Loved You Once But He's My Forever (Chloe)
Billionaire Is 72

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Chapter 72 She's Dead in Blood

Chapter 72 She's Dead in Blood

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As soon as she said so, it was as if lightning had struck the Sanders, leaving the air heavy with tension.

All eyes turned to Esmee, and my mother's voice trembled as she asked, "What did you say? Who's dead?"

Esmee was unnaturally focused as she walked straight to the family photo, pointed at my face, and declared. "She's dead! There's blood everywhere in the heavy snow!"

Grabbing Esmee by the collar of her down jacket, my mother demanded, "Where did you see this? How did she die?"

The roughness of her approach must have triggered memories of Esmee's torment on the ship and at the Scam Center. She cringed, clutching her head and crying out in panic, "Don't hit me! I'm sorry! I won't run away again!" Her parents rushed to her side, pulling her into their arms.

"Mrs. Sander, I'm so sorry. My daughter is just rambling nonsense, Esmee's mother apologized, clearly distressed.

But my mother was relentless, shaking Esmee and shouting, "Explain it! What happened to her? Tell me!"

Esmee only became more frightened, shrinking away with tears streaming down her face. "I won't run away again, I swear!"

I couldn't hide my anxiety. Esmee had said the key phrase-heavy snow, She must have witnessed something that night!

But her fragile mental state, combined with my mother's aggression, left her too distraught to continue. She just cowered, crying uncontrollably.

"Mom, calm down, Anna interjected, pulling her away. The girl's been traumatized. She's in shock from what happened at Chedor

Esmee's mother looked pale and flustered. What had started as a visit to express gratitude to the Sanders had turned into chaos.

She tried to smooth things over, saying, "I'm so sorry. My daughter has been unwell. She didn't mean to curse Ms. Sander. Please don't take her words seriously

She quickly ushered Esmee outside, but as they walked into the snow, Esmee kept muttering, "Blood much blood... she's dead!"

Arnold shut the door behind them, trying to block out the unsettling scene.

My mother grabbed my father's sleeve and whispered. Could it be that Chloe...

My father frowned deeply, lighting a cigarette in response to the tension.

I glanced at Luke. He hadn't said a word since Esmee's outburst, his brows furrowed as if trying to decipher her meaning.

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Chapter 72 She's Dead in Blood

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But I knew Luke too well-he was indecisive. It was only a matter of time before Anna broke the silence.

Aed, she spoke up, her tone cheerful despite the weight of the moment. "Dad, Mom, you're not seriously going to believe the ramblings of someone mentally unstable, are you? If Chloe were dead, then how do

you explain these photos? Are you suggesting she was furling around before the wedding?"

Luke denied, "It's impossible. Chloe was at the orphanage every day leading up to the wedding. The director can confirm that. Besides, just before that, she had a misc-

He abruptly shut up, but it was too late. My mother turned to him sharply. "Had a what?" she pressed.

"It's nothing." Anna chimed in. "When I deleted the photos, I got the originals from the administrator. They were taken five days after Chloe disappeared. Esmee had already been kidnapped by then. There's no way she could know anything about Chloe's whereabouts." Her statement seemed to relieve Luke, who visibly relaxed.

It was clear he was clinging to the idea that I might be alive, not out of concern for me, but because he didn't want to feel guilty about his affair with Anna.

I had long seen through Luke's selfishness. His priority was always himself, never anyone else.

My mother sighed. "That girl has caused us nothing but trouble. Maybe it'd be better if she did die out there."

I knew her words were spoken in frustration, but I was really dead.

If she doesn't care about this family, then we shouldn't waste time caring about her," she added coldly, "I'll just act as if I never had a daughter.

See? As soon as Anna spoke, it was as if the entire family fell under her spell.

Of course, that wasn't surprising. Anna was their cherished daughter, while I was just the one they saw as unstable. Who would ever trust the words of someone they considered insane?

My mother, hesitating slightly, broke the silence. Luke if Chloe returns and those photos turn out to be real, what will you do? You've been together for so many years."

It was clear that the Sanders were still clinging to the idea of saving this marriage.

I expected Luke to firmly declare that he would divorce me. Instead, his face darkened, and he said, "We'll decide what to do if she comes back."

With that, he found an excuse to leave the room.

The atmosphere in the house grew heavy with unease. My mother didn't touch her food that evening. She muttered under her breath, calling me disgraceful and sking how I could sink into such low behavior,

My father seemed more preoccupied with the family's reputation. He sat quietly, cigarette in hand, and finally said, "If this turns out to be true, the Boltons won't want Chloe anymore."

"Not just the Boltons," my mother added sharply. "Even a regular family wouldn't tolerate someone like her. If this gets out, our name will be ruined. And what bout Anna? She hasn't even married yet!" 17:59 Sat, Dec

Chapter 72 She's Dead in Blood

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Anna shook her head gently. "It's okay, Mom. If it comes to that, I'll just stay home forever. I don't have to get married."

"Don't say such nonsense!"

"There's always a solution," my father interrupted, his voice stern and deliberate.

All eyes turned to him. "What are you thinking, Dad?" my brother asked.

"When there's a dangerous tumor, what's the best way to handle it?" my father asked, his tone unnervingly

calm.

"Remove it, someone answered.

"Exactly. Remove it completely, or it'll spread and harm everything around it."

My brother studied my father's expression and hesitated. "So, you're saying..."

"We remove Chloe, my father stated bluntly. "She'll be expelled from the family and erased from the family records. From this point forward, she's no longer a Sander. Whatever she does will have no connection to us."

"But

My father continued firmly, "If the Boltons expose this, Mr. Bolton isn't the.type to take it lightly. He'll retaliate against us. Do you think we can afford to deal with that? We need to distance ourselves from Chloe immediately."

My mother frowned, "Are we prepared to label Chloe as immoral just based on some photos? Isn't that jumping to conclusions?"

My father stood his ground. "The photos speak for themselves, don't they? Anna, bring me the originals, I'll have them examined. Once it's verified, Chloe is out of this family."

I didn't stick around to hear what else my father had to say. Instead, I went to replace Luke.

I had always known I could never measure up to Anna in my family's eyes. But part of me had hoped that their actions-my father traveling to Chedor to search for me, my mother staying awake with worry despite her harsh words-meant they cared. Now, I understood how conditional their love truly was

I let out a bitter laugh. If that was what they called family affection, I didn't-need it.

After all, I was already gone-just a ghost lingering in the shadows. What could I possibly do now?

As I accepted it, I felt myself becoming fainter, my presence gradually slipping away.

The only person I couldn't bear to leave behind was Grandma. She was the one person in this world I truly cared about, I wanted to stay with her until her final moments before moving on.

But fate had a different plan.

The next morning, as Luke turned a corner on his way to work, a sudden, deafening crash shattered the

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Chapter 72 She's Dead in Blood

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air.

2nd, and what I

I followed the saw made my blood run cold. A girl in a pale yellow jacket had been hit by a car, her body thrown several feet into the air.

She landed with a sickening thud, her face turning toward me as blood began to seep from her nose and mouth.

My heart stopped when I recognized her.

"Esmee!" I screamed, my voice trembling with shock.