Claire looked at Wilbur, who was sitting by the bed, her face full of surprise. ‘What are you doing here?’

Wilbur wasn’t in a hurry to answer her question. Instead, he swirled the small amount of water left in the glass and asked, ‘Want some more? You seemed pretty thirsty.’

She had practically downed the entire glass.

Claire felt a little awkward, mainly because she never expected Wilbur to be the one feeding her water. Her mind paused for a second before she suddenly remembered something. ‘Did you see anyone else when you came in?’

Wilbur shook his head. ‘No.’

Claire let out a mocking chuckle.

Just as she expected. That jerk had probably been summoned away by his little pet again.

Claire drank another half glass of water, feeling her throat finally soothe. Leaning against the headboard, she asked Wilbur again, ‘Why are you here?’

‘Noreen asked me to come,’ Wilbur explained. ‘She couldn’t get through to your phone and was worried something happened to you. Since she couldn’t make it from Rivercrest City herself, she reached out to me.’

Claire hurriedly searched for her phone. Wilbur handed her coat over, and when she took out her phone, she realized it was completely dead. Having waited at city hall all day, the battery had drained long ago. That was why Noreen Gilmore couldn’t reach her.

‘How did Noreen know I was in the hospital?’ Claire asked, slightly confused. Wilbur’s expression barely shifted. ‘She didn’t.’

‘Then how did you find me?’ Claire was even more puzzled.

Wilbur explained, ‘Pure coincidence.’

It wasn’t actually a coincidence. He had gone to city hall and seen on the security footage that Claire had fainted and been taken away by Felix. He guessed she must be at a nearby hospital. He had searched them one by one, asking at every front desk until he finally found her.

But he didn’t elaborate, brushing it off with a single word.

Claire didn’t overthink it, offering an awkward smile. ‘Well, that is quite a coincidence.’

After all, Northcrest was a huge city. Finding someone who couldn’t be contacted was no easy feat.

After the brief exchange, the two fell into an awkward silence.

They used to have plenty to talk about, especially during their time on the island. They could talk about anything and everything. Wilbur was a mart of vast knowledge. No matter what topic Claire brought up he could keep the conversation going.

The reason she was able to recover from the shadow of her miscarriage so quickly was partly due to her best friend Noreen’s support and the healing beauty of the island, but also thanks to Wilbur’s constant banter.

That delicate balance had been shattered after that unexpected kiss.

She had been in a terrible mood that day. Coley had explicitly told her that in a situation like hers and Felix’s, without concrete evidence of infidelity of domestic abuse, court likely wouldn’t grant a divorce on

the first try if it went to litigation. Instead, they would enforce a

cooling-off period.

Only after six months could she file again. The process would drag on for a very long time—a year, maybe even two. And that depended on whether the other party cooperated.

Especially with a man of Felix’s

status; as long as he refused to divorce, his legal team would racke

their brams to exploit legal loopholes and stall for time. If she could afford to wait, he would try negotiating with Cofey again.

But Claire couldn’t afford to wait. She decided to talk to Felix one more time.

She never expected to walk in on Felix and Madeline having a secret rendezvous. Right at the hotel she was staying at. The two were making out before they even got through the door.

Claire still remembered how she felt in that moment. Her blood ran cold, and her hands and feet turned to ice.

She stood frozen for a long time before she found the strength to walk away. She ended up at a bar to drink and unexpectedly ran into Wilbur.

She was drunk, her mind a mess, and her emotions had taken full control. Her only thought was: if he could play dirty, two could play at that game.