Chapter 203
"Nick..."
Khloe no longer cared about the whispers echoing through the ballroom.
She didn't care about the suspicious stares or the judgment of the city's elite.
The only people who mattered were the man standing before her... and the elders of the Hunt family.
Without another thought, she let the microphone slip from her hand.
It landed on the stage with a dull thud.
She hurried toward Nick.
But he didn't look at her.
Her footsteps faltered.
A cold, oppressive aura surrounded him like an invisible wall, making it impossible to read what he was thinking.
Khloe's heart sank.
Was it because of those accusations?
Had he begun to doubt her?
To despise her?
His fury just now...
Had it only been to protect the Hunt family's reputation—not her?
She bit her lip before speaking in a trembling voice.
"...I'm sorry, Nick."
"I do have a past."
"But I was never married."
"And everything between Trey and me ended a long time ago."
She lowered her voice, desperate to explain.
"I didn't tell you before because..."
Before she could finish—
Nick turned around.
The next second, the entire ballroom froze.
Including Khloe.
Without a word, Nick pulled her into his arms.
His embrace was fierce, almost desperate.
She stumbled forward, colliding against his broad chest before his arms tightened securely around her.
There wasn't the slightest hesitation.
Only absolute certainty.
A faint sigh escaped him.
"You really are foolish."
His deep voice carried a trace of helpless amusement.
"Of course I know."
He rested his chin lightly against her hair.
"What are you so afraid of?"
Khloe blinked in disbelief.
"...Nick."
For a moment, everything around her disappeared.
The whispers.
The staring eyes.
The glittering ballroom.
None of it existed anymore.
All she could hear was the powerful, steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her cheek.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Solid.
Calm.
Certain.
The anxiety crushing her chest melted away almost instantly.
He wasn't angry.
He had never doubted her.
Slowly, she lifted her face.
From where she stood, all she could see was the sharp line of his jaw.
His Adam's apple bobbed once before he loosened his embrace.
One arm remained firmly wrapped around her waist.
Keeping her close, he turned to face the stunned crowd.
"I owe everyone an apology."
His voice returned to its usual calm.
But beneath that calm flowed a quiet authority that silenced the ballroom far more effectively than anger ever could.
"I allowed my emotions to get the better of me."
"I've made a scene."
His sharp gaze swept slowly across every table.
No one dared meet his eyes for long.
Despite addressing the guests, his hand never left Khloe's waist.
It remained there possessively, protectively.
"My wife has always been kindhearted."
He glanced briefly at Khloe.
"She's the sort of person who would rather suffer in silence than trouble those she loves."
A hint of tenderness softened his voice.
"But there is one thing..."
His expression hardened.
"...that I will never tolerate."
His eyes landed directly on Clarice.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"I will never allow anyone to stand in front of me..."
"...and slander my wife."
"Especially through despicable tricks and malicious rumors."
Clarice's smile froze.
She had anticipated anger.
She had anticipated suspicion.
She had even expected Nick to question Khloe.
But she had never imagined he would defend her so fiercely.
Or so completely.
The color gradually drained from her face.
Still, she forced herself to maintain her composure.
Nick looked at her steadily.
"Mrs. Morrison."
His tone was courteous.
Yet every syllable carried unmistakable pressure.
"Thank you for your concern."
"But I can answer your question very clearly."
"I know everything about Khloe's past."
Every word landed with quiet certainty.
There wasn't the slightest trace of doubt.
The corner of his lips lifted into a faint smile.
It wasn't warm.
It was edged with mockery.
"A video proves very little."
"It can be edited."
"It can be manipulated."
"As for rumors..."
His gaze swept across the guests.
"They usually disappear in the presence of people capable of thinking for themselves."
He paused.
Then, the sentence was spoken that sent shockwaves through the ballroom.
"Khloe has never had a marriage with anyone else."
His fingers tightened around hers.
"Because..."
He looked directly at every guest.
"...she is already my wife."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Nick continued deliberately, emphasizing each word.
"Last week..."
"Khloe and I legally registered our marriage."
Boom.
The announcement exploded through the ballroom like thunder.
Everyone stared at them in stunned disbelief.
Married?
Not merely engaged...
Already legally married?
Countless people instinctively looked toward Clarice.
Then toward George.
Then back to Nick and Khloe.
Whispers erupted once again.
"They're already married?"
"How is that possible?"
"I thought tonight was just an engagement announcement."
"If they're legally married..."
"Then that accusation doesn't make any sense."
"Did someone deliberately try to frame her?"
"The man actually dared to slander Mrs. Hunt in front of Nick?"
"He must have lost his mind."
Standing beneath the crystal chandeliers, Nick seemed impossibly imposing.
His tall figure cast a commanding shadow across the polished floor.
With only a handful of calm, measured sentences...
He had overturned the entire situation.
The accusations.
The rumors.
The carefully laid trap.
All of it collapsed in an instant.
Beside him, Khloe lowered her head.
Her vision blurred.
A warmth spread through her chest, pushing against the tears she stubbornly refused to shed.
She had prepared herself to face this storm alone.
Instead...
He had stepped in front of her.
Without hesitation.
Without question.
As though protecting her was the most natural thing in the world.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Before she could pull them away, Nick quietly tightened his grip.
Their fingers intertwined.
Locked together.
Firmly.
As if he were telling the entire room—
And her—
That no matter what happened...
He would never let go.