Claire walked in the rain for a full hour before she finally made it back to her apartment.
The moment she got inside, her strength gave out and she collapsed.
But early the next morning, she still showed up at the office on time. That evening, the Sterling family and Quinn Group were holding a joint annual gala, and every employee was required to attend.
Claire wore the plainest little black dress she could find and kept to the corner, trying to stay unnoticed.
But with a face like hers, blending in was never really an option.
"Look, the Sterling daughter who ran from her marriage is back."
"I heard she dumped Mr. Quinn and ran. And now she's back?"
Claire lowered her eyes and took a sip of champagne, trying to steady herself.
"Shut up."
A cold voice cut through the whispers. The people gossiping fell silent at once, terrified Ethan might turn his eyes on them next.
A faint ache tightened in Claire's chest. When she looked over, Ethan was already walking toward his business partners with a glass in hand, as if the one who had stepped in for her a second ago had never been him at all.
"Claire!"
A syrupy voice rang out.
Sophie walked over holding two glasses of wine, smiling brightly. "Here's to your return."
Claire instinctively wanted to refuse, but with so many eyes turning toward them, she could not afford to make a scene.
"Thanks." She took the glass.
Something flickered in Sophie's eyes. Her fingertip brushed lightly over the rim of the glass, where a colorless, tasteless powder had already dissolved into the wine.
"Cheers." Sophie tipped back her own drink in one go, smiling all the while.
Claire took a sip as well.
Seconds later, the room began to spin.
She caught herself on the edge of the table, her vision blurring. Through the haze, she heard Sophie murmur to two men in suits, "Take her to the side room. Mr. Brooks is waiting."
She tried to resist, but her whole body had gone weak.
The two men hoisted her up and dragged her toward the far end of the corridor.
"Let... go of me..." she murmured, before her consciousness slipped into darkness.
In the side room, Harold rubbed his hands together as he walked closer. "This is her? Ethan's woman?"
"That's right," Sophie said over the phone. "Take a few intimate photos and send them to Ethan. Let him see just how cheap the woman he keeps protecting really is."
Harold hung up and moved closer to Claire with a filthy grin. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she cooperates."
He reached for the buttons of Claire's dress.
Then the door slammed open.
Ethan stood in the doorway like death itself, his eyes bloodshot. "Who the hell touched her?"
Harold stumbled back in fright. "M-Mr. Quinn! This is a misunderstanding!"
Ethan did not waste a word. He drove his fist straight into Harold's nose.
The crack of breaking bone was sickeningly clear.
He strode to Claire, took off his suit jacket, wrapped it around her, and swept her into his arms.
Curled against his chest, she blinked her eyes open in a daze, tears slipping down her face. "You promised me... Why didn't you come for me? I waited at the old harbor until dawn..."
Ethan's whole body stiffened. He had not caught her words clearly. "What did you say? Where were you?"
Claire was too dazed to notice anything else. All she could do was pour out the hurt she had carried for years.
She sobbed, her voice broken. "But you didn't come... You left me behind."
Listening to her slurred whispers, Ethan felt panic claw at his chest. He wanted nothing more than to shake the woman in his arms awake and force the truth into the open right then and there.
"Claire!" Sophie rushed in with two maids behind her, her face painted with concern. "You've had too much to drink. I'll take you to a guest room so you can rest."
She turned to Ethan and forced a smile. "Ethan, she's not in her right mind right now. You can't take what she says seriously. You should go. I'll handle things here."
Ethan sensed something was off. "Who handed her that drink tonight?"
Sophie's expression tightened. She could not let Ethan learn the truth. If he did, her dream of marrying him would be shattered for good.
"If you don't let me take her away, tomorrow the whole internet will be full of stories about Claire getting drunk and throwing herself at you. Your career will be ruined by this woman."
Ethan was not afraid of what might happen to him. But Claire was still tied to the Sterling family, and he could not ignore that.
The Sterling family controlled the largest media network in the city. If they leaked even the slightest rumor, the career Claire had fought so hard to rebuild could be wiped out overnight.
"Claire," he called softly.
She looked at him through blurred eyes, tears shimmering within them. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
Sophie cut in at once. "She's exhausted. Take her to rest, now."
The maids half-supported and half-dragged Claire out of the room.
Once Claire was gone, Sophie seized the moment and threw herself into Ethan's arms, clinging to him tightly. "Ethan, I'm the one who's been by your side these past five years... I've treated you better than Claire ever did. She gave up on you a long time ago. I'm the only one who's always loved you."
Ethan's eyes darkened. He pushed her away with controlled force. "Don't touch me."
He turned and walked away. Sophie remained where she was, her nails digging into her palm, the hatred in her eyes impossible to hide.
From the shadowed end of the hallway, a man dressed in black stepped out and handed her a memory card. "The photos are done."
Sophie let out a cold laugh. "Send them to Claire."
Claire woke in the hotel room with her head splitting apart in pain.
She thought of Ethan's expression before she blacked out, the way he had seemed to want to say something, and the confusion in his face that had not looked fake at all.
A bold thought rose in her heart. Maybe Ethan had never received her messages back then. Or maybe something had happened to him on the way.
Maybe he had his reasons. Maybe he had not abandoned her on purpose.
At the thought, her chest tightened with sudden hope. She wanted nothing more than to find him that instant and clear everything up.
Then her phone vibrated.
It was an anonymous picture message. In the photo, Ethan was looking down at Sophie in his arms. Their foreheads were pressed together, their lips less than an inch apart.
And the timestamp on the photo was unmistakable. It had been taken five years ago.
