Claimed by the Man I Shouldn't Love

Chloe took a small step back, clearly startled, biting down hard on her bottom lip. Her big eyes welled up with tears, shimmering with silent frustration and helplessness.

Alan was sitting on her bed. He reached out with one arm and pulled her close, his palm gently brushing over the cheek she'd struck herself. His deep eyes carried a stormy chill, unreadable and intense.

"Chloe, you're the one I want to marry. Whatever happens to Jessica, it doesn't matter to us," he said firmly. No matter what Chloe had done, she was the only one he recognized as his bride.

She stared at him in shock, barely believing her ears. "Alan... you're not mad at me? But she... she almost died."

"Why would I blame you?" he asked, brows slightly furrowed. "You must've had your reasons. If anything happens to her, it's on her. Just remember - I like my girl to keep her hands clean. If you want something done, tell me. I'll take care of it."

His gaze lingered on her, calm and focused.

Chloe's heart pounded. She'd never imagined that Alan loved her this much - more than she ever guessed.

She threw her arms around him, guilt crowding her chest. How could she have almost let herself get messy for this?

"Alan, I promise, I won't lose it again. I'll stay clean and wait to become your wife," she said. But her confident tone wavered a bit at the end.

Alan patted her back gently. "Go check if the clothes I ordered are here. Bring them in."

"Okay, I'll go," she replied, voice full of warmth. Just as she reached the door, she paused and glanced back at him.

That's when she noticed something - why did he have such large burn scars on both legs? She frowned. He'd only been injured once in the past four years - during that shootout with the kidnappers. But that was a gun wound... So where did these burns come from?

Still trying to make sense of it, she almost bumped straight into Paul.

Paul was carrying an armful of clothes. Were those for Jessica? The thought popped into her head and distracted her from the burn scars completely.

"Paul, did Alan's clothes get delivered?" she asked.

"Yeah, the store rep is in the living room waiting for your signature," he replied. Two sets had arrived - one for him and one for Chloe.

Chloe nodded with satisfaction. Since she was the one signing for Alan's, Paul's must be something else. No way they'd have two people signing for the same stuff.

Paul headed upstairs with the clothes. "Jess! Can I come in? I brought you some clothes."

But the silence that met him made his heart skip a beat. Something felt off, so he pushed the door open.The girl curled up under the covers, only revealing her small face. Her eyes looked hollow and lost, like a stray kitten nobody wanted.

"Jessica, are you okay?" Paul quickly walked over, reaching out to gently stroke her hair.

In a flash, the light in Jessica's eyes turned firm again. "I'm fine. Still alive, aren't I?"

Well, that's already more than enough. Everything that happened before-she'd leave it behind. Nothing could shake her again. She was living now only for revenge, for her parents, and for herself.

Her words made Paul's heart tighten. "I brought you some clothes. Here, put them on."

He set the clothes beside her pillow and suddenly realized-she hadn't been wearing anything underneath. His ears went red in an instant. Avoiding her gaze, he stammered, "Uh... you go ahead and change, I'll wait outside!"

He practically bolted out the door.

Jessica reached out and touched the clothes. They were neatly arranged and included everything-from undergarments to outerwear. Weirdly enough, everything fit her perfectly.

Alan had no reason to buy these, not with how much he hated her. But how did Paul even know her size? Her cheeks flushed pink at the thought.

After changing, she opened the door and let Paul back in. "Thanks."

The sunlight poured in behind her, giving her a soft halo. A pastel pink sweater with sky-blue jeans, her pale skin glowing-she looked like a doll, too perfect to be real.

Paul couldn't peel his eyes away. It wasn't until Jessica looked shyly away that he realized he might've been staring a bit too long.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh, don't mention it." He just brought her clothes, nothing major. But in the next second, he seemed to get it-maybe she misunderstood his intentions.

"Actually, Jessica, tomorrow I'll take you to the mall and we'll grab some more clothes. I noticed there isn't much here for you."

So what if she misunderstood? He could just get her more stuff anyway.

"No need, I've got some at the apartment I rented, just didn't bring them today."

"Still, you can never have too many clothes! It's settled then! By the way, dinner's ready, let's head down!" Paul finished it all in one breath, not leaving her any room to say no.

"Oh, good! I'm honestly starving. Let's go." Jessica quickly moved on, skipping over everything else he'd said. After everything today, her stomach was more than ready for food.

They walked down the stairs side by side.

From the couch, Alan's eyes darkened. Somehow, this clean, innocent schoolgirl look she had going on... made her even more tempting. He rubbed his aching temples. No matter what she wore, she still managed to turn heads.

Chloe strolled over gracefully. "Alan, dinner's ready."

"Okay." Alan nodded, got up, and took Chloe's hand as they headed to the dining room.