Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover

Betrayed by Grayson, Chloe had every right to feel angry, hurt, and lost when the truth finally came out. She did her heart ached. But there was something else too, buried deep, something she could barely put into words.

It was like the invisible chains around her soul had finally fallen away.

"Mr. Connor," she said quietly, "will you tell me about my past?"

The sky was just starting to lighten, the first hints of dawn stretching across the city.

Connor spoke for four full hours.

He told her everything: how they'd first met, their three years together in Riverbrook, the wedding in Eldridge City. He talked about her real family, the twisted story of two girls switched at birth, and how each of their fates had unfolded. He described her days as a TV host at Riverbrook Station, her leap to creative director at QUEEN, the betrayals by Lucas and Linda, and how Linda had taken a bullet for her at the wedding and never gotten up again.

By the time the sun crept over the horizon, Chloe's entire life had been laid out in front of her-clear and vivid, like the world after a storm.

She sat there, completely stunned.

Lucas had always made her past sound so dull, so pointless. To him, her life was nothing but a string of boring days, remarkable only because she was pretty enough to catch a bully's eye.

But in Connor's story, her life was wild and unpredictable. She'd been knocked down, nearly broken, but every single time, she'd gotten back up. She wasn't just a survivor-she was a fighter, a heroine. Fate had never defeated her.

Chloe felt tears pricking at her eyes. It was like she was listening to someone else's story, a legend she couldn't possibly live up to. But somewhere deep inside, something resonated. It felt true.

Her heart wouldn't settle.

"Is that really my past?" she whispered.

Connor nodded, gentle and sure. "That's your story, Chloe. All of it."

She went quiet for a long time, thinking. Then she looked up at him, her eyes serious, full of things she couldn't quite say. "I'm sorry, she said softly. "I forgot you."

Connor looked taken aback, like he didn't know what to do with those words. Fora second, he just stared at her, and it was like time rewound. This was the Chloe he

remembered her eyes, her voice, every tiny gesture.

When she apologized, Connor's heart twisted painfully, but there was hope in it too. For the first time, it felt like Chloe was really seeing him again. Like maybe, just maybe, he could be part of her life.

He turned away, eyes shining, then turned right back.

"You don't have to apologize," Connor said quietly. "If anyone's to blame, it's me. I'm the one who lost you."

Chloe felt something stir inside her as she met his gaze.noveldrama

Connor took a shaky breath. "Can I-can I hug you?"

Chloe blinked, surprised. She hadn't expected that. But she didn't really want to say no, either. Something warm and unfamiliar fluttered in her chest.

Her cheeks flushed pink. "We're kind of... far apart."

They weren't even on the same balcony-just close enough to talk, but with a gap

between them. It was silly, but it felt like a world away.

Then, without another word, Connor swung himself over the railing. In one easy movement, he was standing right next to her.

His eyes were deep and glistening, the hint of tears still there. He looked every bit the elegant, put-together man she remembered.

But right then, he seemed so much younger-hopeful, almost shy. Like a boy asking for a favor he wasn't sure he deserved.

"Is it okay if I hug you?" he asked quietly, looking right at her.