Chapter 16
16
Penelope was too inflamed by Hunterâs behaviour to keep her mouth shut. However, Cole eyed her dangerously. It reminded Penelope of the doctorâs words. They should keep stress causing factors away from her.
âErr.â¦.. I was saying⦠I was saying that though Hunter was worried for Zara he didnât 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.â 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
I
But Coleâs blazing glare indicated that it was more than too muchâ¦
Claire wouldnât 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 up, Hunter barely moved from his place.
She may be weak but she wasnât a fool. There was no way that she would believe that he spent three nights sitting beside her on a stool!
Even if Claire doubted it, she didnât utter a word. She remained quiet and took her medicines when given to her. She ate her food silently too. When it was time to rest, she asked Penelope to leave her alone in the room, which she did without any second thought while saying. I have a phone call to make. Iâll go downstairs. You can rest well, Claire, I will be here when you wake up.â
Ten minutes after she was gone, Claire stepped out of her ward. She couldnât control the itch in her chest. It needed to be taken care of, and it was only going to be disposed of once she saw Hunter. And she knew where he miglu bel
Hence she started looking for Zaraâs ward.
Thousands of needles of anguish pricked her heart when she pondered that. Hunter should have been in her ward with her. But she knew that Zaraâs ward is where she was going to find her husband.
She didnât have to struggle to find the ward Zara was shifted in. It was surprisingly on the same floor as hers, and in the extreme left corner while hers was in the extreme right.
It seemed that Hunter Macintyre asked for the hospital to keep his wife and his mistress on the same floor while the other wards were left. unoccupied. It wouldnât be a big thing to make it happen for him. He was the heir of the wealthiest family in Moomcrest after all.
Anyway, Claire was right outside the door. It was closed and yet somehow she was able to listen to what they were talking inside the room. And through the seeâthrough circle she could see what was happening on the other side of the door.
A very familiar and sharp pain pierced her chest. It was the pain that started on the day of her second marriage anniversary. It grew intense in her chest, making breathing difficult.
Claire closed a hand on her mouth as she witnessed Hunterâs head pressed on Zaraâs chest. He was hugging her tight while she was trying to soothe him.
Tm fine, Hunter. Look, Iâm all well.â She grinned faintly as the corner of her mouth was bruised, showing that she was forced inhumanly.
Hunter refused to let her go. He was frozen there. If Claire wasnât wrong, she could bear soft sobs coming from within. She felt her knees become jelly when he lifted his head. Hunter covered Zaraâs full frame on the bed.
âI will never forgive myself. Itâs because of me you had to go through that. If only I didnât leave you alone that evening, you wouldnât have left the penthouse. Iâm sorryâ His words struck Claire like a missile,
If only I didnât leave you alone that evening- those words rendered her motionless.
He left because Claire was hospitalized. Did he mean that he would have let his wife be in the hospital in care of his friend and Housekeeper while he looked after Zara! Claireâs body buzzed with tormenting pain. She took a step back and felt herself falling again.
She stood against the wall next to the door and closed her eyes. Their voices ringing in her ears as they continued to speak.
âThat has nothing to do with your leave, Hunter. It was written in my fate⦠Just like me becoming a widow at a young age. Nobody could stop it Donât blame yourself for my condition.â Zara said softly.
For a victim of gang rape, she was seriously very strong
âMaybe sheâs seen worse which is why this doesnât affect her muchâ Claire thought.
Chapter 16
âI wasnât there to stop it for you. But now I swear to god that I will not let any harm come to you, Zara. You have me.â Hunter said.
âDonât be a fool, Hunter. You have a wife. Think about her first. Iâm justâ¦â
âYou are my woman, Zara. I will think about you all my life. As for Claire, sheâs just my wife for the show.
Claire bit into her palm to control her sobs. Her heart thundered in her chest, hearing her husband call another woman his woman..
âWhat nonsense is that, Hunter? Claire is your wife. You canât say that about her. Donât forget the sacrifices she made for you, and the time she invested in this marriage to make you happy. Sheâs your woman and you are her man exclusively. Donât ever forget that.â Zara retorted, and if Claire wasnât dreaming then she also noticed that her voice was sounding pissed
Iâm glad you still have feelings for me. But itâs a waste now. I canât be any manâs woman. I am not fit to be aâany maâmanâs woman aâafter this.â Zara stamunered, causing Claireâs walls of patience to come crashing down.
She removed her hand and sped off like there was a zombie after her.
Claireâs vision was blurry, her heart too upset to hear normally. She clenched her teeth from chattering as she darted to her ward. Right outside the door she ran into a person and came to a jerking halt.
âOh gosh, Claire, why are you out of your bed?â She heard Penelope.
Throwing her hands around her shoulders as Penelope was holding her by the waist, Claire sobbied against her shoulder.
âSâshe didnât deserve it, Penelope. Zara is so nice and chaste. Why did god have to make her go through hell!â She uttered while Penelopeâs eyes widened in daze
âClaire, what are youâ¦â
âPerhaps Hunter was right, our betterment lies in our divorce. Zara definitely deserves someone who will love her, and who will do it better than Hunter. They both are made for each other. Iâm being a bitch whoâs standing between them.â
Penelope took her inside and made her sit on the bed. She offered Claire water which she refused and continued, âCole was right. Zara is a pure soul. I was judging her wrong all along. I am such a bitch.â
Penelope didnât understand why sudden change of heart. She first made Claire come to some senses and asked her everything
What she heard was enough to make her ears bleed. Zara was. So selflessly kind.
âI actually had a word with Cole about Zaraâs past. She really is a tough woman to survive after being tormented in the hands of her inâlaws and husband. Penelope shared and that made Claire feel even worse.
âIn fact, the two culprits Cole and Hunter caught revealed something. They were sent by Zaraâs motherâinâlaw, Claire. They intended to ruin her dignity completely so no other man would want her: Penelope said.
âWhat she didnât know was that my husband would climb dangerous mountains if she was on the other side of it to be with her.â Claire mumbled as more tears spilled from her eyes.
âPenelope, I want to talk to Hunterâs lawyer. He probably has a new copy of our divorce agreement. I will sign it and leave them alone.â
Penelope stared at her with teary eyes, âWill you really give up on your love, Claire? You love him a lot.â
âUntil a few days ago, all of you wanted me to get rid of my husband. Now you canât believe me when I say Iâm ready to leave him? A sad smile stretched on Claireâs lips.
âI know itâs surprising but I will do it. For Zara. Hunter can go to hell. But Zara, she needs love and a loving partner. She smiled further, making Penelopeâs heart skip a beat
A smile on that pale face looked like a bloodstain on a flawless white gown.
âOh Claire,â She hugged her friend
âDonât worry about me, Penny. I may not have Hunter but I have all of you.â Claire chuckled as the two of them hugged each other for a while.
When Claire wasnât crying anymore, she asked for her phone. She had Hunterâs lawyerâs number.
âYou really want to do it? Penelope asked her one last time.
Theâ¦
Should Claire really do it? Leave her love for someone else? Or is it equivalent to being free again and she doesnât realize it? What are your