37Hunter stood stock-still. He watched as her lips twisted and she eyed him like he was a filthy, disgusting creature."You have lost every right to touch me, Mr. MacIntyre."Her tone threw him off his composure. He took a step back and lowered his hand. While he fisted his fingers as he couldn't feel her skin, she looked in his eyes with a hardness he was not used to seeing coming from her."Why are you here, Hunter? What made you waste five precious days of your life like that? I'm shocked to see you here honestly. Shouldn't you be in bed with your new wife, enjoying your time with her?" Hunter ignored her piercing tone and regarded her again.She appeared more miserable than before. It was as if in these five days she lost more weight of hers.When his eyes came back to her face, she gave him a lopsided sarcastic smirk, "Not so pretty compared to your new hot wife?""Will you keep your mouth shut for a while, Claire MacIntyre!" Hunter grumbled as he came forward to seeth in her fa
38 Her phone froze for a few minutes as the notifications loaded. She had about two hundred thousand plus notifications, which were multiplying with passing seconds, and about five thousand plus messages in her Dms. The latter were alone from the people who followed her. Then there was double of that in her requests. Claire went to the recent comments she received on the last picture she had shared. It was of herself and Hunter kissing. She made this post in the morning on their anniversary day. Her eyes filled with tears but she didn't let them fall. She read some of the comments and clutched her heart as they were so heartfelt. "I came to know about Claire when she got married to Hunter. Wasn't really her fan because I liked Hunter better with the true love of his life, which was Zara. But seeing what happened with Claire over the days I can't help but shift into team Claire. Lots of love and support to you Claire. Do not think you are alone in this phase. We are there with yo
39Flashback cont'd... "But where do we find such a guy?" As Scott released his tee, Shawn blew a sigh of relief and threw the leftover content of his glass in his mouth, feeling blessed that his words were not taken offensively. "Who is better and hotter than Hunter MacIntyre in Bloomcrest?" Scott began to brainstorm."Who will make my sister slick wet and leave her weak in the knees?" Shawn rubbed his mane, "Erm, he should also be the definition of tall, dark, and handsome since your sister is no less than an epitome of gorgeousness. She makes heads turn around wherever she goes. He should be equal if not more.""Hmm, the definition of tall, dark and handsome. Equal if not more." "Where will we find such a man?" Scott closed his eyes as he suppressed the need to scream. "There is only one man with such features... And my sister just got divorced from him."Shawn ordered new drinks for them. When they arrived, he lifted the skewer from it and sucked it."Keep thinking, my frien
40 Hunter searched for Claire's number on his phone. Her picture grabbed his attention and something twitched in his chest. No, it wasn't his heart. It was something he couldn't put his finger on. He kept staring at it. He distinctly remembered the day when she had captured a picture of herself on his phone and set it on her contact number. It was on the fifth day of their forced honeymoon that he had to go. A restless heave left his mouth as he closed all tabs and set his phone aside. Because minutes after she had set her picture on his phone, he had revealed to her the truth behind their marriage. She was taken aback, but she thought he was joking with her, because there was no way anyone could fake their feelings like he did when he proposed to her to marry him. It was actually the way he proposed to her why she was compelled to marry him as soon as they could. Lying back on the bed, Hunter turned out the lights. In the dark he recalled how she had sobbed that night. He had pret
41 RavenMoore, The evening turned in with the sky covering the horizon with a yellow orangish hue. Claire was awestruck so bad that rather than resting in bed beside snoring Penelope, she came down to enjoy the sunset. Murphy mansion was actually perched on the edge of a cliff. It overlooked a breathtaking mountain landscape covered with greenery. It was built by Shawn's great great grandfather, who was a fan of nature and privacy. Hence he built the magnanimous mansion on the cliff and surrounded it with a fence to keep the wandering perilous creatures at bay. The Murphys called the area within the fence their sanctuary. Claire sat down on a bench that was set under a tree, admiring the scenic view. Her hair floated in the air while a small smile played on her lips. "I used to sit here and admire the mountains every evening after my marriage." Claire watched over her shoulder at grandma Avery. She got up to help the woman sit on the bench as she replied, "You must feel lik
42 At the dinner table the following day, Scott and Shawn exchanged puzzled looks. Today was their second day of stay and Tyler had not appeared yet. Scott gestured to his friend with his eyes as if saying: Ask your parents? Shawn nodded and broke the awkward silence, "Where is my brother, mom? I didn't see him in the morning either. Is he so busy with work that he can't come to visit his family?" "Don't you know," Nathaniel began with a wide grin as he eyed his wife. "That your brother moved out of this mansion?" "Moved out? When and how? Why wasn't I informed of the same?" Shawn's mom, Tia, served curry on his plate. The smell of homemade food by his mom and grandma made his senses tantalized. The aroma was delectable. "The incessant discussions about marriage and kids from your grandma became unbearable for him. My poor boy had to leave in the end to find some peace." Nathaniel shared as he raised a piece of steak to his mouth. Grandma Avery rolled her eyes, "So what? It's
43The sky was bluest blue and the squawking of birds flying above made Claire feel thrilled. Being able to walk without cameras following her was a new feeling. It was like she was independent again. Excitement danced with abandon in her spirit as she moved further. The reason she was alone here was because of the significance of this place. She had come upon a bridge above the river of blessing.She recalled Shawn's words, "The river of blessing has changed the lives of many believers, Claire. You throw things you don't want in your life in the river and it blesses you with whatever you want. Just make sure that you make your wishes wisely." Although he also said that it was a great tourist attraction, she was a little doubtful. She grazed the surroundings around her and realized that not a single soul was present here. There was just her.It was surprising for a place of tourist attraction to be void of breathing souls.Anyway, she headed further upon the bridge until she was in
44 "What? Scott!" She bellowed with eyes becoming the size of saucers whereas Tyler chuckled. Her words rhymed. "I don't believe you. Why would my brother come to you to be my boyfriend? Like really... YOU! Of all the men on this planet they chose you." She turned to him and gave him an accusing stare. "It couldn't be a coincidence. You are my ex-husband's biggest enemy and he chose you. Tyler Murphy, if you think I am foolish then you have not really known much about me. You are...." Claire trailed off and fisted her hands on her knees. She was blurting out everything that came to her mind. Tyler was also Shawn's elder brother. She had known him for more time than she knew Hunter. Shawn often came to their house when he was a kid and then his brother would come to pick him up. So it was really silly of her to blame him for that. Tyler would never do that. He wasn't from the men who use their enemy's wife and children to hurt them. He believed in striking openly. They ar
266As they stole a glance from behind the wall, their faces went pale because a woman was pinning Hunter against the wall, trying to touch him desperately. On the other hand, he had a hateful scowl on his face as he aggressively held her arms to keep her away from him. "What part of 'I don't like you' was clear to you? What is your problem, huh? Stop coming after me, Mona. I've told you many times I'm not interested either in you or your twin sister. Can't you see the ring on my finger? I'm fucking taken." He gritted those words out as his eyes hardened in detestation. The woman, nevertheless, moved closer and pressed a hand on his crotch, causing his eyes to freeze on her face. Claire's heart nearly stopped at the shock as her fingers trembled on the wall where she had placed them. Her teeth clenched as her stomach fluttered in a fit of rage, watching the woman touch Hunter inappropriately.Her gaze lingered on her hand for as long as it was there. She didn't know that she was hol
265Even though the girls had a head mask that completely covered their faces, they chose to take cover behind cars as they closed in on Reggie stealthily. They crouched down to become smaller and avoid their reflections getting caught in the side mirrors of the parked car.Reggie was best in his field. His circumspection earned him the position he worked on. He wouldn't be the country's wealthiest man's chief bodyguard if he was lazy or sloppy. His confident stance said that he knew what he was doing, and the way he kept looking around from time to time, it showed he was multitasking between avoiding spectators and carrying out the order given to him.A point came when Tia suddenly halted in her tracks to rummage something in her purse. A low curse came from her mouth which was quite audible in the empty parking lot. She turned around and that's when Reggie's heightened senses kicked in. He leapt behind a car so smoothly that Claire and Penny's jaw unhinged, eyes stared unblinkingly a
264"Look, there's Tia Murphy!" Penny exclaimed, hiding behind a wall a few feet away from behind which she and Claire could clearly see her.There were some cameramen, the manager of the jewelry shop that was opening, and some friends Tia was often seen hanging out with beside some other spectators. She appeared so fresh, so sophisticated, so well-mannered that Claire had a hard time realizing that this woman was exactly the one who raised a knife on her!The smile on her face, the gentleness in her eyes— it seemed too good to be true.Claire suppressed the need to scowl. She may not want to see her hurt for Tyler's sake, but she sure as hell didn't want to be anywhere near her. Tia wasn't the type to socialize with people without ulterior motives. "There's an evil touch to her personality that you can't avoid even if you're gazing at her from afar! Gosh, I can understand why Hunter hates her so much. She's pure evil." Penny commented as they leaned forward on the wall. Some passin
263She was glowing inside, excited to start a new phase with Hunter. All the hatred, ignorance and pay-back time was redundant. She was tired of staying away from Hunter and pretending to be angry with him. She wanted to be with him again... And soon. "But it's not going to take long, right? You're certain what you want... And it's not revenge. So, I'm rooting out for you! I'll plan your wedding." Penny took a sip with a grin. She was honestly happy, and she couldn't wait to get alone and share the news with Cole. Her boyfriend has been wasting his time on the internet, running fake fan accounts for Hunter to clear his image and fight off haters, although it wasn't his place to clean the dirt. But his efforts needed a reward— what could be a better reward than the news of his best friend's reunion with his desired ex-wife! "Hey, I've got a perfect idea about how we can make your second marriage memorable!" Penny squealed as she grasped Claire's arm desperately. "Let's hear it!" "
262Claire stared at Tyler's messages for a while. She neither felt disappointed that he was trying to contact her after two days nor relieved that he at least tried. She felt neutral and decided to respond to him with glee. She typed: Hey, no problem. I can understand your dilemma. I hope your mom didn't give you a hard time after I left. How is Grandma? I miss her. Tyler's reply came instantly: Glad to hear you're not mad. I really thought you wouldn't want to talk to me after the stunt my mom pulled. Trust me, it's difficult to describe how ashamed I am. Claire smiled. Tyler could be a good friend. He was honest with her and stayed in touch as they had decided. Well, it would have made her feel rejoiced earlier as Tyler's cooperation was important in her revenge plan. Since she no longer wanted to make Hunter's life hell, she was going to be straightforward with him and cut to the chase and tell him her decision. A slow bloom of euphoria made her chest ripple. Discussing givin
261She took Claire's hand and stroked the back, "Well, I was one of those who had problems with your wedding with Hunter. I didn't like him. But over the months since your divorce, I have seen many changes in him. His love is genuine, Claire. The man didn't hesitate to kneel in a crowded place to please you, do you really think he would go back on his promises after doing so much for you?"Penny looked at her expectantly, hoping her words would have an effect. Claire only looked away and it blossomed her resentment."I haven't seen a dumber woman in my life!" Penny rose to her feet. "Hunter's literally crawling on a minefield to get to you and your stubbornness is one step away from making him explode with one of the mines. You will lose him forever if you don't stop it, Claire."Penny sauntered to the door, her feet thudding loudly on the tiled floor."Perhaps you want to see his body in a coffin to realize what you're doing to him and yourself.” Claire gasped at her words, her featu
260Penny didn't waver, "Girl, Hunter's character is deeper and darker than silent mysterious waters in the ocean. The last time Tia insulted you in the old Murphy Mansion during Grandma Avery's anniversary, Hunter burned her favorite car in revenge and in warning to stay away from you... And we saw how he pummeled Tyler for being around you.""H-he burned her car!!!" "Yeah, Cole told me. Anyway, do you think that after Tyler and you kissed, he saw him leaving your room and believing that you two had séx while he was in the next room, after Tia raised a knife on you to harm you, after bleeding for you… After all this— will he really stay quiet?"Claire recoiled in shock, wrapping her arms around her legs. She felt cold from all the assessment Penny made her do. "I... I'm speechless." "The answer to my question is— No, Hunter won't stay quiet. He's plotting his plan in silence and when it is the right time, he will unleash his attack on the Murphys.""....""Btw," Penny moved closer
259She knew she started off ridiculously. But it was her jumbled up emotions. Firstly, Hunter was annoying her. And then she saw Penny after such a long time. The friend within her, who had missed her other half— her bestie, was reawakened.The first glance Claire had taken at Penny after stepping inside the house was enough to realize that— had she been by her side wherever she wasn't, she might have prevented her from committing some of the mistakes she now regretted. The kiss with Tyler, for instance."You can stay here if you like. I'll just go up and..." Claire's tear-stricken voice came out slow and hoarse. "Take a shower! I also need to take care of this thing and figure out how to cover it."Claire started walking away when Penny asked, "What is that by the way?" "Oh, this is nothing. Someone just pressed a knife to my throat in the parking lot." Penny's blood ran cold. She immediately held Claire's hand to stop her. "Are you serious?" She lifted her chin a bit to see her
258"You have no idea what I want with you and how desperate I'm to have that. I've made mistakes, Claire, and I'm about to clear them up and make everything better. You just need to be a little soft and let me in." He spoke resignedly. "Be a little soft and let you in?" Claire growled angrily as she threw daggers at him. "You say things that hurt and then you disappear for days. Then you show up only when you hear I've been troubled. How is this going to make anything better? You don't keep your word and only act when it's convenient for you.” "I didn't disappear! I was just— wait!" Hunter fluttered his eyelids as a smirk unfurled on his lips. "Did you just say that I said things that hurt? By that, are you referring to what I said at the airport— about letting you go? Did that scare you, Dove? Did you really think I will not show you my face again? Damn, did you really think I was going to give up on us?"Crimson colored her cheeks as she redirected her gaze outside. Her eyes wide