Chapter 7

Half an hour later, Claire arrived back at the Holt residence and went straight upstairs.

Stella was lying listlessly on the bed in her pajamas, with only Mrs. Jones beside her. Luke was nowhere to be seen, which made Claire pause for a moment.

At the sound of someone coming in, Stella lifted her pale face from the pillow and looked toward the door.

The instant she saw Claire, all the hurt she'd been holding back came spilling out.

"Mommy, I feel awful," she cried through her tears. "Why didn't you answer my messages?"

Whatever Claire had been feeling before no longer mattered. She went straight to the bed, sat down, and gathered Stella into her arms, gently comforting her.

She figured Luke had probably sent Stella home with someone after dinner so he could go off with Bella without having to worry about her.

Claire didn't let herself dwell on it.

She brushed the sweat-dampened hair back from Stella's temples and asked gently, "Did you take your medicine? Does anything else hurt?"

Stella wasn't feeling nearly as sick anymore. More than anything, she had simply felt hurt and abandoned, but once she curled up against Claire, even that began to fade.

Mommy was still worried about her after all.

And being in Mommy's arms felt so warm and comforting, even better than being held by Aunt Bella.

Of course, Stella knew Claire would get upset if she mentioned Bella, so she wisely kept that thought to herself. Right now, she just wanted to stay close to her mother.

She wrapped both arms around Claire's neck and said, "I took the medicine, and I don't feel as bad now. I just want some of the oatmeal you make."

Claire agreed and was about to get up when a steady set of footsteps approached from the hallway.

Luke was back.

Stella immediately looked toward the door and called weakly, "Dad!"

Claire paused in surprise.

Luke answered with a quiet "Mm," but didn't acknowledge Claire. He walked over to the bed, touched Stella's cheek, and asked gently, "Still feeling sick?"

The moment he came closer, Claire caught the faint scent of perfume on him.

Then, when he bent his head toward Stella, she noticed a pale lipstick mark near the collar of his shirt. It looked fresh, and judging from where it was, Bella must have wrapped her arms around his neck when she kissed him.

For a second, Claire's mind went completely blank.

She didn't come back to herself until Luke's cool gaze settled on her. Apparently taking her silence for absentmindedness, he frowned slightly.

"I'll hold her."

Claire snapped out of it and was about to loosen her arms, but Stella had already leaned eagerly into Luke's embrace.

Claire bit her lower lip as she stood up from the bed and looked at the father and daughter together.

Stella tilted her face up at her. "Mommy, when you make the oatmeal, put some raisins in it too. I want raisins."

"Okay."

Claire agreed without argument, then turned and left the room. She had no desire to stay there any longer.

Now that Luke was home, though, she couldn't help thinking that once Stella fell asleep, she might finally have a chance to talk to him about the divorce.

...

Downstairs in the kitchen, Claire rinsed the oats and started cooking almost without thinking. She had been doing this kind of thing for four or five years, and the motions had long since become second nature.

The oatmeal was ready in about half an hour.

She spooned some into a bowl and carried it upstairs, but just as she reached Stella's open bedroom door, she heard the little girl complaining from inside.

"You're so mean, Daddy. You went off with Aunt Bella and didn't take me. You sent me home right after dinner..."

Luke patiently coaxed her. "Aunt Bella and I had to go to the office to take care of something. Next time, we'll bring you."

"Hmph."

Stella clearly wasn't satisfied.

Luke laughed softly. "How about I ask Aunt Bella to come over and keep you company? Would that make you feel better?"

Stella hesitated, her dark eyes shifting as she considered it. She was obviously tempted, but then she remembered that if Bella came over, Mommy would probably be mean to her again.

Forget it.

It was so frustrating. Why couldn't Mommy just be nice to Aunt Bella?

Her shoulders drooped.

Luke pinched her cheek affectionately. "I promise I'll take you to see Aunt Bella tomorrow. How about that?"

Stella's face brightened at once.

"Really? Yay!"

Claire stood motionless outside the room, the bowl still in her hands as she watched them.

The heat had already turned her fingers red, but she barely noticed the burn.

She lingered there for a moment before finally stepping inside.

Stella looked at her carefully for a moment, almost as if she were checking whether Claire had overheard them. When Claire didn't react, she immediately began acting spoiled again.

"Mommy, feed me."

Claire's voice remained calm. "Let Dad do it. He's already holding you, so it'll be easier."

Luke glanced at her.

Stella looked disappointed. Claire had almost never refused her before, especially when she was sick, when she would normally indulge nearly anything Stella asked for.

Today was different.

Still, Stella didn't think too deeply about it and eventually said, "Okay."

Claire handed the bowl to Luke without responding to the look he gave her. He didn't keep watching her either. He simply took it and began feeding Stella while she ate obediently from his hand.

Once she finished, Stella started getting sleepy and asked Claire to help her take a bath.

This time, Claire agreed.

She bathed Stella, then sat her down and dried her hair. When they came out of the bathroom, Luke had stepped into the hallway to take a call, and his voice carried faintly through the open door.

"Stella's fine now, so don't worry. Take care of yourself. Good night."

There was an unmistakable tenderness in the way he said good night.

Once upon a time, he had spoken to Claire that way every night. After they got married, those words had gradually disappeared.

But perhaps that was for the best now.

If Luke loved Bella that much, then he would probably be just as eager to end this marriage.

Claire lowered her eyes and pushed the thought aside, then went back to bed with Stella and stayed beside her until she fell asleep.

Stella truly was exhausted and drifted off before long.

Once she was sure her daughter was asleep, Claire carefully slipped out from under the covers, turned off the light, and left the room.

Luke was still talking to Bella on the phone.

The two of them seemed to have endless things to say to each other, something Claire hadn't experienced with him in years.

After the second year of their marriage, once Stella was born, almost every conversation between Claire and Luke had revolved around their daughter.

The moment Luke saw Claire step out of the room, much of the warmth faded from his face.

He said something brief to Bella, then started walking away as though he had no interest in staying there with Claire.

Claire watched him head toward the study and followed.

"Luke, I need to talk to you."

He stopped.

Only then did he turn around, his brows drawing together slightly as he waited for her to continue. From the look on his face, he didn't seem to have much patience for whatever she was about to say.