He Left Me At Altar, I Married A CEO

Chapter 3

Claire's POV

His hand was still raised, and his gaze was sharp enough to cut right through me, cold as shards of ice.

Princess gasped in shock, but I just gritted my teeth and glared right back at Sam.

"You know Grandma's condition is terrible. Why the hell did you bring that woman to see her?"

The fury faded from Sam's eyes, and he pressed his lips into a thin, tight line.

"Claire, you hurt Princess, so I had to apologize to her on your behalf and give in to her demands. Don't worry. Grandma was fine when we left. She still—"

Sam's voice cut off mid-sentence when he caught sight of my bloodshot eyes brimming over with tears.

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the burning tears back down before they could fall. When I opened my eyes again, I locked them with his and spoke in a perfectly calm voice.

"I get it. Move out of the way. I'll apologize to her."

Sam didn't want to step aside at first, but when he saw how unflinchingly calm my face was, he hesitated and moved to the side.

I stepped forward, locked eyes with Princess's gloating, smug face, hauled my hand high and swung with all my strength right across her cheek.

Princess clapped a hand to her face and crumpled to the ground, staring up at me like she couldn't believe what I'd just done.

Sam lunged forward and scooped her into his arms, and when he spotted the bright red handprint blooming on her skin, his eyes flooded with raw, aching tenderness.

Then he turned to look at me, and all that was left in his gaze was burning rage and bitter disgust.

"Claire! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

I glanced at the two of them huddled together, and let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"Sam, you should have seen this coming the second you dragged your little side piece to go see my grandma."

Sam repositioned Princess on a nearby chair, then stormed straight over to me.

His voice was tight and strained when he spoke.

"Let me say this one more time. Princess is just like a little sister to me. You're the only one I love!"

Before I could even open my mouth to sneer back at him, he lifted his own hand high and brought it slamming down against my face.

I could barely stand on my own two feet, and the force sent me crashing to the ground. The cut on my palm, which had finally scabbed over and started healing, split right open again.

"This slap is payback for the one you just gave her."

When he finished speaking, Sam strode back to Princess and lifted her into his arms.

He carried her right over to where I stood, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice as he said, "Princess, you bet me earlier that she'd been lying about you the whole time. I lost. You can punish her any way you want."

Princess's teary eyes immediately crinkled into happy little crescents.

"Sam, I knew you'd never go back on your word to me."

She dragged her gaze slowly over my body, and her whole face lit up the second her eyes landed on the necklace around my neck.

"Then I want her to give me that jade pendant necklace!"

My heart seized up so hard it ached, and my fingers flew to clamp around the chain without thinking.

This was the only thing my dad had left me!

"No way! What does your stupid bet have to do with me?!"

Sam's brows drew together in a deep frown as he stared at me.

"Claire, we're getting married soon, we're one and the same. Princess is practically family, after all. It's just a necklace. I'll buy you a much nicer one later, I promise."

I'd already accepted how little I meant to him, but the words still twisted a sharp, raw pain through my chest. I'd told him three years into our relationship that this necklace was my dad's only keepsake. And now here he was, calling it "just a necklace".

I let out a cold, bitter laugh at myself. Why on earth was I still stupid enough to hope he'd remember anything I told him?

"I said no. And you, are you just obsessed with stealing things that belong to other people?"

A dark, sour look flashed across Princess's face, but in the next second, she tucked herself into Sam's chest, her voice wobbly with tears.

"Sam, I don't want it anymore. Claire already said that. If I keep asking, I'll just look like a common thief."

Sam patted her back softly and soothingly, but the very next second, he wrenched my clamped fingers open hard and ripped the chain right off my neck. He didn't even care that the sharp edge of the necklace sliced open the skin on the back of my neck.

"Claire, don't be so petty. I'll buy you a new one in two weeks. This one's Princess's now."

He dropped the necklace straight into her outstretched palm, then lifted her back into his arms.

"I'm taking Princess on a trip. You stay home and rest. We'll have our wedding two weeks from now."

The words had barely left his mouth before he stormed out with Princess in his arms.

My legs went completely limp, and I crumpled to the cold floor. I stared up at the sky, and sobs burst out of me before I could stop them.

I bit down hard on the back of my hand. I was desperate to drown out the searing ache in my chest with this sharp physical pain.

That was when a warm palm suddenly brushed away the tears streaming down my cheeks.

A deep, gritty male voice rumbled next to me. "Don't cry. You... would you marry me?"

I blinked my tear-swollen eyes open in shock, and my gaze landed on Xander.

He pressed his lips together, looking unexpectedly awkward.

"My family's been pushing me to get married, but I refuse to marry a complete stranger. You're the only woman I know well enough. If you have any concerns, we can sign an agreement. If you later want a divorce..."

My mind darted to Grandma in the ICU, then back to the man standing in front of me. I had no other choice but to take this gamble. Besides, given his family's wealth and status, they'd never have any interest in our tiny family company.

I cut him off before he could finish, my voice rough from crying, "Okay. We'll get married. The... day after tomorrow, we'll go get the marriage license."

But even after Xander and I walked out of the City Hall together, I still felt like I was walking in a fog. I never noticed the phone held up behind us, snapping a photo.

End of Claire's POV

*****

Halfway across the world in Paris, Sam got a message from his right-hand man, Harry.

The photo attached clearly showed Claire and Xander walking side by side out of the City Hall, their backs to the camera.

Harry: Sam, why is Claire getting a marriage license with another guy?