Chloe had always dreamed of finding true love. When she met Jack, she thought she had finally found it. He was everything she wanted — kind, thoughtful, and completely different from her ex-boyfriend, Mike. But everything changed one afternoon when Chloe discovered a secret in Jack’s kitchen that turned her world upside down.
Walking into Jack’s kitchen, Chloe was feeling on top of the world. She had just spent the day running errands, and now she was excited to cook a nice dinner for both of them. She smiled as she approached the fridge, but then, her heart stopped. There, right in the middle of the fridge, was a magnet she recognized all too well.
It was the same one from her trip to the Caribbean with Mike, her ex-boyfriend. She stepped closer, her chest tightening. The magnet was chipped at the top — the very same chip she had caused when she dropped it. She remembered it well. Mike had laughed it off, but it still stuck with her.
But what really took Chloe by surprise was the note under the magnet. In Mike’s familiar handwriting, the words stared back at her: “Love You, Bun!”
Chloe felt like the ground beneath her feet was slipping away. How was this possible? How was Mike’s keepsake in Jack’s house?
Her thoughts flashed back to her time with Mike. They had met in university. Mike was the handsome football player, always surrounded by friends. Chloe, on the other hand, had been a quiet, studious law student. They had met by accident, when Chloe stumbled into the wrong lecture hall.
At first, everything seemed perfect. Chloe thought they were building a future together, but as the months passed, Mike became more distant. He never took her to meet his family, and he seemed more interested in his social life than in their relationship. Chloe, trying to make it work, supported him when his depression became overwhelming. But in the end, Mike broke up with her.
“Chloe, you’ve been great. But I need someone on my level,” Mike had said. “I’ve got bigger things ahead.”
Chloe had felt like her heart had been ripped out. She had spent so long trying to hold Mike together, and now he was walking away.
Two years later, Chloe met Jack. He was completely different from Mike. Jack was kind, thoughtful, and treated her with the respect and love she had always wanted. They met at a walkathon for animal welfare, and it felt like everything had fallen into place.
But now, standing in Jack’s kitchen, Chloe was staring at a memory she thought was long gone. How could Jack have a magnet from her past?
When Jack entered the kitchen, he saw the look on Chloe’s face.
“Chloe, we need to talk,” Jack said, his voice filled with tension. He led her to the living room and began to explain.
“Mike is my stepbrother,” Jack said, his words hanging in the air. Chloe was stunned.
“He’s… your stepbrother?” Chloe repeated, feeling like the world was spinning. How had she never known this?
Jack sighed. “I didn’t know how to tell you. Mike’s always been difficult. He’s spoiled, entitled. He’s always tried to make my life miserable.”
Chloe couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her voice shaky. “How could you keep something like this from me?”
Jack looked guilty. “I didn’t want to lose you. But Mike knew about us. He’s been talking about you ever since we got together. And last night, he got angry. We had a family dinner, and I asked my mother for the ring that’s been passed down in our family. I wanted to give it to you.”
Chloe was speechless. “You were going to propose?” she asked in disbelief.
Jack nodded. “I was serious about us, Chloe. But Mike didn’t take it well. He came home with me last night and started talking about you. It’s like he’s obsessed with messing things up.”
“So, he put the magnet and the note on the fridge?” Chloe asked, her mind racing.
Jack nodded. “Yeah. He’s always done this. He comes in, and everything gets ruined.”
Chloe walked away, feeling overwhelmed. She had thought everything was perfect with Jack. But now, she didn’t know what to think. Her past was haunting her in ways she hadn’t expected. The more Jack talked, the more she felt like she didn’t know him at all.
She spent the rest of the evening in silence, Jack trying to explain, but she wasn’t listening. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there were too many questions without answers.
As she left the house that night, Chloe was unsure if there was a future with Jack at all. Some truths were just too heavy to bear.
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