Chapter 2

2

Claire 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 her. 

However, Claire stood still, right where Hunter left her. Her eyes remained affixed on him and Zara. He was literally worshipping her. 

Cameramen surrounded them. The light from the flash caused Zara to cover her eyes. She seemed perturbed by their sudden presence around her and trembled. 

Hunter saw her discomfort and pulled her in his arms. That moment, Clair felt a barbed knife cutting through her heart. She was seeing her husband protecting another woman right in front of her. 

Since there were journalists too, they began to ask jarring questions to Zara. Hunter couldn't stand them coming at her. He pulled Zara closer and pushed the cameramen and journalists with a hand while with another he kept her close to his heart like a precious jewel. 

"Get away," He cut through the crowd of people, approaching Claire. 

Claire's breaths hitched when he was right in front of her. She opened her mouth to talk to him. Much to her agitation, he pushed her away too and made a way to his car that they had used to come here. 

Hunter helped Zara into the front seat where Claire was sitting not five minutes ago. He buckled her seatbelt. And while Claire was watching him, he hopped behind the steering wheel and took Zara away from the chaos of the evening. 

Later that night, 

Claire was sitting like a lifeless doll on the floor in the middle of the hall that was booked for their anniversary party. The cake was turning stale on the table in front of her as her eyes gawked at it.  

Indeed, she was living a fairy tale life. But one where she got to experience love of the na she loved just for two months. 

"Claire, baby, are you listening? Let's go home, baby. It's useless to wait here." Dominic tried to get his daughter's attention.

"Claire," Dominic controlled his tears as he shook her again. "Let's go, baby. He's not going to come."

Hunter's parents, grandparents, close relatives and friends were all here. They looked down at the floor as embarrassment flushed their faces.

The hall was eerily silent. All the guests invited for the celebration were gone. Even the cluster of waiters the hotel had appointed for the party signed off. Only the Argent and MacIntyre family stayed back since Claire refused to move an inch.

Dominic hissed indignantly. He wished to pull his daughter by her arm and take her away. Nevertheless, he looked away as it would shatter her heart more.

Claire was going through the toughest time of her life. She was abandoned by her husband on the day that was going to mark a new beginning for them. Her heart was tender and bleeding from a heartbreak. By forcing her against her will, Dominic didn't want to make it harder for her. 

He resorted to coax her with warmth. 

"Baby," 

He heaved a sigh as Claire finally responded. She lifted her wet lashes.

"Let's go back home, honeybun. It's over."

Claire shook her head, "Hunter will come. He promised to tell the world that we're one. He promised to move on with me. I can't leave without him, dad. Hunter will come for me."

Her mother-in-law, Violet MacIntyre, pressed a hand to her mouth to suppress her sobs. She was fond of Claire. Seeing her in this state made her heart surge.

She turned to her husband, Leon MacIntyre, throwing her head on his shoulder to cry. She loathed her son for leaving Claire broken.

Seeing the elders in a state of depression, Cole walked forward. He had been quiet because he didn't know how to deal with this situation.

Hunter seemed so happy about their anniversary. He planned every detail together with Cole. It was unbelievable that he just left with his ex-girlfriend as if this day and the moment meant nothing to him.

His nerves were on fire. Anger was gnawing at his heart. Nevertheless, he kept his disappointment towards his friend aside and sat on his haunches before Claire.

Cole wiped his thumb across her tinted cheeks. Dark flush has suffused her skin from constant wailing. 

"You look pathetic when you cry, rabbit!" He tried to escalate her mood using her nickname.

"Come on, get up. We'll buy your favorite ice cream on the way home." 

No matter what he said or did, Claire didn't budge. Her heart was sprinkled with kerosene and set on fire by her very own husband. She wasn't going to leave unless he explained his actions to her. 

Claire shook her head, "I'm not going from here. Hunter will come. H-he promised me..." 

She repeated the same words again. Her broken voice pinched like sharp shards of broken glass in everyone's heart who saw her. They wished to soothe her. But her pain was immense. It couldn't be taken care of. 

Her mother-in-law was done seeing her like that. She pulled away from her husband and made a beeline towards Claire. Sitting down, she held her cheeks. 

"Claire, Darling, you..."

"She's better off without your pleasantries, Mrs. MacIntyre." Claire's father held her hand.

Violet's tear-filled eyes pleaded with him. She may be the mother of the heartless man who left Claire in this condition. But she was not her enemy. Violet was as disappointed as everyone else for the deed of her son.

She was actually ashamed. 

It was the shame of being the mother of the man who publicly insulted his wife on their anniversary that kept her quiet throughout the night. However, she couldn't see her daughter-in-law in this state.

Claire was traumatized because of her son. If an apology from her would make Claire move from her place then she was willing to do it.

"Mr. Argent, I am as hurt as you are. Claire is my daughter-in-law and I care about her health. Let me talk to her." She tried to coax him through.

"Care about her? Haha, none of you ever cared about her, Mrs. MacIntyre. If you did then your son wouldn't have left my daughter like this."

Dominic bit back a cry. Claire's dress for today's function was pure white. She looked like a lovely bride. Except that, she looked like a bride left at the altar.

"Look at my daughter. She's not in her right mind. It's all because of your son." He thinned his lips in remorse as Claire was continuously mumbling the same thing over and over again.

Violet helplessly stared at Claire before she moved back.

What made it worse was the cut on Claire's lip. The cut stood out so gruesomely on her pallid face that the eyes that watched her blurred with tears. 

Dominic sat beside his daughter. He cleansed her face with his handkerchief gently. He kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek as he tried to persuade her to leave with him again.

"N-no... I am not... I am not leaving," Claire's eyes flickered.

She profusely perspired. Her father wiped his hankerchief on her face again while holding back his tears. 

"Claire, please, don't do this to yourself. You're waiting on the wrong man. Why can't you see he never loved you!"

The problem lied with Hunter. He was at fault, and Claire didn't deserve to suffer because of him.

Although she was fulfilling her duties wholeheartedly, he didn't even try to pretend that he cared. He was just... Plain rude and brute to her. What he did today was too much. 

What was the point in staying with a man like that?! 

"Hunter promised, dad. He promised..." Claire stubbornly nodded her head. "He promised to..." Her voice lowered into a barely audible whisper as she collapsed in her father's arms, blacking out.

Tbc...