14While the lines of worry lessened around Cole's mouth as the ladies seemed to notice his words, Claire scanned his face for visible lies.He could be lying to fool her. Unfortunately, all she saw was genuinity.Moreover, he had no reason to lie. He may be Hunter's best friend, he was supporting Claire."Nice excuse but my friend and I are not imbeciles. That woman and rape... What a joke!" Penelope said, her words reduced the impact Cole's announcement had created.She refused to believe that it happened.She cringed and added, "I'm forced to wonder whether you are involved with Zara to destroy Claire's relationship. Cole, tell me honestly, are you doing this because you are jealous of your best friend having a loving and faithful wife? You want to separate them because you never had a chance at true love. Ain't I right?""If you can't say anything good, don't open your stinking mouth, Penelope Baker." Cole hissed out.His eyes grew darker, and if looks could kill, he would have red
15"Claire!!!" Penelope shrieked her name out of shock as she watched her friend go down on her knees.Claire was being helped by her when two strong arms came around her shoulders. A knot seemed to untie within her chest as a faint smile crossed her lips."Hun—" Her mouth hung open on a gasp as Claire observed the face mere inches away from her."Jesus Christ! You are burning with fever, Claire. Come on, get up. Let me take you to your ward." That was Cole furrowing his brows in concern at her.The dam of miseries seemed to unbolt in her heart. Claire flickered her heavy lashes. She looked behind Cole's shoulders at her husband, regarding her with a detached stare.Hunter didn't seem in his senses. Even if he was then he didn't care one bit about her. He was right there by the wall, in the same position, just his face's angle had lowered to look at her."Come on, give me your hand." Cole's words caused her breathing to fracture.While she was struggling to get up, another man was help
16Penelope was too inflamed by Hunter's behaviour to keep her mouth shut. However, Cole eyed her dangerously. It reminded Penelope of the doctor's words. They should keep stress causing factors away from her."Err... I was saying... I was saying that though Hunter was worried for Zara he didn't forget to check up on you, Claire. Hunter spent his nights sitting by you on this stool. He never left you alone for once throughout the night and his back is brutally stiff now." Penelope blurted out.She peered at Cole as if asking with her gaze if her lie was up to the mark. Since the doctor said they must not give her stress, the best way to avoid it was to give her happy news so her mood would be elevated.But Cole's blazing glare indicated that it was more than too much.Claire wouldn't believe that provided that Hunter hardly waited to see her when she last woke up. Even on that night when Zara was being operated in the operation room and Claire fell on the floor while getting up, Hunter
17"Yes," Claire answered with a grin that was neither relieving nor soft to the eyes.With trembling hands Penelope passed her phone to her and watched as she searched for Daniel Calvart, Hunter's lawyer's number.Both of them were caught by surprise when her phone blared loudly. For a moment Penelope lost her breaths as she thought it was Dominic, Claire's father. She couldn't afford to have him call his daughter now as she had lied to him that they were in Claire's house for a few days.She had assured him that when he saw his daughter next, it would be accompanied with good news of her leaving her heartless husband.Whatever had transpired with Claire was known by very few people. Nobody from Claire's family knew about her condition. About her being in hospital for being neglected by her husband and torturing herself with starvation."Monty? Who's that?" Penelope asked as she read the name of the caller."That's my detective friend from school." Claire answered as she thought it wa
18"Your instincts were right about her. Zara indeed contributed to her husband's demise. She included heart attack causing pills in his medication to get rid of him. It wouldn't have been tough for her to do it considering that she's a medical student. Faking his death as a heart attack was simpler for her because she was friends with a well-known doctor in Silverhills with whom she met during her marriage. More like friends with benefits.” Monty gave his insights while Claire and Penelope were reading Zara's husband's fake and real autopsy reports.Monty really did a great job. He got so many evidence, both faked by Zara and the real copy, along with his hand drawn connections and corrections in places where the information was inaccurate."Zara left Hunter in greed of living an opulent life as her fiancé, Clifford Phillips, was at the peak of success and Hunter was still climbing the ladders to the same position. Hunter may have been an heir to the wealthiest family in Bloomcrest bu
19Zara was startled. Her eyes aimlessly stared at the floor while the position of her head froze to an angle overlooking the white tiles to her left. She refused to blink as the pain from the slap spread throughout her skull, making her cheek throb."Don't you dare try to lure me with that melodiously sweet voice of yours. I am not Hunter and it will not work on me, bitch!" Claire hissed, her voice full of malice.Zara slowly lifted her face, her eyes perused the woman standing in front of her closely. She saw a beautiful woman during her lowest. A woman who could have been the strongest if only the person she loved the most supported her.Claire kept her chest from heaving. The back of her eyes was searing. She tried to blink it away as she maintained eye contact with Zara."I know what you are, Zara Levine, and what intention you have come here with. But know that I will not back away easily. You can be a cunning whore for all I care. In front of me you are nothing." Claire said in
20Seeing her twisted expressions and hearing those mind-rotting words, Claire felt a shockwave pass through her. Even though she was aware of what she said, it still sounded disgusting and heart wrenching to her. She fisted her hands on her side and gritted.Was she even a human? A woman? She can't be. Because a woman would never talk like that to another woman let alone do it.Unless the woman is a loose woman. And to say, Zara seemed to be godmother of them all"You can never win from me." Claire stated."Haha, you cannot win what is already a lost battle, Claire. This was a one sided battle from the very beginning. Don't embarrass yourself more. Be a good girl and stop thinking about Hunter. Divorce him and find yourself another guy." Zara said haughtily."You better alter your intentions. Hunter will never be yours as I will not let your plan work.""Really?" Zara raised an eyebrow while her lips upturned into a smirk resembling Pennywise's smirk from IT."Let me give you a realit
21Claire was brought towards a bench near her ward to the opposite side of the corridor. She was made to sit, which she ignored, as her chest was burning.Getting out of the hold of Cole, and turned to the whitewashed wall. Upon the blank wall she could see the scene playing.She thought back about how Hunter kissed Zara before the door closed, the burning sensation that was only in her chest began to envelope her entirely."Claire, Claire..." Someone was talking to her.Although she heard Cole's name in Zara's ward, she still hasn't seen who it was. She only felt hands tugging at her wrists, trying to make her sit."You are pale, Claire. Breathe deeply."She went back inside that ward homing that witch psychologically, her eyes brimming with new tears.Her body convulsed and the tips of her fingers burned with chills. The realization that the scarlet, beautiful flower has bewitched Hunter to hold it made her lips tremble. He was pricked by the flower's thorns. Its poison was in his b
223Closing his eyes, Hunter took ten deep breaths to stabilize his emotions."Calm down, Hunter. Calm down. Calm down for Claire. She doesn't want a brute for a husband. She wants a loving and understanding man. You can be that for her. You are already that man for her. Calm down. Think about Claire. Just you and her. Just you and her. Just you and her."While he attempted to make himself resurface from the dark abyss of indignation, the sound of the creaking door stiffened his body. He tried to think of himself in another scenario with Claire by her side.'I'm not letting you have the satisfaction to see me lose my shit, Murphy. Not again. Not again.' He told himself as footsteps drummed in his ears as Tyler walked in again.Hunter was bracing himself for another provoking statement from him when, "Hunter, son, are you okay?"He opened his eyes to see Avery looking at him with concern. She has a tray of food in her hands and contrition in her eyes! Contrition? Hunter blinked his la
222Hunter's heart slammed in his stomach as it throbbed everywhere in his body. His fingers curled and a tide of intense rage crashed within him. "Murphy, no." He shook his head in warning, his voice a low eerie snarl."No? Why no, Hunter? I gave you respite all these years. Don't you think it's time to pay back for your evil deeds done towards me. It's not like I'm doing it alone! Claire and I will do it together. This way you will only have to pay once for the crimes you committed towards two individuals separately. It's a favor done on you, isn't it?"Hunter fumed. His heaving chest indicated the kind of control he was having on himself. The pulse at his throat seemed to explode any time now, even then, it didn't stop Tyler from pushing his buttons further."I was silent all this while because I didn't want to disturb your married life. I'll be honest, you dazed me with your so-called picture perfect life. I thought you were happy and your wife whom I have never met before didn't
221Hunter sat in his bed by the support of the headboard, his legs stretched, right one crossed over the left. His hands remained firmly folded across his chest as stared up at the ceiling in the darkness with a face devoid of emotions and his heart bleeding in pain.When he had boarded his private jet to come to RavenMoore the other day, he invented a weird psychological thing where he assumed his heart was Hundred percent charged and strong. Since this journey he had embarked on to win Claire back wasn't going to be easy- given his long list of sins- he needed to be strong. He needed a strong heart to face the repercussions as well. Hence, Hunter strengthened his heart. Though it was stupid, he decided that he was going to minus some percent from the hundred percent after each heartbreaking incident he would encounter. This way he would get to know how it feels to hurt someone, how it feels to shatter someone's heart. After all, you can't truly know what it's like to have a heart
220Claire's breathing splintered as she looked down at Tyler. He was trying to sit up straight as Avery held his shoulders, her own eyes streaming with tears and chest dithering with sobs. Claire felt her heart crushing at the sight of blood. Tyler did nothing wrong to get this. He wasn't even trying to woo her into noticing him. It was all her doing. She had wanted to use him against Hunter for revenge. She had thought of dragging him in. Seeing his blood made her blood rush in agony. Claire wanted to support Tyler and wipe his blood with her own hands. However, the crazy fit of rage she felt compelled her to turn Hunter. She slapped him again and pushed him back. Hunter staggered. The first slap was enough to stun him. He was not ready for the second one, and the push had caught him off guard. "What do you think of yourself? Just who are you to beat Tyler like this? It was my decision to come with him... I will go with whoever I want, Hunter MacIntyre. Don't you dare think that
219Hunter got up and dusted his clothes. His emotionless face didn't give away his feelings, and that aggravated Claire. She wanted to know whether or not he was hurting. Was he jealous that Tyler was defending her as though he shared a special bond with her? "We both know that it's not true. Claire would never not want me. She loves me too much to fall out of love with me, Murphy. Who are you kidding?" Hunter sneered.Claire didn't know whether it was his belief in her love or overconfidence in himself that made him say that. However, her chest tightened and emotions dripped out of her eyes in the form of tears.She pressed her lips tight to not cry as she leaned more into the pillar, feeling too weak to hold her own weight on her legs. "Oh, wow. I'm impressed. You must have a Ph.D. in delusion. "Claire loves me too much to fall out of love with me"? Nice dialogue there, MacIntyre! Where do you get all these dialogues from? Don't tell me you've started a part time job as a poet."
218"You, son of a bitch!" Tyler howled as everything around him blurred into pure black darkness.All he could see was his target— Hunter. The freaking bastard was displaying an irking smirk, standing there with hands in his pockets. Tyler stormed towards him and grasped the front of his shirt and the first few buttons snapped, flying around them. Avery's gasp filled the air. She covered her mouth, witnessing her usually calm grandson lose his mind and behave like a different person. She was too shocked to stop him, and Tyler was too enraged to see anything or anyone else. He fisted his other hand and raised it to punch Hunter in his face. It was happening in slow motion for some reason. Hunter, who was least bit fazed by Tyler's reaction, chuckled as he fixed his gaze on Avery's face. "See? I told you, your good for nothing grandson is going to be pissed. He doesn't want me here." Hunter said in a biting tone, making Tyler growl. More anger rolled through him and he ended up sn
217Claire locked the door to her room and stood against it. With hands beside her on the door, she heaved, her chest rising and falling with each breath.Her heart was madly palpitating as her body shivered. Hunter was here— in the old Murphy Mansion. He followed her like he had promised that he would to win her back.Tears blinded her vision. Claire was confused why she was crying. They were not the tears of happiness... they were of anger and relief. And still, she didn't know why exactly she felt relieved to see him.Blinking her eyes, she sat down on the edge of the bed. She put her elbows on her knees and leaned forward as her interlaced fingers rested under her chin. She felt her throat throb as Claire thought back about his kisses.Wherever his lips touched was burning. She rubbed a hand on her neck and shoulder as she hissed to herself for feeling this way. Hunter was an enemy from now on. An enemy who tortured her greatly.She got up and entered the washroom to splash some
216Claire stood like a statue as kisses were being showered along her neck and shoulder. She was turned around, and two onyx orbs which caught light from the streak of light creeping in from the clerestory window from behind Claire shone darkly.Her heart thrummed as she perused that handsome face with plump lips with a hint of smile. The long lashes roofing over his dark gaze cast shadow on his cheeks.Claire stared deep into those eyes and surprisingly they made her shiver. She was not expecting him to follow her and come here. Not after he had been quiet as a cave unvisited for a thousand years.No message, no hint, he gave her nothing. And yet, he was standing here in front of her.Before Claire could think further, the lights returned and Grandma Avery walked into her line of vision behind Hunter. A loud clap shattered Claire's trance before she heard grandma say."Oh my god! I wasn't expecting this." She interlaced her fingers and hugged them to her chest, her expression was on
215Avery stayed quiet. Her grandson was going on the wrong path, thinking extremely wrong things regarding his future. But she didn't speak this time. Tyler was enraged, and anything she said would come as an arrow to him. Later in the evening when Claire came out, she looked rather dull and sad. Avery was sitting on the couch trying to knit a muffler. She noticed Claire coming out and waved at her, but she didn't call for her as she found her appearance surprising. The air of tiredness clung to her. The glow that comes on a person after taking a nap doesn't look like that, do they? They look rejuvenated and fresh. "I'm here, darling." Avery finally spoke, calling Claire over. Claire walked towards her and sat beside her. Her smile was small but the curiosity in her eyes was intense, "What are you knitting?" "A muffler." Avery grinned as she resumed twisting and gliding the long needles around to create a beautiful pattern. "For who? This rather looks short in size so I assume i