Chapter 3 - Not Worth Missing

Margaret watches Ethan leave without looking back.

Then she looks at Claire, still lying pale and quiet on the bed, and feels her heart sink straight to the bottom of her chest.

"This...oh dear, this is a mess," she mutters, pacing helplessly. "Madam, you—"

"Margaret," Claire says softly, eyes closed. "Please don't say anything. I don't feel well. Let me rest for a while."

Margaret opens her mouth, then closes it again.

She tells herself it's fine.

Once the fever breaks, once Claire feels better, she'll come to her senses. She's only speaking out of hurt—out of hearing those cruel words when she's weak and vulnerable.

After three years under the same roof, Margaret knows this much for certain:

Claire loves Ethan.

Ethan only comes to Maple Ridge Residence on holidays or family occasions, usually to take her back to the ancestral house.

Every single time, Claire starts preparing days in advance.

She buys new clothes, lays them out, asks Margaret which one looks better. Which one Ethan might like. She always asks about him—what he's been busy with, how his temper's been lately, whether he's been eating properly.

Margaret has taken care of Ethan for more than a decade. She could talk about him for three days and nights straight, and Claire listens every time—smiling, frowning, reacting to every detail.

If that isn't love, then what is?

But love sung alone is still a solo.

No matter how sweet the melody, a one-person performance never lasts.

---

Ethan returns to the office.

And somewhere between meetings and emails, he convinces himself he's figured her out.

Claire is clever, he thinks coldly. She's changed tactics.

Playing hard to get. Pulling back to lure him in. Refusing to add him back, throwing out the divorce card like a dangerous gamble—does she really think he cares?

He scoffs.

He'll give it two days.

Once the fever's gone, she'll panic. She'll scramble to explain herself. She'll come crawling back to add him again, pretending none of this happened.

He's almost looking forward to it.

---

The next day, Claire's friend Vivian comes to visit.

Her eyes widen the moment she hears. "You actually asked for a divorce?"

"Why would I lie?" Claire smiles faintly.

She isn't impulsive. She isn't acting on a whim. This decision has been piling up inside her for years.

At the beginning, she married Ethan for shallow reasons—his looks, his body, his wealth. She never expected his love. All she wanted was a stable family, maybe a child.

For that, she endured gossip, endured his parents' disdain, endured being the outsider everyone whispered about.

She thought endurance would be enough.

Three years later, nothing she imagined comes true.

She gets none of the warmth, none of the partnership. When things go wrong, Ethan is always the first to point at her.

If that were all, she could have lived with it. She has money, a beautiful home, a comfortable life. She could treat marriage like a job and endure it.

But there's someone else in his heart.

That knowledge sits inside her like a ticking bomb. She never knows when it will explode.

She thinks of it constantly—how once, he was the overlooked second son. And now? Now he's finally good enough for that Shen family heiress, isn't he?

Rather than waiting for him to ask for a divorce and throw her out, she decides she'd rather walk away with her head held high.

"Thank God," Vivian exclaims. "You finally woke up! The world isn't short on men, you know!"

They met on Claire's wedding day. Vivian's family is in the furniture business—wealthy, well-connected. After the marriage, Claire becomes a joke in high society.

Vivian is the exception.

She's the one who approaches Claire first, offers kindness when everyone else watches from a distance.

"Did he agree?" Vivian asks.

"Of course." Claire lets out a self-mocking laugh. "He couldn't wait."

"Good riddance," Vivian snorts. "Once you're free, I'll introduce you to someone better. Rich, gentle—maybe not that rich, but still."

Claire laughs along. "Then I'm counting on you. When I bloom again, you'll be my bridesmaid."

"Deal." Vivian thumps her chest proudly.

Claire laughs harder this time. For the first time in days, the weight lifts a little.

She hasn't walked away empty-handed these past three years. Ethan follows his grandfather's orders—monthly allowances, generous enough that she saves most of it. She even buys several properties.

With the prenuptial agreement, she'll get more.

By normal standards, she's wealthy.

---

Ethan doesn't return to Maple Ridge Residence for three days.

Margaret updates him dutifully. "Madam's recovered. She even went shopping with a friend today."

Just as he expects.

That afternoon, Claire calls.

He waits deliberately before answering.

So she regrets it, he thinks smugly. She's ready to take back her words.

He prepares the sarcasm, the humiliation, the lesson he's about to teach her.

Divorce—is that a card she gets to play?

He finally answers, silent, letting the power hang.

"Hello?" Claire checks. "You can hear me, right?"

She doesn't wait.

"Are you free tomorrow? Let's go file the divorce."

His grip tightens. Surprise flashes across his eyes.

Then his face darkens. "Ms. Lowe, you've made your point. Don't push it. I won't indulge you forever."

"I'm not acting."

"Are you sure you're fully recovered? Didn't they say you were better?" He scoffs. "What kind of quack did you see?"

"You're the quack," she mutters.

"What?"

"Nothing," she says briskly. "I'll be at the courthouse tomorrow to file the papers. Show up or don't."

Her tone is calm. Businesslike.

Ethan bristles. "Ms. Lowe, watch your attitude."

"I'm speaking normally."

He realizes then—she's changed. Completely.

"Enough," he snaps. "I'm busy. Stop causing trouble." He hangs up.

Divorce?

Absurd.

The woman who insisted on marrying him would never give this up.

At eight that evening, he returns home.

Claire is waiting in the living room.

She doesn't rush over. Doesn't smile brightly.

His heart tightens unexpectedly.

She looks healthy. Clear-eyed. Not delusional.

For a brief moment, he wants to turn around and leave.

But he can't.

"Let's talk about the divorce," Claire says.

He sits opposite her, studying her. "I'm here now. Are you still going to make a fuss?"

"Is divorce a fuss to you?"

"If not, what is?" His tone turns patronizing. "Be good while I'm being patient. Understand?"

She stares at him, anger flaring. "Understand what? Are you hearing impaired? I said divorce."

Her voice rises.

He's stunned into silence.

"So," he says coldly, "you're serious."

"Yes."

"Why?"

She blinks. "Why...why ask?"

"I need a reason for my grandfather."

"Oh." She smiles bitterly. "We're incompatible. I'll talk to him myself."

Margaret can't hold back. "Madam, you've been together three years—if there's a problem, say it. Sir can change."

She turns to Ethan. "Apologize. Just say you're sorry."

Ethan remains calm. "You're right," he says lightly. "We're not compatible."

Claire doesn't argue.

She nods once. "Mm."

It takes her three years of marriage—three years of running headfirst into walls—to finally understand that truth.

Ethan knows it from the very beginning. He knows it even before marrying her.

And yet, he marries her anyway.

So maybe these three years haven't been easy for him either.

Then fine.

End it early.

Let each other go.

Under the table, his fists clench. Veins stand out.

"That reason won't satisfy my grandfather," he says. "He won't believe it. He's old. He can't be upset again."

On the surface, it sounds practical. Considerate.

In truth, he's stalling.

He waits—just for a moment—for her to hesitate.

To say she regrets it.

If she does, he'll pretend this conversation never happened.

This is the last opening he gives her.

But Claire doesn't catch the hint.

Or maybe she does—and simply no longer cares.

Her thoughts drift to the old man instead. Grandpa has always treated her kindly. Genuinely. She's grateful from the bottom of her heart, and she truly hopes he lives a long, healthy life.

"We'll keep the divorce quiet for now," she says calmly. "I'll explain everything to Grandpa myself later."

Then she turns to Margaret, her voice soft but firm.

"Please help us keep this between us."

There's no hesitation in her tone.

No room for negotiation.

Her stance is clear.

She's set on the divorce.

That's it.

Ethan stands, grabs his coat. "Don't come crying back."

He leaves.

His phone rings.

"Ethan, are you there?" a gentle female voice asks.

Claire doesn't ask who it is.

He loosens his tie, irritation and relief tangled together.

At the door, he glances back once.

Claire sits motionless, like a statue.

Nothing but pretend, he thinks coldly.

Not worth missing.