After He Killed My Baby, I Married His Uncle

Chapter 2

As I watched people stream past me, memories of Robert came flooding back.

We first met at a first-year student talent show in high school.

That day, I was performing on stage when my period started unexpectedly and stained my dress.

I froze in panic as laughter spread through the auditorium.

Then Robert stepped out of the crowd.

He tossed me his school jacket before disappearing back into the sea of people.

He was the sun in the sky.

I was just a pebble by the roadside.

That was the only connection we had.

For three years of high school and four years of college, I secretly loved him for seven years.

After graduation, I was finally ready to give up when I stumbled upon Robert being kidn*pped by a business rival.

I don't know where I found the courage, but I grabbed a metal pipe, rushed inside, and shouted, "I've already called the police!"

To my surprise, the kidnappers actually fled.

But just as I untied the ropes around Robert's wrists, someone threw a homemade explosive nearby.

Without a moment's hesitation, I threw myself over him to shield him from the blast.

Then everything went black.

When I woke up, I realized I couldn't hear anything out of my left ear.

I completely broke down, repeatedly hitting my ear, not even noticing when blood began running down my neck.

Robert caught my hands, slid a diamond ring onto my finger, and proposed. "Claire Hayes, I'll spend the rest of my life taking responsibility for you."

I knew he didn't love me.

He was simply repaying a debt.

But when the man I'd loved for seven years asked me to marry him, I still wanted to take a chance.

I gambled that one day, he would fall in love with me.

To his credit, Robert kept his promise.

During the five years of our marriage, despite his success and public status, there was never a single scandal involving him.

But now he had someone he truly loved.

There was no reason for me to keep holding on.

I lost.

I accepted it.

I picked up my phone and sent a message to my attorney.

Claire: Please draft a divorce agreement for me.

I didn't wait for Robert to pick me up. Instead, I went home and packed my things.

Looking around the house we'd lived in for five years, I finally realized how separate our lives had always been.

He lived on the second floor.

I lived on the third.

Only on Saturday nights, when we fulfilled our marital obligations, was I allowed into his bedroom.

I used to think it was simply a personal habit.

Now I understood.

I had never been important enough to him.

The next message from Robert arrived two days later.

Robert: Same place. Come to a gathering tonight.

After one last look at the house that no longer contained any trace of me, I picked up the divorce agreement and headed to our usual meeting place.

When I arrived, I discovered Robert had rented out the entire bar to celebrate Victoria's birthday.

Thinking about my own marriage, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

In five years together, we had never celebrated a birthday or anniversary.

Robert always said, "Those things don't matter. We'd be better off closing another deal."

Turns out it wasn't that celebrations didn't matter.

I simply wasn't the person he wanted to celebrate with.

Just as I reached for the private room door, I heard Robert talking with his friends inside.

"Robert, Claire really is perfect as Mrs. Carter. She's obedient and never causes trouble."

"Of course. We carefully planned that whole test back then. We specifically chose someone willing to risk her life to protect you."

"I still laugh when I think about how she threw herself in front of that explosive."

"Yeah. We calculated everything beforehand. Even if she hadn't shielded Robert, he would've been completely fine."

I staggered backward.

So that was the truth.

No wonder Robert had done everything he could to stop me from calling the police after I woke up.

No wonder I'd told the story thirty-three times and he still couldn't remember it.

Why would anyone care about the feelings of a puppet?

As long as it was obedient and loyal, that was enough.

While I stood there frozen in shock, cheers erupted from inside the room.

"Kiss her! Kiss her!"

Through the c***k in the door, I watched Robert pull Victoria into a passionate kiss.

Victoria's eyes met mine.

They were filled with triumph and provocation.

When the kiss ended, a drunken man grinned and said, "Robert, since you don't love her anyway, why don't you let me have Claire? I've never been with a married woman before."

Everyone waited for the drama.

But Robert's expression darkened.

His voice turned cold. "She's still my wife, at least on paper."

I laughed bitterly.

His wife on paper?

Not for much longer.

Clutching the divorce agreement in my hand, I pushed open the door.