Chapter 67 So That’s What Jealousy Feels Like
Jealousy?
Lena was startled by the thought that flashed through her mind. Brian was a man who had everything. Why would someone like him ever feel jealous? She must have imagined it.
Chloe and Brian returned to the villa together.
Just as Chloe was about to head upstairs, Brian suddenly asked, “If I had actually broken Ethan’s wrist today, what would you have done?”
She paused before answering, “I won’t let you have the chance to do that.”
“I said ‘if.“”
“No ifs,” she shot back. “I’ll never let you hurt him.”
He frowned, locking his eyes on her. “You’re protecting Ethan that badly just because he used to be your
comrade?”
“Isn’t that reason enough?” she asked without hesitation.
“You’re not in the military anymore,” he pressed. “Neither of you are.”
“That doesn’t matter. He’s still my comrade. If I ever were in danger, he’s someone I could trust my life
with.”
His eyes glinted with jealousy. “What about me?”
“What?” she blinked, caught off guard.
“If you were in danger one day, would you not trust me?” he explained.
Chloe couldn’t hide her surprise when she looked at him. She hadn’t expected him to say something like that. Brian was a dangerous man. Her instinct told her to keep her distance from him.
When he saw her expression, his eyes dimmed. He knew she had never even considered it.
“That’s a shame,” he murmured. “If I had been your comrade, would you protect me the way you protect
Ethan?”
Hope flickered in his eyes.
Chloe pursed her lips. “Hypotheticals don’t matter. Right now, I’m your bodyguard. Of course I’ll protect
you.”
“And if you weren’t?”
hapter
“Then you’d have plenty of other bodyguards to protect you.”
His lashes fluttered. “True.”
He was asking her meaningless questions. He couldn’t turn back time. He would never be her comrade. Still, his chest ached with a strange sense of loss.
Later that night, Brian stood in front of the mirror after getting out of the shower. He studied his face.
He got his sharp jaw from his father and his eyes from his mother. That was why every time Emily saw him, she would push him away. He reminded her of the man she hated.
“Stay away from me. You’re his son. One day, you’ll turn into a monster like him too!” she would scream.
Monster. That was what Emily would call him. She didn’t look at him with love, but with hatred and fear.
Meanwhile, Liam would beat him again and again. He would call him useless and scold him for failing to
win his mother’s affection.
But after each beating, Liam would crumble and clutch at him with tear–filled eyes. “I’m sorry, Brian. I just love your mom too much. I can’t lose her. You have to help me keep her. You have to love me too. She’ll
definitely love you because you’re her son.”
From the moment he was born, Brian had been nothing more than a tool. Their so–called love was so ugly,
it made him sick.
But now, he wasn’t sure what feelings he had for Chloe.
“Chloe,” he whispered at his own reflection. “I think I might be jealous of Ethan.”
When he had seen her with Ethan earlier, something uncomfortable had stirred inside him. That
discomfort sharpened into pain and unease. It felt like something was gnawing at his chest, like fear of
losing something precious.
When she had stood up to him for Ethan’s sake, the pain and unease had spiked to a breaking point.
Only later had he realized what that feeling was.
So that was jealousy.
The next morning, Chloe woke up early.
It was the day her parents‘ ashes would be laid to rest at the national military cemetery.
Dressed in simple back mourning clothes, she went to the Quall Family Memorial Hall.
Inside the hall, members of the Quall family stood in solemn rows according to seniority. They were all clad in black. The air was heavy.
Chapter 67 So That’s What Jealousy Feels Like
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At the front of the row was Geoffrey, leaning on his cane. He was lost in his thoughts.
“Geoffrey, Chloe’s here,” someone informed him.
He turned, his cloudy gaze settling on her. “You’re here. Send your parents off well, Chloe. It was an honor to have them as part of our family. Now, pay your respects to your great–grandparents, your grandparents, and your parents.”
Chloe obeyed. She stepped forward and knelt in front of the plaques.
“And the rest of you,” Geoffrey said. “Pay your respects to them, too.”
With that, he bent low himself. His age made simple actions like kneeling difficult, but he forced himself through the motion anyway.
He wanted to show respect, grief, and guilt.
His elder cousins had been the ones he admired most. Seven went to war, but only one returned. He had sworn to protect their descendants. But one by one, they, too, were lost. Only Chloe remained.
He would protect her as long as he was alive.
The other members of the Quall family followed Geoffrey’s example and knelt before the plaques.
Willow knelt as well, though reluctance burned in her chest. Her resentment toward Chloe only deepened.
The only reason Chloe was being honored was that Geoffrey valued her side of the family. Her parents had died as heroes. But Geoffrey’s health was failing. He couldn’t shield for long.
Since Chloe was the only one left, she would be nothing after the funeral ended.
Once everyone had paid their respect, Chloe lifted the urn and led the group of people out of the hall.
Willow smirked inwardly. If it weren’t for the other family members, today’s funeral would have been
Chloe carrying the urn alone.
“Do we really need this many people for a funeral?” someone close to Willow’s age muttered.
“There’s no one left on her side of the family. It would look too pitiful if we didn’t attend the funeral,” Willow casually replied, her tone laced with disdain.
“Exactly,” someone else chimed in. “Without us, Chloe would be walking by herself. How sad would that look?”
Many in the Qualls knew that Willow and Chloe had clashed at the memorial hall before. With how Willow’s status had been rising thanks to Brian’s favor, they tried to stay on her good side.
Willow’s lips curled in satisfaction. “Yeah, it’d look utterly pathetic.”
But as the group reached the memorial hall’s entrance, Willow’s smile froze.
There, lined up in perfect formation on either side of the doorway, stood two full rows of uniformed
Chapter 67 So That’s What Jealousy Feels Like
soldiers.
Her eyes widened in shock. Disbelief flooded her face.
