Chapter 22
Robert took note of the change in Chloe’s expression, but his face remained composed, giving nothing away. He waited for her to dismiss Andrew before extending his hand to her. His smile was warm and gentle, yet it sent an unexplainable chill down her spine.
That strange feeling she had experienced since Enola left for Melcian surfaced once again. But she brushed it off and placed her hand in his without much thought.
The officiant smoothly carried on, guiding the ceremony along. Just as everything seemed to be proceeding as planned, chaos erupted as several men suddenly stormed toward the stage.
Gasps and whispers filled the hall as Chloe turned in alarm. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that the intruders were heading straight for her.
Panic surged through her as she instinctively sought Robert’s protection, only to discover that he had already stepped several feet away. He was simply watching from a distance. A dreadful sense of foreboding settled over her. Her voice wavered as she tried to reason with the men. “Who are you people? I don’t know any of you! What do you want from me?” But how could she, a spoiled young lady, outrun these burly men who looked like they had been exercising for years? She had only managed to run a few steps forward when she was suddenly pinned to the ground.
“Bitch, do you think you can outrun us?”
Countless hands with thick calluses wandered over her body, pulling down her dress while cursing at her.
“Don’t do this! I was wrong! Please forgive me!
“I have money! I’ll give you money! Please just spare me, okay?”
Chloe felt nothing but shame and annoyance as she was pinned to the ground and stripped of her clothes. She tried her best to save the last shred of her dignity, but in the end, it was all in vain.
The worst part was that someone took advantage of her in the middle of stripping her naked using their rough hands. Then, they ran off once she was fully unraveled. Once the crowd of men was gone, the guests discovered that those people didn’t even leave her a piece of clothing to cover her body.
Her snow–white body was covered with red marks, and she looked ravaged and broken. She curled up into a ball, seemingly fragile and helpless.
If the hotel security hadn’t rushed over to put a coat on her, no one present would have reacted fast enough to help her cover up. After all, even her own husband hadn’t moved an inch.
“What’s going on? Why did security take so long to get here?”
“I wonder who the bride offended to end up like this at her own wedding. Honestly, how did these people even get into such a high–end hotel?”
“With things turning out like this, can the wedding even go on?”
Finally, with a jacket draped over her, Chloe sat trembling as she was overwhelmed with humiliation and rage. She listened to the murmurs around her, every word cutting into her pride like a blade.
Her teary gaze instinctively sought out Robert, who stood silently in the corner. The questions burned in her throat, nearly spilling out.
Why? Why did he do this to her?
If she had been ovlivious at first, she certainly understood now.
The grand wedding had never been about love. Robert hadn’t done it to cherish her. It was to ruin her–to make sure she was humiliated in front of as many people as possible. Otherwise, those men never would have made it past security, and the hotel’s staff would never have waited until the chaos was over before stepping in.
But why? They had been fine. Hadn’t they?
Everything had been fine. So, why had he suddenly turned against her?
The crowd followed her gaze to the corner, finally realizing that Robert had been there the entire time The murmurs died down as an uneasy silence fell over the room. People exchanged glances, and their expressions grew more uncertain.
Then, Robert stepped forward, each stride commanding attention. Under the weight of countless eyes, he approached Chloe to ask, “Do you feel like you’ve been wronged?”
He kneit before her as he wiped away the tears at the corner of her eye. His voice was barely above a whisper, like it was meant only for her ears.
Then, he pulled out a handkerchief in front of everyone, wiped his fingers clean, and carelessly tossed it aside.
Chloe’s eyes followed the fabric as it drifted to the floor. Light as it was, it landed with the weight of a boulder, crushing her spirit completely.
She stared blankly at the handkerchief on the floor, her lips trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Why?” she whispered.
Robert’s tone remained calm, yek it carried a chilling edge that sent a shiver down her spine. “This is what you owe Ennte.
“You enjoyed stripping others of their dignity in public, didn’t you? I simply returned the favor.
“So? How does it feel?”
