Hah.

Of course the two of them were together!

Claire snatched the phone from the assistant’s hand, her voice turning to ice. “I don’t care what excuse Madeline used to drag you out of here, and I don’t care if she’s threatening to jump off a roof. Get to city hall right now!”

Felix didn’t speak, but his breathing was heavy, as if he were trying to suppress a surge of anger.

“You have forty minutes. You need to be here immediately!” Claire reminded him. “You’re the one who leaked the story, aren’t you?” Felix demanded.

He finally couldn’t hold it back anymore, confronting her directly.

Claire knew exactly what he was talking about: the news exposing Madeline as a homewrecker.

In that moment, she desperately wanted to argue, to defend herself.

But then she realized that if he was asking the question, it meant he already believed she was guilty.

He truly believed she was the type of person to do that.

Any defense or explanation would be completely useless.

So she couldn’t even be bothered.

Instead, she simply asked, “Are we getting this divorce or not?”

When Claire made it back to city hall, there were only ten minutes until closing time.

She sat back down in her previous spot, staring blankly at the entrance.

Time ticked away, second by second.

The clerks at the counters were already packing up their things, getting ready to leave.

The hope in her chest slowly dimmed.

Until the clock finally chimed six times.

The light in her eyes completely extinguished.

A whole month of anticipation had just been reduced to absolutely nothing.

She sat there for quite a while longer before she could muster the strength to leave.

When she stepped out of city hall, it was raining.

The autumn rain in Northcrest was wet and bitterly cold, carrying a freezing chill that made her chest ache with every breath.

A black Bentley pulled up hastily in front of the building.

Felix got out of the car and hurried toward the entrance.

When he saw Claire standing on the steps, he stopped dead in his tracks.

She had been standing in the damp air, her hair clinging slightly from the moisture.

As Felix walked up to her, he took off his suit jacket, moving to drape it over her shoulders.

Claire stepped away, dodging him.

Even from that brief proximity, she could clearly smell the women’s perfume lingering on the fabric.

She took another two steps back before finally looking at him, her voice icy. “Why did you stand me up?”

“Something came up,” Felix said, offering no further explanation.

“Is it about Madeline again? Does she just have to whistle and you come running?”

Felix frowned again.

He had always hated her sharp, aggressive way of speaking.

In the past, he would have instantly reprimanded her for it.

This time,

out of pure habit, he

almost did-until he saw the red

rimming her eyes and the one

died in his throat.

“This was my fault. I apologize.”

It was incredibly rare for him to back down.

Claire gave a pale, empty smile. “What good is an apology? Am I supposed to just accept it?”

His thin lips pressed into a tight line before he finally explained,

“Madeline was threatening suicide. It

was fife or death I had to make choice.”

Which meant he had chosen Madeline and abandoned her.

Perfect.

Wasn’t this how he always made his choices?

Whenever it came down to the two of them, Madeline was always the priority.

So she gave a light laugh and asked, “So, did she die?”

“No matter what, she’s still your sister. Could you not be so…”

The word ‘vicious’ rolled on his tongue, but he managed to swallow it down.

But Claire finished the sentence for him. “Vicious? You’re just realizing this now? I’ve always been vicious.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Seeing the rain starting to fall

heavier, her thin jacket offering

protection, Felix reached out to grab her. Let’s go home first. We can talk later.” .

But Claire stepped away once again.

Felix’s fingers grasped empty air, leaving only a cold breeze slipping through his

hand.