowers, meticulously cultivated by the florist, were in full bloom, their vibrant display enough to lift anyone’s spirits.

Judith took a seat on the sofa and looked at her coolly. ”Sit down.”

Chloe looked back at her with a calm expression, waiting for her to speak.

Judith weighed her words for a moment before she began. ”Chloe, my purpose for coming here today is to have Walker come home for the New Year. He refuses, so I need you to talk some sense into him.”

Chloe blinked softly. Pulling out her phone, she typed out a response and played the automated text-to-speech audio. ”Why ask me? You’re his mother. If he won’t even listen to you, why would he listen to me?”

The cold, electronic female voice grated on Judith’s nerves, and she immediately frowned. ”You know exactly why he won’t listen to me! Chloe, you’re all he sees right now. He’d even throw his own life away for you. I’m not asking for much. All I want is for him to come home for the New Year. If you just ask him, I know he’ll agree.”

Her tone was harsh and commanding, making it seem as though Chloe would be committing a heinous crime if she didn’t convince Walker.

Chloe wasn’t angered by the outburst. Her delicate features remained perfectly calm as her slender fingers tapped across her phone screen. ”I am not the root of this problem. Whether he wants to go back or not is entirely his choice. I will not interfere with his decisions.”

”You!”

Judith was furious. She glared at the younger woman with icy eyes. ”Chloe Reed, will you only be satisfied when you’ve completely torn the Grant family apart?”

That was an incredibly severe accusation.

A subtle ripple of emotion finally broke through Chloe’s calm facade. She stared back at Judith, her clear eyes completely devoid of warmth. Giving up on communicating altogether, she put her phone away. Without another word, Chloe stood up and walked straight out of the greenhouse.

”Stop right there!” Judith shot to her feet, trying to bark her into submission, but Chloe completely ignored her.

Judith’s expression darkened as she realized the situation had just become incredibly thorny. If Chloe went and complained to Walker, wouldn’t that just strain their mother-son relationship even further? Walker’s relationship with his father was already strained enough. If he became estranged from her as well, wouldn’t they lose their son completely?

For a moment, Judith was beside herself with anxiety. Remembering the upcoming New Year’s reunion dinner, she hurried out of the greenhouse and blocked Chloe’s path.

Lowering her voice, she pleaded, ”Please don’t complain to Walker about this. I admit I was too impulsive just now, but I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to ask for your help in convincing him to come home for the reunion dinner.”

Her haughty demeanor had completely dissolved as she looked at Chloe with a complicated expression. She had never swallowed her pride for anyone before—this was a first!

Deep down, however, her resentment toward Chloe only grew, leaving her absolutely desperate for the girl to divorce Walker as soon as possible.