Chapter 861
The atmosphere in the hospital room snapped taut.
Wilbur’s assistant sensed the shifting tension and quickly excused herself. As an outsider, it wasn’t her place to linger.
The moment the door clicked shut, Claire Chase’s polite facade vanished.
“If I’m not speaking nicely to you, it’s because I don’t want to speak to you at all. If I’m giving you the cold shoulder, it’s because I don’t want to see you. Is that really so hard to understand?” Claire glared at him icily. “Or am I not being obvious enough? Next time, I’ll just tattoo ‘unwelcome’ on my forehead.”
Felix Quigley felt a suffocating wave of frustration. Surprisingly, he swallowed the anger flaring in his chest and offered the bouquet he had brought. “These are for you. Purple tulips, your favorite. I went out of my way to get them.”
“No need,” Claire rejected him flatly. She gestured toward the arrangement already sitting on the bedside table. “I already have flowers.”
A woman’s appreciation for a gift entirely depended on who gave it. Besides, no one needed two of the exact same thing.
The same went for affection.
“Who sent those?” Felix’s gaze turned somber as it swept over the bouquet, noting it was identical to his.
Claire couldn’t be bothered to entertain his jealousy. She slammed her silverware down onto the tray table. “You’re overstepping.”
“It was Wilbur, wasn’t it?” Felix’s expression darkened, his voice laced with a humorless edge.
He was annoyingly perceptive.
Claire didn’t deny it. “So what? You’re allowed to shower other women with attention, but no one is allowed to check on me? Drop the double standards. I’m young and vibrant-I’m not about to live like a nun.”
“Claire, I warned you. Stay away from Wilbur. You know damn well it pisses me off.”
Felix was practically radiating dark energy.
Claire scoffed. “And I warned you to cut the crap with Madeline Lynwood, but you didn’t listen either, did you?”
She met his furious stare head-on, refusing to back down.
“Besides, what does your anger have to do with me? Do you seriously think you still matter?”
Felix’s predatory gaze narrowed. “Then who matters? Wilbur?”
Here we go again.
Sometimes, Claire suspected Felix was deliberately trying to trap her into saying something incriminating just so he could leave her with nothing in the divorce.
But that made no sense.
She was already perfectly willing to walk away empty-handed; she wanted this marriage over yesterday.
And from start to finish, it was Felix who had been dragging his feet.
Remembering what Coley had told her, Claire pushed down her temper and sighed. “Felix, can’t we just part amicably? As long as you agree to sigh the paperssi won’t ask for a single dime. My presence is only getting in the way of your true love.”
She honestly felt like the most gracious ex-wife in the world, reminding him of what truly mattered.
“You saw the news over the past few days. Being your secret mistress is hurting her. I’m willing to step aside and let you two be together.”
Claire sounded incredibly magnanimous.
Only she knew how hard her hands were trembling beneath the table.
Yet, her reasonable plea was met with Felix’s cold, absolute rejection.
“No.”
“I’m not divorcing you.”
Claire lost it. “Why the hell not?! I
thought you were madly in love with
Madeline! You’re really going to let
the love of your life skulk around the shadows forever?”
Felix lowered his gaze. “My relationship with her isn’t what you think. Regardless, I
am not signing those papers.”
He pulled up a chair, sitting right beside her bed, his tone suddenly dead serious. “Claire, let’s not do this. Can we just stay married?”
“I’ve already made arrangements to send Madeline abroad. My chances of seeing her will be slim to none. She won’t be an issue for us anymore. So please, let’s drop the
divorce. Okay?”
He sounded remarkably sincere.
If she hadn’t seen his blatant displays of affection toward Madeline with her own two
eyes, she might have actually been moved.