Chapter 800: Separation Anxiety

"I understand," Arthur Grant said in a stiff tone.

Judith Pierce sighed helplessly. Although she really didn’t understand Arthur’s thoughts, right now, he had agreed to get along peacefully with Walker. That should make things much easier.

After Chloe Reed finished her shower and stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Walker Grant already sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard. He held a phone in his hand, his long, elegant fingers tapping back and forth across the screen. With every tap, the phone’s accessibility feature read the selected content aloud to him. White gauze was still wrapped around his face, and he tilted his head slightly to listen carefully to the voiceover.

Seeing this, Chloe’s eyes suddenly stung, a bitter pang echoing in her chest.

He used to be such a wildly confident and vibrant man. Later, after inheriting the Grant Group, he had proven himself to be a master strategist with ruthless, shrewd methods. Those dark, piercing eyes of his used to look at her with a shallow warmth, occasionally tinged with laughter and love. But now, he had been reduced to this. It had been so long since she had made eye contact with him, since she had seen her own reflection in his eyes.

It felt as though an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, making it so painful she could barely breathe. Chloe closed her eyes, taking a moment to steady her emotions, before she walked over to the other side of the bed and climbed in.

He seemed to finally notice she was done. He stopped tapping his phone and turned toward her. "Where do you and Fiona Linton plan to go for the New Year?"

Chloe grabbed her phone, typed out a message, and played the audio: "To the Hot Spring Villa."

Walker hummed in acknowledgment before saying, "I’ll have Dylan Finch arrange it. The Hot Spring Villa over in Arisdale has a great environment with a natural thermal pool. You two can go there to relax."

Chloe glanced at him and didn’t refuse. She would tell Fiona about it tomorrow.

Walker set his phone aside, lay down, and turned on his side to face her. Chloe was still looking at her phone. Seeing his movement, she let out a questioning hum. "Hmm?"

Walker reached out, his hand groping blindly until it brushed against hers. He then clasped her hand tightly and murmured, "Chloe, I missed you."

Chloe’s eyelashes fluttered, but she gave no response.

Walker inched closer, closing the distance between them. "During these past few days without you by my side, I couldn’t tell day from night. It feels like I lost all concept of time. I only know that it felt impossibly long."

He had been trying hard to work, trying hard to learn how to use the screen reader on his phone, wanting to numb himself with these tasks. But he found that it was completely useless. The days without her were simply excruciating. He couldn’t help but wonder what he would do once they eventually divorced and she was gone from his life for good. He didn’t dare think too deeply about it; it only brought him panic.

So, he moved even closer until he was pressed against her. Even if he didn’t say another word, she could clearly feel the heavy anxiety radiating from him. His breath ghosted across her cheek. Chloe lowered her gaze slightly and closed her eyes.

A tentative, gentle kiss landed on her cheek, the warmth of his lips seeping into her skin. Then, it slowly trailed over to the corner of her mouth, until he finally captured her lips in a deep, lingering kiss. Underneath the covers, his burning hot body pressed close, rigid hardness meeting absolute softness as their erratic breaths intertwined.

Trapped in a world of absolute darkness, Walker caressed her face, his voice incredibly hoarse. "Chloe, can I?"

Rapid breathing echoed in his ears. His body was tense to the absolute limit as he patiently waited for her response.