Chapter 2

I hadn't even finished watching Thomas' three-minute vlog when Clara suddenly called. "I'm sorry, Hunter. There's just too much here that I need to deal with in person, so I really can't make it back. Let's celebrate our anniversary another time. We have all the time in the world, after all."

"Got it," I replied softly before hanging up. I looked out the window, where the trees that had once been lush were slowly withering—winter was almost here.

Clara and I were running out of time. I struck out the 18th on the calendar once the clock struck 12:00 am. There were still 12 days left before I returned home for my arranged marriage.

It wasn't long before five days went by. Clara and Thomas were still abroad. They didn't seem to be coming home anytime soon.

There were still five days left when Clara suddenly posted an Instagram Story, tagging the local airport.

I had nearly finished packing my belongings, preparing to board my flight in five days.

I still had four days before my departure. I headed out to throw away a few things I didn't want to bring along.

It was then that someone suddenly came out of nowhere and grabbed my hand. I looked over and saw that it was Thomas. He suddenly got on his knees before me, begging, "You've got everything going for you, so please just give Clara up to me, Hunter.

"She's actually been waiting for you to pull the plug on the relationship. She can't afford any bad press since her company's about to go public soon. She's even carrying my child at the moment, Hunter!"

He handed me Clara's pregnancy test results after saying that, which indicated that she was three weeks pregnant.

I stood frozen on the spot. It turned out that they were already expecting a child together. If she had already made up her mind about our relationship, then she should have just told me sooner.

I smiled wryly and pulled my hand free from Thomas. "You're already the father of the child. Why are you begging me to let you have her? She might not even want to keep the child, especially given her personality.

"I helped her build her company from scratch and take it public, yet she still betrayed me. Do you really think having a child with her is enough to keep her tied to you, Thomas?"

Having said my piece, I walked away without paying any more attention to Thomas.

I quietly took in my surroundings once I returned home. I had carefully designed every part of the place myself. I had once been so excited about building a home with Clara, but now, I couldn't even stand the sight of it.

I was pulling out the plants and tossing them into the trash when Dad called. "Your flight has been booked, Hunter! You'll be meeting your fiancee in three days!"

"Got it, Dad," I said. I was somewhat weary, so my voice came out faint and listless.

Dad was slightly worried. "Is Clara refusing to break up with you, Hunter?"

"It's nothing like that, Dad," I replied firmly. If anything, Clara couldn't wait to be rid of me.

Dad reassured me, "Clara doesn't deserve you in the slightest, Hunter! I'll withdraw all my investments as soon as you return and make sure she ends up with nothing!"

I smiled through my tears and said, "Alright…"

That meant Clara and I were down to our last three days.

Dad was the one who provided Clara with the startup capital for her company. She even kneeled before him and swore that she would marry me someday and that she would suffer a wretched end if she did not fulfill that promise.

She did treat me well after that, but that ended once she made it big.

I was probably tired after clearing out all traces of myself from the house. I ended up falling into a deep sleep on the couch. I dreamed of the day Clara and I first met on campus, and by the time I woke up, I found that I was alone in the huge house.

I glanced at my watch and noticed that it was already 6:00 am. I was scheduled for an early morning flight the following day, so I had to leave a little after 6:00 am. That meant there were only 24 hours left before I walked out of Clara's life forever.

Clara still hadn't returned home, though. She had never returned home once since returning to the country that day.

I figured I might as well just call her and directly break things off.

"What's up, Hunter?" Clara asked the moment she answered the call.

Clara rarely got up this early.

I was just about to speak when I heard an unfamiliar voice. "You're getting breakfast for your boyfriend again? You're such a thoughtful girlfriend!"

She had never gotten up early to buy me freshly made breakfast at 6:00 am.

I couldn't really make out the rest of what they said. Clara suddenly ended the call, and before long, she sent me a message. "I was in a meeting just now. I'll come home this afternoon."