Alex and Luna reentered Claire's hospital room and sat in the same place they both sat earlier. Claire immediately expressed her joy at seeing Alex, and asked, "Where have you been Daddy? I've missed you a lot" Alex glanced at Luna, and back at Claire and Luna quickly said, "Honey, actually, Alex is not..."Without letting her finish, Alex interrupted Luna and said, "I'm so sorry, darling. Please forgive me. Now that I'm here, I won't leave you again, I promise. I will take you to my house and buy you whatever you want, once you are discharged, okay?"Claire reached out her small hand to hold Alex's hand, seeking reassurance that he wouldn't leave her. He held her hand and kissed her forehead. Luna's eyes welled up with tears as she observed the scene. She couldn't bear it any longer and walked out of the room."I'll be right back," Alex said to Claire and went out to meet Luna.Once he was outside, Luna snapped at Alex, "What the hell is wrong with you? I asked you not to lie to m
Alex led Luna out of the house to where his car was parked. He opened the door and let her in. Afterward, he drove to his grandfather's house where the dinner party was meant to take place.As he drove into the compound and they got out of the car, Luna looked around and thought to herself, "Wow, this looks like a palace." Suddenly, she began to feel self-conscious, as though she didn't belong there."Let's go in," Alex said. Just before she could take another step, Luna heard another car pull in. She looked to her right and saw Alex's sister, Miriam stepping out. Luna turned her face away and wanted to continue, but she wondered inwardly, "What is she doing here?"Alex's sister was also wondering the same thing. Unable to keep it to herself, she walked up to them and asked, "Alex, what is she doing here in our family gathering? This dinner is meant for family."Alex replied, "Greet her properly because she's your sister-in-law, and she's older than you by a year.""What?" she stare
Luna pulled her body away from Alex's hold the moment his grandfather left. She looked at his face as she struggled to breathe, "Why did you do that?" Alex did not answer her question, rather he said, "My grandfather has left now, didn't you say you wanted to use the restroom? Go on, I'll wait right here for you." She glared at him before turning to walk away.As she entered the restroom, she leaned her back against the wall and touched her lips, "No, this wasn't part of what I signed up for. The last thing I need is to let any man stir my emotions. No, I am not going to let this happen. Once bitten, twice shy."Alex remained outside waiting for Luna. She took her sweet time, but eventually, she came out. He sighed in relief, "I almost came into the restroom to get you because I was wondering what you were doing in there.""Well, I'm done, so let's go," she said curtly."Alright." He intertwined their fingers together and led her back to the table where they were sitting earlier.
After leaving Alex's house, Luna finally returned to the hospital. Her mind was in chaos as she tried to process everything that had happened. Just as Alex had said, things had spiraled out of control, and now she didn't even know what to do anymore. She couldn't back down at this point, but she also couldn't see herself going through with a wedding. What sort of torture was it going to be? When she had married Cyrus so many years ago, she had been so excited and thought her life was going to turn out perfect. But she was happy on her wedding day because she was in love with Cyrus.However, that was not the case with Alex. Yes, everything was an act, but going to that extent—would she be able to put up with it? All the drama, all the formalities that came with having a wedding—she had thought she would just secretly sign the marriage document, do her part, help Alex get his inheritance, and walk away. But now, things were turning out differently, not the way she had hoped.When she
Alex came out of his car, folded his arms, and stared at Cyrus, "Who let you into this premises?""That doesn't matter," Cyrus replied. "It is important for us to talk."Alex looked at him condescendingly. He knew very well who Cyrus was, but he wasn't willing to indulge him. "A lowlife like you has nothing to say to someone like me. I have no interest in whatever it is."After speaking, Alex opened the door of his car, and was just about to get in when Cyrus said, "How about my daughter? If I open my mouth to speak, everyone will know about my relationship with Claire. I'm sure you do not want that to stain the perfect image you've created in front of the world."Alex squinted his eyes, "Are you threatening me?""Of course not. How can I dare threaten the great Alex Cooper?" Cyrus asked in a mocking tone. "I'm just saying that you should pay me some money, and I will keep my mouth shut. I have no interest in Luna, and neither do I even want Claire. But if you do not pay, my mouth wi
Alex kept staring at Luna, waiting for her to explain why she was crying. When she wiped her eyes, she said, "Don't mind me, Alex. Just seeing you with Claire made me emotional. You know, from when she began to speak and started going to school, Claire would ask me about her father. Then I would wish Cyrus would just show up in her life, even if it was briefly, just so she could get what she wanted. But it never happened. Even though you're not really her father, seeing you in there with her and seeing her so happy just made me really emotional.""I'm sorry," Alex said."No, no, you don't have to apologize.""I'm not apologizing. I'm trying to say that I'm sorry about everything that you've been through. You're a strong woman, Luna. Despite all that you've faced, you pulled through. Do not worry, I will take care of both you and Claire, okay?"Luna laughed, "Come on, Alex. We both appreciate what you're doing, especially me. In fact, when I came into your house in the beginning, I m
Alex Cooper drove Luna back to the hospital. On their way, she kept silent, thinking about the things Miriam had said. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore and said, "Leftover, really?""I'm sorry," Alex replied, "don't take Miriam's words to heart. Everyone knows she's a pain in the ass.""No, there's no need for you to apologize," Luna said. "I know it's not your fault. I know she's overbearing. It's just funny that of all things, she referred to me as a leftover.""Just forget about it," Alex said. "Go be with our daughter, and umm, tomorrow morning, I'll pick you up.""Our daughter? I guess it sounds strange since it's the first time I'm hearing that when it concerns Claire.""Really? You mean her father never.......Sorry, I forgot that he's a douchebag."Luna smiled, "He sure is. Thank you very much. I don't know what is going to happen from here on and to be very honest, I am worried. I don't want to be but the things your sister said, they are going to get out to the medi
After hearing Luna's words, Alex turned to stare at her and asked, "What? Do you know him?""Take a guess," she replied.He stared at the man in front of them for a while and said, "He does seem like someone I've seen before, but I can't recall where. Perhaps he's not important enough.""Trust me, you're not wrong," Luna replied. "I don't get why he's at your gate.""Yeah, I would have driven in and ignored him, but since you seem to know him, I will just wait to see what happens.""Really? Are you sure you don't want me to tell you who he is right away?""I want you to tell me, so I'm waiting for you to do that," Alex replied."That is the awesome father of the year. Both he and Cyrus are at the top of the list of the most horrible fathers in the world. I'm sure they're vying for the position.""Are you kidding me? That is your father? The one who turned his back on you after your mom's death?"Luna nodded. "Yes, he's the one. Let me guess why he's here. He has heard that I am marrie
SIXTEEN MONTHS LATERClaire already closed the files on her desk and got up, about to walk out of her office.At this point, she heard a knock on the door of her office. She walked over to it, opened it, and came out of the office.She was shocked to see her employees standing in front. "Surprise!" they all said, holding balloons, flowers, and cakes."Happy first anniversary," one after the other, they all wished her.She stood, staring at them with a smile plastered on her face. She had barely breezed into the office to sign an important document before coming out; she didn't know her employees were going to surprise her once again.It reminded her of how her last anniversary had gone. However, this time, it was different because she was happy."Thank you all so much," she said. She walked closer, took a bite of the cake, and said, "Wow, this is really delicious. You all should have fun, enjoy yourselves, and take the day off."Her employees all cheered happily while she hurried out o
Lucas sat in his house, waiting for feedback. Although he knew that Claire was eventually going to tell her parents everything, he was hoping that they wouldn't want a divorce since it was going to be a stain on her reputation. Also, the fact that Asher was his friend would make her convince them to give up on Asher.He was waiting for a call from either Alex or Claire. That way, he could properly tender his apology and ask for a second chance.However, the person who called him was none other than his father."Come home right away," his father said.He looked at the time; it was already late. "Is everything okay?" he asked."Mr. Cooper just left the house. Come back right away," his father insisted.The moment he heard that Alex had been to his house, Lucas rushed out of the house and went to see his parents.He walked into the living room and sat down. Seeing the expression on his parents' faces, he asked, "Did something happen? What is the problem?"His father shook his head. "I'm
Luna stared at both Alex and Claire, wiping the tears from her eyes. She still could not understand what was happening."What's going on here?" she asked."Claire, I don't get it. I thought you got married to Lucas because you both were in love with each other. Why would he start treating you so badly from the first day of the marriage? And why did he think you forced yourself into his life? There are some things that sound really strange. Please, I'm lost here," Alex said."Hold on, I'll tell you everything, Luna," he proceeded to tell her how he forced Lucas into marrying Claire, and she screamed."Why would you do that? No, that is wrong. You should not have done that," Luna said."Calm down," Alex said. "It has already happened. It's all in the past. It was a mistake we made, and unfortunately, Claire suffered for it."Luna shook her head. "All this time, you went through so much, Claire, and I didn't even know. I can't believe I slapped you. I can't believe I accused you. Oh no."
After more driving about for a while, Claire finally calmed down. She thought about everything that had happened and made up her mind on what she was going to do. But first of all, she wanted to have a conversation with Asher because she felt that her mom had spoken very rudely to him, whereas he wasn't at fault for everything that had happened.For some reason, she couldn't help but blame herself. Perhaps if she hadn't hidden things from her mom, Asher would not have been yelled at or belittled.She drove back to the house and was surprised when she got in to see the damage that had been done to the door which led to Asher's room.She went into the room and saw Asher sitting on the bed. He quickly got up the moment he saw her and said,"Claire, you're back."She nodded and walked over to where he was."I'm sorry," she said.He held her hand, pulled her closer to his body, and hugged her."No, Claire, don't be sorry for anything. You did nothing wrong. It's just a misunderstanding. Yo
When Luna arrived, she saw Lucas in his car, which was parked right in front of the house.She came out of the car and met with him. "So, this is really not a joke. I mean, the fact that you're here...""It's not a joke," Lucas said, pointing at the door."Okay, alright. Let's go."They walked toward the door, and Luna wanted to knock; however, Lucas said, "No, I... the last time I came here to confront them... I... got one of the keys. So, I think it would be better if we just go in."She looked at him. "Are you sure about this?"He said, "Yeah, in the end, he is still my friend, so it wouldn't be a big deal."She folded her arms and waited for him while he put the key into the key holder and unlocked the door.He pushed the door open, and his eyes instantly caught Asher and Claire on the couch. He turned to look at Luna and said, "Right this way."At this point, though, Asher and Claire were so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn't realize what had happened. Her eyes we
Seeing that his words were not moving Claire, Lucas picked up the divorce papers she had placed on the table and turned them into shreds.She smiled."I thought we were having a peaceful conversation. Why did you have to tear the divorce papers?""Well, this is me telling you that I'm not going to give you that divorce, Claire. I've told you that I want us to work on our marriage. Couples face problems, but the important thing is to find a way to resolve them."She smiled. "Haven't you been listening to everything I said, Lucas? I don't hate you. I don't even think it's possible to hate you. So, everything I say to you does not result from hate. I'm just saying that between the both of us, it's no longer possible. Maybe, just maybe if Asher hadn't come into the picture, I... I may have reconsidered giving this, whatever this is, another chance. But as I told you, once I've given up on something, I don't go back to it.""Just in case you're not observing, I tossed my wedding ring the d
Lucas's words did not surprise Asher. The moment Claire had returned and told him about what Lucas tried to do at home, he suspected that this would be Lucas's next line of action."What exactly are you asking me to do?" Asher asked Lucas."I think you understand exactly what I am asking of you," Lucas replied. "I want my wife back, Asher. You've ruined my relationship with Vivian. You can claim that you didn't know what you were doing, you didn't know she was my girlfriend or whatever it was, but the fact still remains that that relationship is ruined because of you.""Go ahead, I have given up on Vivian. You can have her; she's all yours. But Claire? Leave her alone. Claire is mine; she loves me, and we both know that she has loved me for so long. She doesn't love you, Asher; she's just using you as a rebound. I am telling you this from one man to another. For the sake of our friendship, leave Claire alone. After all, I asked you to go after her, so now I am asking you to give me ba
After leaving Asher's house, Lucas was fuming with anger. He drove straight to Vivian's place of work. Once he arrived there, he called her to come out, and she did. He stood by his car, staring at her - the woman he had loved for so long. She ran up to him and hugged him."Hi baby, you came to see me at work? Meanwhile, what happened? You didn't go to work today?""Cut the act," he said. "How could you do this to me, Vivian? I have loved you for so long. I did everything I could to make you happy, and yet you cheated on me with my friend. As if that is not bad enough, you've been calling him, seeking his attention, and telling him there's nothing going on between the both of us?"She rolled her eyes."Oh, I see you finally found out.""What? That's your reaction?""What do you expect me to do? You have your wife, someone at home. You don't expect me to keep waiting for you until I get old.""How can you say this, Vivian? You know that my relationship with Claire means nothing, and yo
As she heard Asher and Lucas' voices from outside, Claire stood in front of the window, staring at them from inside. Although they couldn't see her, she could see them. She didn't understand why Lucas suddenly seemed so upset. She knew it wasn't about her and kept wondering.Meanwhile, Asher was enjoying this. Initially, he never wanted to rub it in Lucas' face, but after the way Lucas insulted Claire inside the house and kept making sarcastic remarks about her, he couldn't bear it anymore."I didn't want to say anything, Lucas, but why would you say I'm not your friend?" Asher said to him. "This is not fair. I just explained what happened to you. At the time, I was single, and I thought the girl in question...""No! Do not tell me this," Lucas interrupted."Listen to me, Lucas," Asher continued, "what I'm trying to say is..."Lucas charged at Asher this time and punched him in the face."How dare you? Okay, let's forget about everything else. Was there a need for you to bring this up