Another thing, I have books that ended with as less chapters as 90. I'm not intentionally dragging the book, just following what I've planned for this story. Storytelling is my full time obsession. While I cherish the money I make through writing, I'd never do it to make more bucks as ik readers have to pay for every chapter. I'm a reader myself and I also pay to read some books hence ik what it feels to start reading a book and pay for it. Plz rest assured, when the last chapter of this book arrives, u'll be satisfied that you stuck with me~ So... Now please can we focus on Claire and her condition. She needs our support now;( Don't forget to comment and vote, and try my new book: Ex-wife's Marriage Revenge!
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."
1"You look amazing!" Hunter MacIntyre's compliment sent his wife, Claire's blood coursing in her veins like an awakened river."Thanks," She lowered her head while trying to hide her smile. Today was their second wedding anniversary. Claire was a lucky girl to marry the man she loved. She felt her nerves twisting in yummy delight. Her husband was a substitute to slow torture with that look of his. With that tailored suit clinging to his body, he forced eyes to take a look at him. Her gaze traveled to his brown, strong throat, then towards the deliciously straight mouth and up to his black eyes; dark and hooded and so full of secrets. They watched her intently causing her breathing to catch.Hunter hugged her from the back and snuggled her bare shoulder. He enveloped her right in his hold, enjoying the feeling of her being in his arms. "I can't wait to tell the world that I am falling for my own wife." Today was their anniversary. And the day couldn't get any better. Claire woke
2Claire felt exposed to danger. Like a baby bird left in the open. She dragged shallow breaths as she watched her husband hug his ex-girlfriend possessively. He whispered something in Zara's ear, making her eyes water. He wiped them with his hand. By this time, all the cameramen focused on them. Gasps erupted around Claire as Hunter's admirers began to gossip about it. "Oh goodness! Isn't that Zara Levine, Hunter's ex-girlfriend?" "Christ, she looks more beautiful than before!" "Look at Hunter's expression. He's all desperate around her. Damn, he's kissing her!" "They look so good together. But I pity Claire. She must have waited for today wholeheartedly and it had to be ruined like this. Her husband is kissing his ex-girlfriend in front of her. That's insane!" "But why is Zara back? She was married to another man, wasn't she? What's this now?" All the remarks around her made her body heavy. Claire was rooted in her spot. "Claire, let's go inside." Her brother tried to pull he
3 When Claire shook the hazy veil of darkness and came to the surface, the first face she saw was of her mother. Andrea's eyes were red and cheeks flushed. She was in the same dress she donned for Claire and Hunter's wedding anniversary. It was visible just by looking at her that she didn't leave her daughter's side even for one second. "Laire, baby," Andrea impatiently leaned towards her daughter and cupped her face. A tear of relief trickled from her left eye. She kissed her forehead and immediately looked over her shoulder to shout, "Claire is awake, Dominic!" She turned to her daughter again. She removed hair from her eyes and smiled, "How are you feeling now, honey?" She touched her swollen lip gently. Claire just stared back. Her mother's tears made her remember her own. Then it returned to her mind like a slow memory returning to a person suffering with amnesia. Pain, hot and raw, settled in her chest. Claire recalled how her husband left her outside the hotel they
4 "Ever since I gained maturity I have loved you. I kept myself pure so you would be the one taking me. I dressed myself as per your liking so you would look at me. I even turned down offers of marriage from compatible men because I was enchanted by you. After all the sacrifices I made for you, this is what you give me?" She grasped his collars, shaking him. Her streaming eyes made his face seem blurry. "For two years I endured your ill-treatment and invested my time to make you happy. I would make food each day even though you left it to turn cold. I didn't complain when you came home late and retired to bed without even taking a glance at me even if I was wide awake and talking to you." "You forgot my birthdays, let alone wish me. You ignored my parents on family dinners. But I was still happy because you were with me all this while. I took your cold treatment with a smile. Despite all this, all that I wished for was to see you smile. You want to know why?" Hunter's eyes remaine
5 Her heart was crushed into a pulp under the weight of those words. Wiping her tears, Claire lifted her face. She held her head high as she gave him a tight smile with a challenging gaze. "Then let me tell you, Mr. Hunter MacIntyre, I will also fight for what is mine. You are mine. I'm not letting any widowed whore have my husband." Hunter opened his mouth. But before he snapped at her, she whirled around and went up the stairs to their bedroom. A drumbeat of madness pounded at the back of Hunter's eyes. He fisted his hands while following after her. Hunter caught Claire right outside the bedroom. He pinned her to the wall and leaned in, whispering right before her lips. "Since when I became yours, huh? As far as I can remember you have always been at my mercy." Hunter hoped to intimidate her. But he should have known that by leaving her outside their anniversary party's venue he made her bones persistent and determination of stone. He killed her emotions. "You became min
6Cole's mouth fell agape in sheer astonishment. This definitely has to be a doppelganger of Claire.Otherwise his best friend's wife was timid and mute. She barely opened her mouth to speak. And even if she was slandered, she found it was better to meet them with silence than to retort."What? Is something on my face?" Claire asked with a grin.Cole nodded his head as he confessed, "You have become fierce. I like this side of you.""Thanks. I had to become outspoken for the sake of my marriage. I have to save Hunter and my relation, Cole. And I will need your help with it.""I am always here for you two, Claire. Just let me know how I can help." He liked her spirit."Okay, listen to me," She held his gaze. "I want to gather information on Zara. Cole, I feel that her return is deliberate and that her husband's death is not natural."Cole's back stiffened. His eyebrows knitted together as he suppressed himself from looking disappointed. "I get your point about saving your marriage, Cl
7The cameras flashed just as Claire crossed the gate and came to this side to meet the waiting crowd of journalists. "Mrs. MacIntyre or Miss Argent? Which one do you prefer?" Irritated by the question, Claire forced her lips to curve. Her grin carried a hint of mockery as she faced the cameras before holding the gaze of the journalist who asked her the question."What should I call you- a journalist or a woman with impaired eyesight? Or rather... a brainless journalist with impaired eyesight? Which one do you prefer?"Her Savage reply made the woman chuckle sheepishly in embarrassment. The others stared at Claire with an impressed glance as she never spoke like this before.It seemed that the kitten had transformed her claws finally."Do you see this sparkling big diamond? This shows that I am married. Hence I will prefer Mrs. MacIntyre now and for the rest of my life." Someone from the mass of journalists clapped in amusement. The lady mouthed a small apology while another person
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
194Shawn brought his mother to a restaurant located in a remote area with quiet surroundings. It took them about an hour, except that Tia wasn't fazed one bit. The sound of crickets served as background music. Tia was impressed by the warm atmosphere. She walked with her hand around Shawn's arm not like his mother, but like a friend.She was thrilled to see eyes following her and Shawn. Some women stopped all motion to take a glance. When Shawn pulled a chair for her, she heard a woman from the neighboring table praising her hairstyle. They ordered a five course meal. Before it arrived, Shawn excused himself to go to the restroom. He paid the waiter who took their order to praise his mother's beauty. When he came back to their table, the waiter followed suit. He brought a bottle of wine with two flutes and smiled politely at Tia.He gazed at Shawn and Tia with a bow and repeated the words he was directed to deliver, "Sir, madam, you are our fiftieth couple of the night. We have thi
193. At Murphy mansion,Tia glanced at the clock on the wall with a frown. Then her gaze shifted to the door as she impatiently turned the pages of the magazine in her lap. She seemed annoyed by something but was surprisingly quiet, not taking it out on anyone like she was accustomed to.Shawn, who was sitting next to her, was perturbed by her behavior. It wasn't in his mother's nature to stay quiet while she was annoyed. She would rather split the house apart with her loud screams and scoldings."Someone is constantly checking the clock and staring at the door. Is someone precious expected?" He gave a girly gasp to irritate Tia and added, "Maybe a lover who is supposed to visit behind dad's back!""Damn, dad will be so exasperated. Grandma will be more furious than him, knowing that her daughter-in-law is cheating on her son." He seemed to think deeply while stroking his jaw. "What would she do if I told her? Kill mom? Nah, that'd be the easiest way of punishing her." He talked to h
192Tyler came down to the parking lot with a twisted face. Claire's words were echoing in his mind. Every allegation seared through him. He gritted his teeth amidst a scoff and frustratedly slapped a pillar next to him."What does she take me for? The nerve of her, accusing me like that." He growled to himself. "I shouldn’t have shown her any kindness. Because I’m her ex’s rival, she misinterpreted my intentions and used the moment to humiliate me.""I feel like a fool. No one has ever humiliated me the way she did. I just..." He sighed as his anger dissipated.Tyler slumped against the pillar and closed his eyes, "I really can't blame her... Since it's all my fault. Why did I have to fall for my rival's ex-wife?"He reached out in his pocket for a pack of cigarette. He lit one and brought it to his mouth. Taking a long drag, he stared in the darkness, thinking about the encounter he had with Claire.Tyler was not hurt... But his heart ached. He had been waiting all day to see her. Ju