33 Hunter's heart stopped beating. He was expressionless, thus no one can understand what was happening within. While in reality, he felt like he would never be able to breathe normally again. On the outside, Andrea and Scott saw a man unsympathetically looking at his ex-wife. They saw no remorse, no pain, no affliction for losing his child, talk less of feeling anything for her. "MacIntyre, I will kill you!" A sudden rush of anger lit Scott's eyes. He left Claire's hand and rose to his feet. He curled his fingers, all set to effuse his anger on this man who was also behind Claire's current condition. Scott was about to jump on him and rip his face when his father and a cluster of doctors and nurses walked in. Dominic came between his Ex-son-in-law and son. His hands automatically went on both their chests, keeping them apart. "What is going on here? Haven't we strictly said that only one relative will be inside the ward with the patient? She merely survived a close call wi
34Inside the ward, Claire shook the hazy veil of slumber, feeling a throbbing pain in her left hand. A nurse was massaging her wrist which was swollen from the needle. The nurse smiled before she pointed to her side. "You are lucky to have a brother like him, ma'am. He has not left your side ever since we admitted you to this ward." An appreciative smile made its way on Claire's lips as she cast her gaze towards her left. Scott was snoring with his head on the edge of the bed while holding her hand. How badly she wished to stroke his hair. "Ah!" Claire winced in pain as the nurse applied too much pressure on her hand. It jerked Scott awake. He hastily got up and snatched her hand out the nurses hold as he threw spears of indignation at her. "What the hell are you trying to do?" "Erm, I'm sorry, sir. I was massaging her hand." "I'll do it. You're not required here. Get out."Claire eyed her brother as he came to the other side and resumed the work the nurse was supposed to do
35Penelope stared at her face as she decided not to tell her about Hunter and his presence in the hospital. Her first intention after entering Claire's room was to tell her about her ex-husband being in the waiting lounge. He refused to leave. When he entered the elevator after leaving Claire's room in the afternoon, all of them were so relieved that he left for good. Except that, Hunter went to sit in the waiting lounge. He was keeping his promise. He was willing to wait unless Claire decided to meet him. "Hunter MacIntyre and his sluttish wife will pay. I will not let them be at peace." Two days to that conversation, and it still haunted Penelope. "I have asked the company to take back the stuff I bought from them." Scott's words broke her trance. He was talking about the furniture and crib he had ordered for Claire's baby. Claire was being discharged today. So Scott made sure that things were taken care of before she stepped out of the hospital. "That's good. The crib and a
36Cole suppressed a gnawing desire to connect his fist with Hunter's handsome face. Even in this situation, where he was punishable for so many wrongs he did towards his wife, he was acting arrogantly. If audacity was to have a face, Hunter's would be printed in the dictionary for visuals. He set his anger towards this walking example of shamelessness and audacity aside and got a hold of his phone. Cole searched for Penelope's number. Her name itself left a bitter taste in his mouth. He cringed when he realized he was really going to call her. He thought about all the profanities he would receive just for calling that mad woman before he dialled her number. Cole only had Penelope's number because once Claire lost her phone during a girl's trip to Greece, and she shared her friend's number to him to forward to Hunter as he was busy in a meeting, and who else, other than Cole, would have done it on time for her? Although he and Penelope never agreed on anything, he never found a s
37Hunter stood stock-still. He watched as her lips twisted and she eyed him like he was a filthy, disgusting creature."You have lost every right to touch me, Mr. MacIntyre."Her tone threw him off his composure. He took a step back and lowered his hand. While he fisted his fingers as he couldn't feel her skin, she looked in his eyes with a hardness he was not used to seeing coming from her."Why are you here, Hunter? What made you waste five precious days of your life like that? I'm shocked to see you here honestly. Shouldn't you be in bed with your new wife, enjoying your time with her?" Hunter ignored her piercing tone and regarded her again.She appeared more miserable than before. It was as if in these five days she lost more weight of hers.When his eyes came back to her face, she gave him a lopsided sarcastic smirk, "Not so pretty compared to your new hot wife?""Will you keep your mouth shut for a while, Claire MacIntyre!" Hunter grumbled as he came forward to seeth in her fa
38 Her phone froze for a few minutes as the notifications loaded. She had about two hundred thousand plus notifications, which were multiplying with passing seconds, and about five thousand plus messages in her Dms. The latter were alone from the people who followed her. Then there was double of that in her requests. Claire went to the recent comments she received on the last picture she had shared. It was of herself and Hunter kissing. She made this post in the morning on their anniversary day. Her eyes filled with tears but she didn't let them fall. She read some of the comments and clutched her heart as they were so heartfelt. "I came to know about Claire when she got married to Hunter. Wasn't really her fan because I liked Hunter better with the true love of his life, which was Zara. But seeing what happened with Claire over the days I can't help but shift into team Claire. Lots of love and support to you Claire. Do not think you are alone in this phase. We are there with yo
39Flashback cont'd... "But where do we find such a guy?" As Scott released his tee, Shawn blew a sigh of relief and threw the leftover content of his glass in his mouth, feeling blessed that his words were not taken offensively. "Who is better and hotter than Hunter MacIntyre in Bloomcrest?" Scott began to brainstorm."Who will make my sister slick wet and leave her weak in the knees?" Shawn rubbed his mane, "Erm, he should also be the definition of tall, dark, and handsome since your sister is no less than an epitome of gorgeousness. She makes heads turn around wherever she goes. He should be equal if not more.""Hmm, the definition of tall, dark and handsome. Equal if not more." "Where will we find such a man?" Scott closed his eyes as he suppressed the need to scream. "There is only one man with such features... And my sister just got divorced from him."Shawn ordered new drinks for them. When they arrived, he lifted the skewer from it and sucked it."Keep thinking, my frien
40 Hunter searched for Claire's number on his phone. Her picture grabbed his attention and something twitched in his chest. No, it wasn't his heart. It was something he couldn't put his finger on. He kept staring at it. He distinctly remembered the day when she had captured a picture of herself on his phone and set it on her contact number. It was on the fifth day of their forced honeymoon that he had to go. A restless heave left his mouth as he closed all tabs and set his phone aside. Because minutes after she had set her picture on his phone, he had revealed to her the truth behind their marriage. She was taken aback, but she thought he was joking with her, because there was no way anyone could fake their feelings like he did when he proposed to her to marry him. It was actually the way he proposed to her why she was compelled to marry him as soon as they could. Lying back on the bed, Hunter turned out the lights. In the dark he recalled how she had sobbed that night. He had pret
291Claire ignored it for as long as it could. There came a moment, though, when she could do nothing but notice how he sat, silently watching her. He looked like a god himself. But he was mesmerized by her beauty as though she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen… And as if there was nobody like her. The man, however, had no idea that he was a fine specimen himself. Claire gulped a knot of desire, trying to focus on driving. It wasn't very long when she realized that asking to drive was a bad idea. Hunter looked seductive in his fitted suit. Every inch of him was calling out to her to jump in his lap and kiss the hëll out of him. That white shirt was inviting her to mark it with her red lipstick. The crisp collars were asking her to crease them in her hold— while those noticeable and enticing veins on his neck teased her, inviting her to trace them with her lips. His fine and toned physique filled half of the car as he exuded a sense of possession and domination. His loo
290Hunter's face was drenched in sweat. Hunter could easily deal with this situation. He wasn’t the kind to fear a psycho, but knowing Claire had planned this date just for him made Mona feel like a threat. He didn't want to let Mona ruin her effort. Everything so far had gone smoothly. Hunter didn't want Mona's arrival to destroy everything. Hence, he decided to go and see her in the men's washroom. "Uh, Claire, I'll just come back. I need to use the restroom." "Okay, I'll wait in the car for you." Hunter saw her leaving and remorse ploughed through him. He apologized to Claire in his heart for lying to her. But going to the restroom was important. It was either that or have Mona ruin their entire day which had been nothing but full of good memories. He walked towards the restroom like an approaching storm, his stride long and hurried. He banged the door open only to find it empty. Casting a gaze around, Hunter checked every door. There was one that was locked. He knocked on it
289Hunter's heart throbbed wildly in his chest as he saw his Dove asking him so innocently about the surprise. His lips curved with a beautiful smile, and he felt like giving it to her just here and now. "No, it's with me." Claire started checking his pockets. But was disappointed to find nothing other than his phone and purse. "Where is it, Hunter? You have nothing on you?" She whined. "Who said I have nothing on me? You haven't checked it thoroughly baby. It's on me and it'll always be on me from now on." He smirked as he kissed her, and she could feel him smirking. "What is it, Hunter? Tell me, I want to know." Claire pressed but Hunter remained quiet. He let Claire take them to their dining venue, and was glad that she had chosen to book an entire room for them. Just them. The table was alight with candles in the centre of the room. A huge chandelier was hanging over their heads as it glowed with lights, casting soft golden light on them. Rest other part of the room was cl
288Hunter's head was clouded by the message he received as he got down the car. Luckily, the restaurant was set in a dim and quiet area. He didn't have to worry getting caught by paps or anyone who could be a bother. He looked at the restaurant and heaved loudly.Reggie noted the worry on his boss' face but kept his concern to himself. He knew that if whatever he received on his phone had been risky, Hunter would have already put him to work to take care of it. He didn't, instead he asked Reggie to leave him alone."Hunter..." Hunter heard Claire's voice somewhere outside the restaurant behind his back.He impatiently whirled around and swept a gaze around. His heart stuttered and grew bigger in size as he noticed Claire— she was standing under a tree in the far corner, wearing a hot and stylish black dress.Hunter strode towards her. His pace was leisurely, his eyes fixed on her. Even his soul was captivated by her appearance and his heart thudded in admiration for her.When he sto
287"Hey—""H-Hunter..."Hunter sat up straight, his spine erect, and his face becoming white in shock as fear crept under his skin, listening to Claire's voice.He looked at the clock and gulped a shallow breath. It hadn't been more than an hour since he dropped Claire off to her home, and hearing her panic-stricken voice unsettled him."Dove, what's wrong? Is everything okay at home?" Hunter asked and bit his tongue to stop himself from saying— Did Scott do something again?He heard Claire's heavy breathing and immediately got up."Dove, say something!""H-Hunter... I... I..." Claire sobbed, causing his patience to near its end.At once he grabbed the keys to the bike he rode tonight."Don't worry, Dove, I'm coming over." He literally sprinted towards the door.His body was suddenly cold from terror as Claire's sob was making it worse. Hunter had come around the staircase. He was about to descend when he heard her sniff and ask him not to come.He stalled and stared at nothing in th
286Hunter stared at her, thrown off guard by her words. He reflected back on their meeting in the dark alley, and indeed what he realized made his mouth open a little. Mona hadn't looked like she intended to do anything physically with him. Her grin back then had been playful— one that of a naughty child who knew he was notorious for his mischief. "You can say that I was testing your loyalty towards Claire. I didn't intend to do anything mischievous, Hunter. But you see, Claire ruined everything when she interrupted." Her lips lifted in a sneer as she showed him her left cheek.There was a visible claw mark on her skin from Claire's nails. The scratch was swelling, its edges inflamed and red. Hunter felt bad for her. Now that he knew that Mona didn't mean to do anything condemning in the dark alley of the mall with him, he felt the need to apologize to her on behalf of Claire, but Mona beat him to it as tears flashed in her eyes."No, Hunter. I might want to see you with Claire and
285Hunter's body worked on its own. He felt like someone had trespassed into his territory and snatched one of his shirts that Mona was folding.He growled at her as his eyes seemed to darken even more. In the dim lights he came off as a hunter ready to tear his teeth into her skin and kill her. It wasn't a surprise that Mona was unaffected. She just rolled her eyes and lifted her finely manicured hand to blow over her nails."What the hell are you doing here? How did you come inside?" Hunter hissed."I was trying to be helpful as you can see." Mona said while casting a gaze around.Hunter's walk-in closet was a mess. It looked like a clothes manufacturing factory, unfolded shirts lying here and there, some trousers on the floor as if they were dropped just there after trying them on."I don't need your fucking help, alright! Just tell me why you are here and get the hell out." Hunter gritted out between his clenched teeth.Mona watched his knuckles whiten as he fisted on the shirt h
284"If you think that then I'm happy otherwise in my opinion, Reggie ruined everything I did." Hunter smiled a little awkwardly."That's because you're used to having everything done meticulously, Mr. Billionaire. But for normal people like us some mess and chaos is welcome.""Well then," Hunter sighed. "I'll have to make sure there's some chaos in our relationship."Claire chuckled. Later on, they hopped back on the bike and Claire was the one handling it. Hunter sat behind her, admiring her as she flawlessly rode the bike. There were no words exchanged until Claire stopped the bike on the street some yards away from her house.Hunter blinked his eyes as he looked around."Why here, Dove?""Scott's room's window." She pointed as from where they stood they could clearly see that Scott's room's lights were on."Oh." Hunter got down as he didn't need any further explanation.He wanted to drop her at the gate of her house and watch her go inside. But he deemed it was okay if they got dow
283"You'll never have to fight for any right when you're standing beside me. I'll always make sure you're respected and cherished more than I am. I'll also help you with your career, Dove. You can work at your father's or mine— wherever you're comfortable and I'd always come to pick you up so we can go home together." Hunter's voice was like warm honey, soothing and sweet. But Claire had more to acknowledge than just his heart-touching words. The surrounding was one of them. What had been a lake enveloped in a blanket of darkness was now glowing with golden lights. It felt as though the blanket was lifted off, revealing the beauty it had hidden underneath. "I'll always cherish you, love you and give you space. You will never have to question your worth or love for me.... Because I'll make sure I live up to your expectations." The pause he took allowed Claire to notice where they were standing— in the middle of a four post bamboo arch. There were colorful flowers and green leaves