The Loyal Puppet: A Love Built on Lies novel Chapter 7

After that night, Mason never contacted Chloe. 

He never came home, either. 

She knew he had other places to be. 

She also knew he was mad. 

Mad at her for not being obedient. 

Before, she would have caved within a day, running back to make peace. 

But now… she glanced at the time on her phone. 

Screw it. Consider this a vacation. 

It was the last day of April.

Everyone was gearing up for the long weekend. 

That evening, while changing the dressing on her wound, Chloe received a message from Mason. 

A location pin. 

And a simple instruction: "Dress up." 

No explanation.

But she already knew. 

Noah's engagement party. 

Mason had told her about it a month ago.

Ever since she started dating Mason, she remembered everything about him and his friends. 

Chloe agreed without hesitation. 

They didn't mention anything else.

Chloe didn't ask when he'd be back. 

None of it seemed to matter anymore. 

She tried on an elegant gown, classy and graceful, but before heading out, she changed into a comfortable dress instead. 

This was probably the last time she and Mason would be in the same room together. 

She'd been pretending for too long.

She never liked those heavy gowns anyway.

Just this once, she'd do what she wanted. 

At the engagement party, Chloe was caught off guard when she saw Mason with a refined older woman on his arm. 

For a second, she wondered why it wasn't Ava. 

As Mason and the woman walked past her, the woman's eyes lingered on Chloe's casual dress for a moment before she turned away and kept walking. 

Mason's eyes darkened at the sight of her outfit.

Yeah, she was misbehaving again. 

Chloe glanced around but didn't see Ava anywhere.

That was odd. 

Behind her, the woman was speaking to Noah.

"Happy engagement. Have fun, kids. I'll get going now." 

"Thanks, Aunt Linda. Mason should be here soon too."

Noah replied with a smile. 

As soon as the woman left, Ava appeared out of nowhere and slipped her arm through Mason's. 

She was wearing a strapless pink dress that barely clung to her chest, her dark hair cascading over her delicate shoulders, her eyes twinkling as she glanced around. 

Mason looked at her, eyes full of tenderness. 

That's when it hit Chloe—Mason had invited her here for a reason. 

In Chicago's social circles, people often said that the only reason Chloe had lasted five years by Mason's side was that his mother never stepped in to get rid of her. 

If it had been any other woman, Mason's mother would've shut it down long ago. 

They never truly accepted Chloe, no matter how many times they called her "sis-in-law" with fake smiles. 

And they knew Chloe wouldn't say anything to Mason about it. She'd been tolerating this for too long. 

Feeling suffocated, she turned and walked toward the exit. 

By the pool outside, it was quiet.

She looked down at her injured hand and let out a bitter chuckle. 

Old wounds hadn't healed, and now she had fresh ones. 

She walked to the edge of the pool, turned on the faucet, and rinsed her bloody hand under the cold water. The sting was sharp. 

"Chloe, can you swim?" 

Ava's voice came from behind her.

Her cheeks were flushed, like she'd had a few drinks.

She stood with her arms crossed, staring at Chloe. 

Chloe didn't bother responding.

She shut off the water and turned to leave. 

Ava reached for her, but whether she pulled too hard or lost her balance— 

She toppled straight into the pool. 

Chloe instinctively reached out, but Ava grabbed onto her instead, yanking her into the water with her. 

The thin straps of Chloe's dress slipped off her shoulders, dragging her bra down with them. 

Panic surged through her.

She gasped, trying to pull her clothes back up, but Ava shoved her hand away. 

Chloe was tall—5'7"—but the pool was deep.

She couldn't touch the bottom, and she was too panicked to surface properly. 

Her heart pounded as she desperately clung to her chest, struggling to breathe.