16 Penelope 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
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 though
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
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
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
22His chest shuddered as he watched her unconscious body going towards the floor.He leapt forward and wrapped an arm around her waist before she went down. Pulling her to his chest, Hunter cupped her face as a serpent of regret coiled around his being.His throat felt dry and eyes hurt with heat of self-reprimand as he observed her ghostly complexion. A tear left the corner of her eyes, which he picked on the pad of his finger while his chest grew heavy.Her cheek was ghastly red, the imprint of his five thick fingers swelling on her white face. It felt like all the blood in her face accumulated in her cheek in the shape of a hand print. Hunter kept staring at it as he reflected back on his impulse. He hit his wife. He raised his hands on a woman for the first time. That too... his wife.While he was regretfully gawking at her red cheek, her head fell back, causing his breaths to falter. Gently, as though he was caring for a baby's head, he picked hers in his hand and rested it on
23Claire's POVI was reading a book, or rather I was trying to, when my mother walked in."I got you a cup of your favorite hot chocolate, bunny." She beamed while sitting on the edge of the bed. "Thanks, mom. Just what I needed right now to go with my book." I forced a smile, praying that it didn't look fake. It's been two days since I took a voluntary discharge from the hospital and came home. I wasn't supposed to be here, considering that my parents were already worried about me since Zara arrived in my life like a calamity, ruining my marriage. The last thing I wanted them to do was freak out, after learning that I starved myself for ten days like a stupid person. However, there's nowhere else I could turn to. No door that would open for me, talk less of arms that would embrace me in and pat my back while I cried to composure."I was wondering if you would like to go to an art exhibition with me." Mom said. "You remember my friend, Tilly, her daughter's been given an opportun
203"Mr. Argent, it's very important for me to see your daughter. Allow me this one time, please. It's about our future." Hunter said ignoring Andrea as he addressed Dominic. Feeling insulted, Andrea spoke with disdain, "What future? My daughter's future is better off without you. You left her when she needed you the most. Now that we are trying to set her up with a far better match, you want to waltz back in her life. Dream on, Hunter. It's not happening. Her parents are standing in between her and you. We will never let you get to her again.""Did you really think you could slink back into Claire's life after your ex's true nature was exposed? You're delusional if you think that's possible."Hunter gave her a stoic look, although his red eyes showed his turmoil."And do you think I'm coming back only because Zara's arrested now? It's you who's dreaming, Mrs. Argent. Claire and I've never parted ways even after the divorce. Our separation brought us closer— me actually.""I realized
202"SCOTT, NO!" They exclaimed in unison, but Scott was already charging towards Hunter like a madman.Claire, who had been sobbing against her father's chest, snapped her head up at Hunter's mention. Color drained from her face witnessing Hunter at the doorstep with crimson-rimmed eyes. Their gazes locked, and everything he had said to her came flooding back to her in an overwhelming wave. Despite the look of pleading on his face and apology in his eyes, she remained hard-hearted. However, the part that loved her once... The part that basked in the sight of him being praised and respected by her family became distressed. Scott was a decade younger to Hunter, and even though the latter treated her like a doormat wife with zero worth in his life, he was still related to her. Ex-husband... But still they had a past. Claire stepped out of her father's arms as Scott dashed towards Hunter, driven by instincts. "Hunter MacIntyre, you've hurt my sister enough. Time to pay back!" Her hea
201Outside the Argent Villa,Scott and Shawn met each other outside the former's house. Their faces were dull with worry and in the rain storm, they stood soaking wet."Did you find anything about your brother?" Scott asked as he wiped a hand on his face to clear his vision."Yeah, he's at a pub.... With a woman." Shawn uttered the last three words between clenching teeth.Scott wasn't surprised. He was aware of his best friend's elder brother's way to avoid media attention concerning his personal life. He was just slightly affected that Tyler lied to go to pub to find a random chick to click with, so he could post fake dating news with her, instead of attending a dinner with his family.They've been waiting so restlessly to have him at home. The look of sorrow on Andrea's face was pitiful. Scott recalled that expression and exhaled a sigh. His mother had been overly excited to have Tyler at home. She had prepared so many dishes for him, which they had to eat alone and in silence. Cl
200"This is all, but I swear, I haven't seen any other woman since that encounter with that wench. It was after that incident I started noticing you. The second year of our marriage consists of me observing everything you did. That's how I learned your favorites, although I never let it show until now."Hunter tried to close the gap between them with small steps, hoping that when he was standing before her, Claire wouldn't push him away. After all, he had a huge list of extra marital relations. "When I started learning things about you, it slowly came to my understanding that you were exactly how I would have preferred my life partner to be. You were firm with a touch of boldness. You could be extremely caring at times and extensively outraged if annoyed. You didn't hesitate to make me pay for my ignorance and then you also came to show your love to me when you felt that I wasn't going to do it. You held the torch in our relationship and lives, and radiated it with your resilience."
199"I was mentally dead. Although I married you, I didn't feel the excitement as that of a married man because you weren't the woman I want. So, I just spent my time at the club with Cole and other friends.""Even if you weren't the bride I saw myself saying 'I do' for, I was determined to never stray. But that night, that night something got into. I was not heavily drunk but I kissed a woman who sat in my life. I groped her even though Cole and my friends warned me of having a wife. I didn't know what I was doing."Claire's stare became painful. She internally lamented as her heart yelled from the pain of his treachery. His confession now hurt like a third degree burn. She didn't know when she started sobbing, but that was the only sound she heard. She felt as though she’d suddenly jumped off a cliff. What she was feeling was beyond anyone's imagination. Accepting Hunter's infidelity before marriage was bearable. But thinking of him doing the same in the first week after he was dec
198"It happened a few days after Zara left me. I was heartbroken and mentally disturbed. The blaring music of the club became my companion as I found solace in alcohol. I would spend the days at office and my nights at the club." Hunter began. Now that she asked him to be honest, he was not going to skip anything. She also warned him to share it even it's hurtful, so he would do that too. As long as it convinced her to stay and be with him, he would do anything. Although that's not what he thought he would be compelled to do when he left his house to find Claire, he had no other choice. Hunter's heart raced in his chest. He was making mistake after mistake recently. One action he took to soothe his nerves ended up causing a ripple effect of consequences. Hence, he wasn't going to make another mistake by skipping any detail of his infidelity. The air was cool, and yet he sweated profusely while his face remained as white as the moon. "But I was never alone. Cole was there with me.
197A thunder clapped in the sky with lightning, illuminating their faces for a nanosecond. Hunter was panicked by her words and the expression he caught in the light from her face made his blood rush to his head. He moved closer. He pulled her to his chest and leaned his face near hers. Claire squirmed and wriggled like a fish taken out of water. But she calmed down the minute he pinned her to the tree and rested his forehead against hers, his mouth aligned with hers while his thrumming heart synced with her own. The air seemed to turn colder as darkness increased. They couldn't see each other. But in the back of their minds, they pictured each other's expressions and emotions as they breathed heavily in sync. "You are a jerk... And I hate you." Claire sobbed. Her body was shaking in misery. She was crying because of his disappearance and caressed her back. He moved his mouth to her jaw and trailed a line of kisses along her jaw to her neck as he whispered sorry to hers. Claire
196Claire dashed a hand over her cheeks to wipe her tears. She didn't know where else to go— where she could cry without being interuptted by her loved ones or well-wishers— so she came to the only place she thought would offer her the privacy and quiet she needed during this phase of her life... The lake.The same lake that was her companion during her teenage years. The same lake around which she touched herself for the first time while imagining Hunter. The same lake that soothed her heart and brought delight to her face whenever she came here in the past.However, she felt cold in her heart tonight when she came here. Her eyes stung from tears that build up. Stopping near a tree, Claire slumped down. She was tired of feeling disappointed at how her life was unfolding.Twists and turns aggravated her. It was like every month her life took a turn. While one month she was all gloomy and struggling to focus in life, the other month she was too exhilarated to contain it. The changing
195There was silence on the line from both sides. They contemplated where their siblings would go at this hour of night. A thunder roared outside and they both returned back to their senses. "It's completely okay for Tyler to stay out at this hour of night. It's not the first time. But Claire..." Shawn trailed off. "This isn't like Claire. Something's wrong." "We have to find them. Now. I'm coming to your place, Scott. I'll pick you up and we'll go together." Shawn announced."Let's go find them. I need to know what's going on. Claire would never disappear without a word." ***At Hunter's Mansion, Cole sat on the patio, his weary figure slumped in a chair. He was smoking while scrolling through his face. His face was grim while his lips twisted at the posts he came across on his feed. Tyler and Claire were trending. Some stupid social media manipulator started a rumor and it was going awfully viral now. Although Cole understood that it was fake, it sparked widespread frenzy. Us