The Villainess Read The Comments Chapter 10

The Villainess Read The Comments Chapter 10

Arthur’s condition had improved – significantly. The family doctor confirmed it after a follow–up appointment, and the 

room erupted into a chaotic mix of reactions. 

The older Sterlings were thrilled, obviously. But Arthur’s face was… strange. Something I couldn’t read. And me? I felt the floor drop out from under me. The comments had been right. 

They’d been right all along. 

Part of me had been holding out, hoping none of it was true. 

But now… Harper glanced between Arthur and me and gave a quiet scoff. 

That stung. She was my friend now – and she was the one who’d somehow helped Arthur get better. 

They were clearly meant for each other, and I had no business 

standing in their way. I still had to tell Mrs. Sterling. If I handled it carefully, she wouldn’t be angry – and she definitely wouldn’t ruin my family over it. Right? 

Once the room cleared out, I lingered. Mrs. Sterling was at the table, going over reports for tomorrow’s meeting. 

I crept over and sat down beside her. She knew right away. “What’s wrong? Did Arthur do something?” 

Mrs. Sterling closed her laptop and turned to face me. Her eyes were so gentle they nearly broke me. All the anxiety I’d been carrying for days rushed straight to the surface, and I felt the tears building before I could stop them. 

I used to run to her over every little thing – didn’t matter how petty it was. She always took my side, and Arthur always 

got an earful. 

And now I was about to lose her. I didn’t even know if she’d 

still want to see me after everything was over. 

She must’ve seen my eyes turning red, because she grabbed a box of tissues immediately. 

“Hey, hey – what’s with the tears? If Arthur’s been giving you a hard time, just tell me. I was actually wondering why you hadn’t come venting to me about him lately–have you been bottling it up this whole time?” 

“Spill. Whatever he did, I’ll handle him.” 

I kept wiping, but the tears came faster. Every ounce of fear and hurt I’d been swallowing for weeks was pouring out at 

once. 

Mrs. Sterling started to get up, and I couldn’t let her spiral with me. 

“Mom, I want to call off the engagement.” 

The words hung in the air. Mrs. Sterling went still for a moment, then sighed – like she’d been expecting this. 

“Is it because of Harper?” 

I shook my head. “No – it’s not about her. Even if she’d never shown up, I think I’d still be doing this.” 

Because Arthur was the sun – beautiful from a distance, 

impossible to hold. Getting too close would only burn me alive. 

And we were like day and night – sharing the same sky, but 

never meant to meet. 

He didn’t want me, and I wanted to stop pretending he did. Mrs. Sterling didn’t ask anything else. She just reached over and brushed my hair back from my forehead. 

“I promised your parents a long time ago if you weren’t happy, we’d let you go. So go. And Chloe? Marriage or not, you’ve always been my daughter.” 

Mrs. Sterling was genuinely the best person I knew. 

I headed upstairs, still wiping my eyes, and turned the corner – straight into Arthur and Harper. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife. 

A gorgeous man and a beautiful woman, standing close in a dim hallway. They looked perfect together. My eyes burned all over again. Oh, come on! 

It’d been, what, a week – could you two seriously not keep your hands off each other?!