Christian was baffled.
But then he had another thought.
11 19
This had to be another one of Claire’s schemes, right? She was like that. She’d say anything to get him to come back. Once, she’d even sent him a message saying her mother was critically ill. He’d ignored it. The boy who cried wolf can’t fool the villagers a third time.
Christian convinced himself that Claire was lying.
But then he remembered he hadn’t seen her in six months. Since she had called, he might as well use this as an excuse to go see her.
He had his lawyer draft the divorce agreement and sent a message to Claire, telling her to come to his office on Monday to sign.
There was a small hiccup. When he went to send the message, he realized he had blocked her. Their chat history was stuck in the past, months
ago, when Claire had caught him with Lily.
He couldn’t even remember what she had caught them doing. All he remembered was Claire’s explosive reaction, the screaming and shouting. He
couldn’t stand it, which was why he had moved out.
But she hadn’t let up, bombarding him with texts and long, rambling messages, demanding to know why. She was like a madwoman.
One time, she’d sent another message, but he’d gotten so annoyed that he’d blocked her mid–sentence.
After unblocking her, Christian was worried she would start her usual tirade. But this time, all she said was, “Okay.”
Strange. Had she really changed?
12
Claire’s uncharacteristic calmness on two separate occasions was deeply unsettling to Christian.
But it also sparked a flicker of something else.
He sighed. If only Claire could always be this quiet and composed.
He and Claire had been through thick and thin together. They had built everything they had from scratch. Their bond was extraordinary.
But Claire was too selfish, too possessive. After they became successful, she became paranoid, refusing to let any other woman near him.
Was that even possible? He was a prominent businessman now. Business dinners and social events were unavoidable.
At first, he had explicitly rejected all advances. But over time, he realized that everyone was the same. He had only made a mistake that all men
make.
And he was better than most of them. He had only found one other person.
Lily.
It was Claire’s incessant nagging that had pushed him further and further away, that had finally forced him to bring up divorce.
If she had just turned a blind eye, they never would have reached this point.
That’s what Christian told himself.
After all, he and Claire had over a decade of history. They had shared a single box of takeout, and she had lied about not being hungry so he could have more. In the sweltering summer heat of their tiny basement apartment, she had fanned him all night long. She had even secretly sold the ring he’d given her to buy a small electric fan.
They had so many sweet, shared memories. Christian couldn’t bear to let them go.
And he believed that Claire couldn’t let them go either.
So, he was certain. This whole divorce thing was just another one of her tricks.
She would never be able to go through with it.
Christian didn’t believe it for a second.
13
It wasn’t until he saw her on Monday that he realized she was serious.
Chapter 2
When she had called his name, and he had turned to look at her, his first thought was, it’s only been six months, how did she get so thin?
Her face, which used to have a soft roundness, was now gaunt, her jawline sharp. The hollows of her collarbones made her look frail.
Hasn’t she been eating?
11.19 0
A pang of worry and an involuntary wave of sympathy washed over him. But before he could ask, she was telling him she’d been waiting for him
for two hours.
He hadn’t been in a meeting. But he knew who would have told her that.
His first instinct wasn’t to blame Lily. It was to get a good look at Claire.
He hadn’t seen her in six months. Even though she had been difficult, constantly chipping away at their relationship, Christian realized that he still
loved her most.
This love was different from what he felt for Lily. His feelings for Lily were based on youthful attraction, on hormones.
But for Claire, it was a deep, soul–level love and compassion.
“We’ve been together for so many years. I won’t be stingy. You can have your pick of the cars and houses. If you have any other demands, you can
make them now.”
As she reviewed the agreement, Christian’s gaze was fixed on her. He needed to see her. He offered to meet any other demands she might have,
secretly hoping her “other demand” would be to not get divorced.
But she only asked for the house they had lived in.
The entire process was over in less than five minutes.
Impossible. How could she really be divorcing him?
Without any other conditions?
She must have more to say to him. Christian stared at her.
But she left without another word.
14
Was it… really over between them?
Christian couldn’t believe it.
He held onto the signed divorce papers, not sending them to his lawyer.
That night, Lily made a candlelight dinner to celebrate. He looked at her smiling face and felt nothing but irritation and a cold dread.
“Christian, when are we getting married?” Lily asked, resting her chin on her hands and smiling at him. Before he could answer, she was already
lost in daydreams about their wedding.
“I want to wear the most beautiful dress, and the church has to be filled with flowers.”
He looked at her sparkling eyes in the candlelight and thought of his wedding with Claire.
They had been so poor then. Claire had sold the ring, she didn’t have a single piece of jewelry. They had spent a few dollars to get their marriage
license. That night, they’d bought two bottles of beer and sat by the river, singing and drinking.
He had thought then that once he had money, he would give Claire a huge, extravagant wedding.
But he never had. They had only taken a small set of wedding photos, and he’d only been able to spare half an hour from work to do it.
