Chapter 973

Although she might have been overthinking it, Claire was still surprised.

Didn’t he have a luxury mansion in Northcrest?

Why was he staying in a hotel?

Wilbur seemed to read the confusion in her eyes and casually explained, “My house

is being renovated.”

“Oh,” Claire replied.

She awkwardly rubbed her nose.

He didn’t need to explain that to her at all.

Just like tonight, he could have completely ignored her.

After all, their relationship was barely that of a friend of a friend.

They entered the elevator together, and Wilbur asked her floor.

“Eighteen.”

Wilbur pressed the button for her.

He was staying in the presidential suite on the twenty-seventh floor.

As the elevator approached the eighteenth floor, Wilbur suddenly asked, “Do you want some dessert?”

The question was so unexpected that Claire didn’t process it in time, instinctively nodding.

“Then let’s go straight to my room.”

Wait, wasn’t it a bit late for that?

The problem was she had already agreed, and backing out now felt a bit too late.

Whatever, making excuses would just make her look awkward.

Claire stayed on the executive floors of this hotel ninety percent of the time she visited Northcrest.

This was her first time visiting the presidential suite.

It was… definitely luxurious.

It even had a full kitchen.

After Wilbur walked in and took off his jacket, he went straight to the kitchen.

Not long after, he brought out a few desserts.

Judging by the dates, they were fresh.

She remembered Wilbur mentioning he liked sweets, but she hadn’t expected his obsession to run so deep that he kept them stocked even in a hotel room.

It was from the same dessert shop they had visited before, and the taste was naturally impeccable.

From start to finish, Wilbur never asked why she jumped out of the car, or why she was left on the street in the middle of the night.

She was incredibly grateful for that.

Because she really didn’t want to repeatedly explain the mess of her marriage to anyone else.

It was humiliating.

She used to always say Seth was Noreen’s baggage.

Now it seemed her relationship was the real disaster on record.

So embarrassing.

After she finished her dessert, Wilbur didn’t ask her to stay. He personally walked her to the elevator.

Just as the doors were closing, he reminded her, “Don’t let your wound get wet.” “Oh, got it.”

Back in her room, she wrapped her knee in plastic wrap and took a quick shower. The moment she dried her hair and lay on the bed, she let out a long sigh.

Before going to sleep, she sent a

message to Sandra to let her know she was safe and casua

through her social media

scrolled

What she saw made her feel sick.

It almost made her throw up the delicious dessert she just ate.

Ten minutes ago, Madeline had posted a status update.

[Thank you for staying by my side when I needed you most.]

It was accompanied by a photo.

There was no one in the frame, but in the corner, a hand rested on the sofa.

On the cuff of the sleeve, there was an exquisite cufflink.

Claire recognized it instantly. It was the pair of cufflinks she had given Felix for their third anniversary.

Seeing those cufflinks brought back an unpleasant memory.

That day, she had waited at home all day to celebrate their third wedding anniversary.

To make it happen, she had

squeezed time out of her busy

schedule, filming back-to-back

shoots for three days just to get three days off.

She flew back to Northcrest overnight, bought Felix’s favorite

groceries two days in advancet

and

woke up at the crack of dawn to dive into the kitchen.

She spent eight hours cooking a whole table of his favorite dishes, waiting for him to

come home from work to celebrate.

She even placed the gift box with the cufflinks at his place setting, imagining his expression when he received them…