I Left My Ex-Husband, He Begs at My Wedding

Chapter 2

Ethan didn't even think the idea of "sleeping with a spouse for money" was out of line. Instead, he doubled down and criticized her.

"Was I wrong? If you divorce me, do you really think you can go crawling back to your family and live like some pampered heiress? Claire Bennett, don't be naive. Know your place."

"I have two hands and two feet. I can live just fine without my family!"

She forced herself to stop crying, went upstairs ahead of him, pulled out a suitcase, and started packing.

She'd had enough of that cold, miserable home, with an indifferent father and a mother who'd spent her whole life bowing and scraping.

Ethan stood there as she passed him. He made no attempt to stop her.

"Claire, I don't have the patience for this. Don't expect me to come begging you to come back."

She could hear the irritation, anger, and even disgust in his voice.

Maybe because he'd watched her silently fold clothes into her suitcase, his tone softened slightly.

"I'm busy these days. If you want a divorce, you'll have to schedule it with my assistant. And don't say I'm being heartless. If you change your mind before the appointment, I can pretend tonight never happened."

Claire found his words almost laughable.

She wanted a divorce, and he could talk about it as coldly as if he were scheduling a business meeting.

As if she weren't his wife.

Then again...

Claire gave a bitter little smile.

She'd loved him so deeply that he'd come to take her love for granted. He was convinced she was merely throwing a tantrum, that her talk of divorce was just an act and she'd eventually come running back.

That's why he was so arrogant as to give her time to change her mind.

She was the one who had given him the chance to hurt her like this.

But the Claire Bennett who had once loved him with everything she had was gone tonight.

She wouldn't bend because of a few careless words from him.

With that thought, Claire decided she had nothing left to say to him.

She was reaching for the car keys hanging by the front door when Ethan spoke.

"That car was a gift from me."

He was reminding her.

If she was determined to divorce him and leave to make a life of her own, then the car no longer belonged to her.

He could shower Eliana with hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts, yet he couldn't even let Claire keep a car worth a couple hundred thousand.

Her eyes burned again.

Almost as if she were punishing herself, Claire clenched the keys in her hand, then slowly loosened her grip.

Her breathing grew tight.

Finally, she dropped the keys hard onto the entryway table, grabbed her suitcase, and slammed the door behind her.

Once outside the mansion, she dragged her suitcase through the bitter night wind alone.

It took at least an hour to get from the gated community to downtown. She walked for what felt like forever, shivering violently as the cold seeped through her clothes. Her fingers around the suitcase handle were nearly numb.

Then a familiar car pulled up in front of her.

Her best friend, Sophie, hurried out and threw open the passenger door.

Only then did Claire come back to herself.

"Why are you here...?"

Sophie quickly pulled her into the car.

"I called you and Ethan, but neither of you answered. I was worried sick, so I rushed over. Why are you walking out here with a suitcase?"

The moment Claire received that concern, the heart she'd thought was strong enough to withstand anything finally shattered.

She choked out, "Ethan cheated on me. I will never forgive him. I'm divorcing him..."

Sophie froze.

She had clearly seen the news too.

"Did you two fight because of that birthday party for Eliana? Could it be a misunderstanding? News outlets love making things up..."

Still crying, Claire pulled out her phone and showed her the security footage.

After watching it, Sophie couldn't hold back her anger.

"He's the one who cheated! How dare he make you leave the house in the middle of the night? A scumbag like him should walk away with nothing!"

But when she turned and saw Claire's devastated expression, she didn't know where to begin.

She could only ask gently, "So what are you going to do now? If you want a divorce, will he agree?"

"Even if he doesn't, I'm divorcing him. If I have to take him to court, then I'll take him to court!"

Tears filled Claire's eyes as she repeated herself again and again.

Just like her friend had said, Ethan was the one who cheated.

He should be the one walking away with nothing.

But as much as that was the fair thing to do, could Claire really make Ethan walk away with nothing?

The Bennett family couldn't stand up to the Sterling family.

And her parents certainly wouldn't take her side.

After all, the Bennett family still depended on the Sterlings.

Sophie had no better solution for now, so she arranged a place for Claire to stay.

By the time they arrived, dawn was already breaking.

Claire set down her suitcase and sank onto the couch, staring blankly into space.

Seeing how lost she looked, Sophie asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"Get the divorce first."

Claire paused before adding, "Then find a job. I need to be able to support myself."

If Ethan refused to sign an uncontested divorce, hiring a lawyer and taking him to court would cost a fortune.

She needed a stable job.

A stable job meant a stable income.

More importantly, it would prove she was serious about leaving him.

"Do you have any idea where you'll start?"

Claire looked miserable.

"I gave up my career for him after we got married. It's going to be hard to get back into it..."

Something suddenly occurred to Sophie.

"If you don't know what to do yet, why don't you try working at my restaurant? The pianist I booked a few days ago backed out. You could fill in for her and maybe find your way back to the piano."

Claire understood exactly what her friend was trying to do.

Keeping herself busy was better than sitting around overthinking everything.

"Wouldn't I be causing you trouble?"

"With your level of playing? Of course not."

Claire had studied piano since childhood and had reached the highest certification level. She was easily good enough to hold her own against professional pianists.

With Sophie's constant encouragement, Claire decided to give it a try.

They talked for a while longer before Sophie had to leave for work.

Once she was gone, Claire called Ethan's assistant, Ryan, to schedule a meeting with him.

Ryan froze.

"Mrs. Sterling, if you need something, can't you just talk to Mr. Sterling when he gets home tonight?"

"We need to schedule the divorce."

Claire's answer was short and direct.

The moment she said the words, her nose stung and her eyes filled with tears.

But she tilted her head back, refusing to let them fall.

Ryan sounded nervous.

"Uh... Mr. Sterling is extremely busy. His schedule is already completely booked this week."

"Then next week."

Claire swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I'll check his schedule when I get to the office and get back to you."

A short while later, Ryan called back.

Next Wednesday at nine in the morning.

That was the earliest time Ethan could make it to handle the divorce.

After hanging up, Claire's chest tightened with pain.

She finally couldn't hold back, and hot tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

The moment she'd gotten an answer, the last shred of hope in her heart disappeared.

She felt even more hopeless.

What had she been waiting for?

For Ethan to refuse the divorce?

For him to realize how deeply his words had hurt her?

Ethan wasn't the kind of man who admitted when he was wrong.

And Claire couldn't accept a cheating husband.

Two years wasn't a long time.

But for those two years, Ethan had been the center of her entire world.

She'd poured herself into their marriage so completely that she'd lost sight of who she had been before him.

Claire couldn't remember how many tears she'd cried before finally forcing herself back onto her feet.

She washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked fragile.

But not completely broken.

Something inside her was slowly coming back to life.

That evening, she arrived at the restaurant as promised.

After changing into the long dress Sophie had prepared for her, Claire walked into the center of the dining room and sat down at the piano.

She stared at the instrument in front of her, a complicated feeling rising in her chest.

Could she really find that old feeling again just by playing?

Claire took a deep breath and silently encouraged herself.

Then the first beautiful notes filled the room.

To her surprise, she slowly lost herself in the music.

Before she knew it, the piece was over.

Applause erupted throughout the restaurant.

Only then did Claire come back to herself.

Just then, a server approached her.

"Ms. Bennett, a gentleman in one of our private rooms would like you to come upstairs and play a song for someone. A romantic one."

Pleased by the compliment, Claire hid her excitement and followed him upstairs.

But when the server opened the private-room door and Ethan's figure came into view, she stopped dead.

All the joy and warmth she'd felt moments ago vanished.

Ethan was dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit, his short hair neat, his features sharp and refined.

And sitting beside him was Eliana, dressed in a white business suit and leaning intimately against his shoulder.

As Claire looked at them, their eyes settled on her too.

Ethan had always known his wife was beautiful.

He'd simply never realized she could be this stunning.

For two years, he'd never taken her to a formal event. The most he'd ever seen of her was in casual clothes at home.

Tonight, Claire looked completely different.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Mr. Sterling, do you know her?"

One of the clients at the table had noticed how long Ethan had been staring at Claire and asked in surprise.

Ethan pulled his gaze away.

His voice was cold and indifferent.

"No."

The reply turned her heart to dust.