Chapter 8
601 Words
Seeing Arthur clutching his chest in pain, Claire jolted awake instantly.
Ethan's heart was still beating inside Arthur!
Claire's eyes softened immediately.
Noticing her reaction, Arthur's furrowed brows relaxed, his face lighting up with smug confidence.
There it was. Exactly as he'd thought. Claire still loved him desperately, couldn't live without him. Mention marriage, and she'd swallow any humiliation, any pain.
In the end, Claire left the hospital, clutching the broken whistle in her hands.
Watching her retreating figure, Arthur felt an inexplicable pang of panic.
She was too calm and seemed as if she might walk away at any moment.
A fresh wave of unease washed over him. Arthur shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Impossible. Claire loved him so much. Even if the whole world abandoned him, Claire never would!
Arthur threw himself into wedding preparations for the ceremony a week later, with an intensity that surprised even his friends.
"Arthur, you're not actually going through with this wedding, are you? Remember, this is about Julie. You're just teaching Claire a lesson!"
Arthur froze. This was supposed to be punishment, so why was he putting so much effort into it?
But remembering how Claire had grown bold, how she needed to be reminded of her place, he shook his head again. "Of course not. The higher the expectations, the harder the fall. This just makes it more humiliating."
However, after the wedding, after the punishment, he'd make it up to her. Then he'd marry her for real.
His friends sighed in relief.
"Good. Otherwise, how could we punish Claire that day?"
"Just imagine her being stood up in front of everyone in three days... I can't wait..."
Standing behind the door, Claire listened, her heart already numb.
Perfect. At the wedding, she'd give Arthur a special surprise of her own.
On the wedding day, true to his plan, Arthur didn't appear. The wedding car had already left to pick her up.
Arthur stood in his office. The image of her tearfully begging him to come made Arthur smile.
She'd be upset at first. But she'd get over it. She always did. After all, for three years Claire had loved him desperately.
Once this 100th punishment ended, he'd really marry her.
Call it compensation, if you like.
Outside the villa, Claire mailed her "gift", a large box packed with every damning detail, to Arthur's company.
Arthur had always assumed she was just an ordinary woman who was always at his beck and call. He had no idea who she really was. What she'd left behind.
She could already picture it, the moment he opened that box, the moment he understood everything.
He would surely go mad.
After completing everything, Claire boarded a military vehicle, which sped away stealthily through the streets.
Sitting inside, Claire removed the SIM card from her phone and, without hesitation, tossed it out the window. She cast one last glance at Jivalis, the city she had called home for three years, then closed the window and left without looking back.
In his spacious office, Arthur stood by the window, a triumphant smile curving his lips.
Claire must be in the wedding car by now, he thought.
Once she arrived at the wedding venue and realized she had been jilted, her expression would be priceless!
His smirk widened.
Just then, his phone rang. It was someone from the wedding team.
"Mr. Miller. Ms. Smith has—"
"She's crying, isn't she? Begging me to come back?" He smiled into the phone, confidence dripping from every word. "Tell her if she wants me there, she'd better apologize first."
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