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
45Claire stood behind him and grabbed the back of his white shirt. She yanked at it until he was half turning towards her."Are you purposely doing that, Tyler?" Her eyes blazed over his.Although Tyler was not even one percent affected, both their brothers froze with their jaw slackening. They refused to blink their eyes or close their mouth even though there were weird flies flying around them."How could Hunter not fall for your sister, bro? Her boldness is to die for." Shawn softly mumbled to Scott who was in a state of stupor.As a brother he should hate how intensely hot they looked together. But there he was, frozen amidst doing push-ups with dumbbells of ten kilograms each on his back, enjoying how his sister had grabbed his best friend's brother by the collar and pulled him towards her.Their chests brushed but considering Claire's mounting anger and Tyler's equally challenging hard grimacing... They both barely noticed it."And your brother? I think you told me once that he
46When Claire came down to the living hall, Avery was being summoned by her husband for her opinions.She left Tyler alone in the living hall. Claire took a one eighty degree gaze around her and realized it was just them. She immediately made a beeline towards him.Folding her hands, she coughed to get his attention.She felt her knees strangely shivering when he ever so uninterestedly bought his eyes up to meet hers."Do you need anything, Mrs. MacIntyre?" Claire's lips twisted.She saw the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. He was teasing her."I want to know how you took your revenge on Ezma?" She asked, avoiding his playful mood."Revenge? Why would I take revenge on her?" He sat straight."Come on, don't act all gentleman. I'm sure you did something to Ezma to become how controlled and focused you are today." Her eyes flitted up and down his body in reference."I didn't take any revenge on her. There was no need to." He offered with a slight lift of his shoulders.Claire scof
47 Bloomcrest, Hunter was working on his laptop. He was engrossed in his work when his phone blared loudly. Lazily he lifted his eyelids and located his phone beside his mug of black coffee. Zara calling... A small frown settled between his eyebrows as he stared at it. Since that night he unwillingly spent with Zara watching a movie, she was after him like a shadow. Asking him about his days and work, about his meals, about everything he didn't want to share with her. He wearily grasped his phone and put it on silent. Then he placed it behind the heap of files on his left so that even if the screen lit up with another call he wouldn't be able to see it. Hunter went back to focus on his laptop again. But a knock on the door interrupted him. He asked whoever it was to come in and heard, "Sir, Mr. Wordsmith is here to meet you. He says it's important." "Let him in." He replied and resumed his work. Hunter was least interested in Cole's reason to visit him. Since his divorce, Cole
243"I want to see that bitch now!" Those words swept over Claire like hot water, scalding her skin with goosebumps. It was followed by a monstrous growl, one that seemed to make every object in the hall shake in its intensity. Then words, like the striking of dangerously sharpened katana, were delivered by none other than a fuming Hunter. "Avery, either you put a leash on her corrupted mouth or I strangle her throat unless she's dead!" Hunter threateningly stepped towards the person in question who scoffed uncaringly."First you put a leash on your fúcking mouth, MacIntyre. You're talking to my mom. Be respectful... Or else," Tyler came to view. Claire watched him put a hand on Hunter's chest and thrust him back. Hunter didn't budge though. He stood on his spot, his back to Claire. But it wasn't difficult to envision his facial expression. Claire knew how he looked when he was super mad. She could see his jaw ticking as he tried to keep his fury in control. His dark eyes growing
242Claire sat quietly. She wanted to cover her ears so she wouldn't hear grandma extol her arrogant ex-husband. Anyway, she endured it with a straight face. "I haven't visited Bloomcrest in a while but I have many friends there. To be blunt, I have many eyes and ears to see and hear for me. They told me Hunter's appearance after your divorce and one of them claimed that Hunter was resorting after bringing you back. That was quick. As a woman who was oppressed by her husband all her life, I felt inclined to see Hunter redeeming himself for you." Grandma paused for a break. "And I really admired Hunter.... Way before he started having a problem with my grandson. He made me realize not all men are the same. Some own up to their mistakes and want to make amends. That's the reason why I decided to play cupid in your lives, Claire." "But what you're doing now...." Grandma eyed Claire disapprovingly. "I think it's a bit too much. In fact, it's a lot. You're being unfair to him and yours
241Night has settled in. The fog was billowing like aurora lights in the air, outside Claire's window. She sighed lazily as she slumped back in the chair, removing her hands from the window sill to comb her hair back.She spent the whole day after that encounter with Hunter in her room. Claire didn't dare leave the space she had grown comfortable in. She feared crossing paths with her ex-husband again... Worried that his captivating looks might draw her back into his arms.She didn't want that. Even if her heart and body were against her thoughts and wanted nothing more than melting in his arms, she didn't want that.She was looking outside boringly when her stomach churned. Touching a hand on her belly, Claire pouted.Grandma Avery had surprisingly disappeared since morning, Claire couldn't bring herself to go in the kitchen and ask for some food. She guessed that the reason for the old woman's vanishing was her. Her kiss with her grandson, and the hurt it might have brought to the
240Bloomcrest,Cole scratched his head angrily as he blew out a breath."What the hell are these two up to? When did they go to RavenMoore?"He had his laptop in his lap, sitting in his apartment. He hadn't been able to connect with Hunter since that night he came back home to tell him that he made a huge mess. Cole was maddened that night. How could Hunter be so stupid?No guy in his sane mind would tell his woman about the times he tried to cheat on her. To say Hunter broke it on her when she was at her lowest point mentally. Claire's reaction was natural. In fact, she was very soft and leniently handling him.... At least, that's what it seemed unless he saw the images of her and Tyler kissing each other while Hunter was sitting on his knees in front of them. Claire was taking her revenge with a fervor. "Damn, this is not good. Claire is ruining her reputation because of this idiot!" Cole shook his head. He searched in depth and his jaw unhinged in a moment of disbelief. "Is th
239"Oh my..." Claire's mouth slackened as her eyes widened in pure shock.Her feed was full of posts worshipping Hunter and his attempt to apologize to her at the tourist spot. Fan edits were mind boggling. They made a crown on his head and captioned the picture with cheesy lines and dialogues from novels and series like he wasn't sitting on his knees apologizing to his ex-wife for cheating on her. They made it seem like he was saving the world by going on his knees.The more she scrolled, the more astonishing the edits became.Claire didn't even try to go near the comments section. Almost every second post was stuffed with thousands of comments. Had Hunter not been a celebrity billionaire, she would have assumed it was his PR doing this thing to elevate in the eyes of the society.But Hunter needed no such thing. People liked him for being himself, and Claire was aware that the only time he required his PR was to help him remove unnecessary rumors surrounding him for no reason.While
238Claire was unable to breath. Her skin was burning even though he wasn't touching her anywhere. Her brows furrowed. He. Wasn't. Touching. Her. Why? She gazed in his eyes and saw the answer. He was hurt. He. Was. Hurt. His hands trembled at his sides. Hunter had never wanted anything more than to touch her after he realized he loved her. However, last night was painful. He counted hours, his ears on high alert, hoping to hear any sound coming from her room. But all he heard was Tyler leave— three hours later. Hunter's teeth clenched recalling Tyler Murphy's parting remark. "It was fun, Claire! We should do it often."It's not like Hunter didn't know what they were doing, but Tyler making it obvious through his remark exhausted his remaining battery percent on love meter that he was left with. The somberness whipped into his features was the outcome of exhaustion he suffered last night. "We can continue this game in our country and I have a feeling you have a lot to catch up wit
237There was slight fog outside the window when Claire opened her eyes in the morning. She felt goosebumps on her bare arms and her feet stung the moment she put them on the floor. There was no sun out and the sky was gloomy just like her thoughts. Claire hugged her arms and let out a sigh. Her temples were throbbing. She hadn't gotten the best of sleep last night. Her mind was occupied by the event of the afternoon, Hunter's images making her mind numb. She cried even on her pillow after Tyler left. His company was soothing. He made her feel better, but when he stepped out of her room, the air had become tense and stuffy again. She spent most of the hours twisting from one side to another. She recalled it was during the lift of darkness when she drifted off to sleep. Claire looked at the clock on the wall. Not much time has passed since she slept. Just two hours. She was gazing out when something crept within her, making her lean on the sill of the window and look out to her right
236Claire was taken aback. She chuckled, realizing Tyler was siding with Hunter. She didn't call him out for defending Hunter and kept the conversation going. "Yeah, Zara and her leave... I know that. He was depressed by her departure." She said so flatly that Tyler couldn't help but wince. "God, I think I know why you're so pissed. You have two solid reasons. One is obviously Hunter's confession and second is Zara. You're holding those both against him to make him pay, aren't you?""It was never a secret!" "It wasn't, I know, but Claire..." Tyler heaved. "Well, as a person who was cheated and abandoned by his lover, I can understand both of your feelings. I know what it feels to know when your lover has betrayed you. And I also know what it feels like when they leave you without a proper closure.""So Claire..." Tyler stiffened his shoulders. "From a man's perspective, I don't think what Hunter did was wrong. I mean, it was wrong to you but as a man we don't have many ways to take
235"Shít! I'm sorry, Claire. I didn't think it would tear. I'm sorry." Tyler spoke ruefully. He watched as Claire's face paled and some tears strolled out of her eyes. The room was engulfed by vulnerable silence again and the tension returned. Despite that Tyler smiled seeing her reaction. 'You're very lucky, Hunter. How much I wish Ezma felt this way after sleeping with you. But that bítch had no remorse on her face. She even seemed relaxed about getting rid of me.' He mused and tried to take the letter from her. He reached out for the two pieces of the paper. Claire gave him a warning look as if it was her heart he was asking for, not the letter. The cracks on her lips amazed him, prompting him to smile wider. 'Claire even wounded her mouth for kissing me. This is the love I desire in my life. On the other hand, I tasted ugly betrayal. Ezma hadn't even tried to cover herself when I found her naked in bed beside your sleeping figure, Hunter.' The faint ache in Tyler's chest from