Chapter 9 Shameless Curtis Chloe stared in disbelief as Curtis continued , " Also , you should clarify that Sonya's your friend too . Tell the press you were worried about her safety and asked me to protect her . " For a moment , she almost thought she'd misheard him . " Have you no shame , Curtis ? How could you even bring yourself to suggest that ? " Did he have any idea how much it had hurt when , in the middle of gunfire , he'd pushed her aside , and she'd turned around to see him shielding Sonya ? She'd believed that after three years of marriage , he would at least care for her even if he didn't love her . But in that moment , she'd realized that when danger struck , he would abandon her without hesitation . " Sonya worked hard to become a captain . Things like this will affect her reputation , and it'll cost her future promotions , " Curtis argued . Chloe almost felt like applauding . He cared so much about Sonya's future , yet he seemed to have forgotten that it was Sonya who'd left him when he'd been at his lowest . Chloe was the one who'd stood by him and supported him throughout all the challenges he faced starting his own company . " I refuse ," Chloe said flatly . " What ? " Curtis looked stunned , caught off guard by her blunt refusal . " I won't lie to the public . You and I both know that it wasn't a misunderstanding , and Sonya was never my friend . " Curtis ' face flushed with anger . " Are you trying to ruin her ? " " You forgot you were married and had an affair with her . You're the one who put her in this position ! " Chloe snapped . " I never had an affair or cheated on you . She and I are just friends ! " " Some friend , " Chloe said with a bitter laugh . " The kind who keeps you out all night . Just one call from her has you running straight to her . " " That's because Sonya just transferred back to Corvessia . She's a captain now , and I'm just keeping her company through events and dinners , " Curtis protested . " Oh , so keeping her company matters more than being there the day I brought my parents ' ashes home ? " Chloe's voice sharpened . " Are you bringing that up now ? All it takes is just a few words from you to help Sonya . What's so hard about that ? " he angrily retorted . Chloe stared at him coldly . How could he toss out " just a few words " so casually and act like it was Chapter 9 Shameless Curtis 2/3 nothing? Was that really all it was ? " If you care so much about Sonya , why didn't you file for divorce when she came back ? " she asked . Her words left him stunned . " What ? " " If you'd divorced me and told me you loved her back then , I wouldn't have stood in your way . Her reputation wouldn't be at risk now . " " I'm not getting a divorce , " Curtis spat , clearly annoyed . " I haven't forgotten the vows I made on our wedding day , Chloe . I told you I'd never let you down . " Those words , " I'd never let you down " , sounded like a bad joke to her . " You're not refusing to divorce out of loyalty to your vows . You just don't want to look like the man who got rich and dumped the wife who helped him grow his company . You want it both ways - your precious first love and a good reputation . " If you never meant to let me down , would you have let your friends insult and humiliate me ? Would you have broken your promise the day I brought my parents ' ashes home , just because Sonya's mom had a minor sprain ? " They're my parents , Curtis , and I couldn't even bring them into my house ! " Each accusation made the color drain from Curtis ' face . He looked as if he'd been struck by something heavy . After a long silence , he murmured , " I know you're hurt , so let's do this . This weekend , we'll visit the cemetery together , and I'll apologize to them . I should've been there when you brought them home . " Chloe knew this was his way of making amends . In just over 20 days , they would be officially divorced , and she didn't need him to visit Jenna and Walter's graves at all . But still ... they deserved that apology . " Fine , " she said . But when the weekend came , Curtis stood her up again . " Sorry , Chloe . An urgent meeting came up at the company today , so I can't make the visit to your parents ' graves . I'll make it up to you next time , " he said apologetically over the phone . " Alright . I understand , " Chloe replied quietly before ending the call . There were no fights or outbursts , and she didn't even feel disappointed anymore . Curtis had let her down too many times . If he could watch his friends mock and belittle her without saying a word , he certainly wouldn't care about her deceased parents . Staring at her phone , she tapped on her photo album . There were barely any pictures of her and Curtis . She only had a handful of them , and some were even group shots with their colleagues . But Curtis had an entire photo album filled with pictures of him and Sonya on his phone . Chapter 9 Shameless Curtis One by one , Chloe deleted the few pictures they had together . To save money , they hadn't even bothered with pre - wedding photoshoots when they'd gotten married . In a way , she was glad that it saved her the trouble now . She began packing her belongings in the villa . She didn't own much - clothes , a few pieces of jewelry , and a pair of cheap wedding rings . Those rings had barely seen the light of day because Curtis had insisted their marriage remain a secret . After staring at them for a moment , Chloe placed them back in the drawer . Once , she hadn't cared about their price and only valued Curtis ' sincerity . But now , she understood that in his eyes , she was likely just as cheap as those rings . Suddenly , her phone rang with a call from Lena . When she picked up , Lena asked brightly , " Do you have some time today ? Come with me to the horse ranch . " " The horse ranch ? " Chloe sounded puzzled . " Word is Brian's there today . I want to try getting noticed by him and maybe make a connection , but I'm too nervous to go alone , " Lena explained . Chloe's mind immediately conjured the image of Brian's chiseled face and those dark , soulless eyes . He was a dangerous man indeed . " You're not actually interested in him , are you ? " she asked . " God , no ! I don't have a death wish ! " Lena burst into a coughing fit . " I just heard the Steeles are looking to invest in drone technology . You know my company's been developing applications in that field , so I figured I could try my luck . " Chloe hesitated . In fact , she wasn't too interested in meeting Brian again . Every instinct told her it was better to stay away from him . " Please , just come with me , Chloe , " Lena pleaded , playfully whining . In the end , Chloe relented . " Fine . " But when she arrived at the horse ranch , she was taken aback to see Curtis , who was supposed to be at an urgent meeting , there with Sonya . Dressed in riding gear , the two were on horseback , riding side by side like a perfect couple . Chapter 10 Truth Unveiled Chapter 10 Truth Unveiled