Chapter 5

5

Her heart was crushed into a pulp under the weight of those words. 

Wiping her tears, Claire lifted her face. She held her head high as she gave him a tight smile with a challenging gaze. 

"Then let me tell you, Mr. Hunter MacIntyre, I will also fight for what is mine. You are mine. I'm not letting any widowed whore have my husband."

Hunter opened his mouth. But before he snapped at her, she whirled around and went up the stairs to their bedroom.

A drumbeat of madness pounded at the back of Hunter's eyes. He fisted his hands while following after her. Hunter caught Claire right outside the bedroom. He pinned her to the wall and leaned in, whispering right before her lips. 

"Since when I became yours, huh? As far as I can remember you have always been at my mercy." 

Hunter hoped to intimidate her. But he should have known that by leaving her outside their anniversary party's venue he made her bones persistent and determination of stone. He killed her emotions. 

"You became mine the minute I laid my eyes on you, dearest husband." Hunter chuckled at her reply. 

"You can't have what is already taken." 

"Right. But you can have it if it's dumped by someone else and you pick it up. And Zara dumped you." A muscle at his jaw ticked.

Hunter left her standing as he stormed inside their room. 

She followed him inside. The corners of her eyes burned with forming tears as she watched him rummage through the drawers of their closet for something. 

Then he drew out an envelope from a drawer. She witnessed him forwarding it to her.

"What's this?" She asked as she opened the envelope and assessed the papers. 

Claire's heart dropped in her belly. Her eyes enlarged and hot tears spilled from her eyes as she read the words written in bold weighing down on her: DIVORCE AGREEMENT. 

“What the hell is this?” Claire yelled between her sobs.

“Check the fourth page, the division of assets. My property is divided between us just as I told you downstairs. But if you want more then I will have it added too.”

She watched him look for a pen. When he found and forwarded it to her, Claire gave him a nefarious smirk. Then she tore the papers in two halves and tossed them in the air. 

It sparked his anger. Hunter weaved his fingers through her tresses and pulled her close. He let out a chuckle that coursed a terrorising wave through her body.

"I'll have new divorce papers prepared and you will sign them, Claire." He released her and turned around. 

This time it was her who chuckled, "In your dreams."

He stopped in his tracks and cast her a glance that burned holes in her flesh,  "So you won't leave me, huh?" 

"I am your wife. I took holy vows to stick by your side forever."

Hunter grinned evilly, "Fine then, I will hurt you so much you will be forced to leave me." 

He walked out of their room while Claire smiled sadly to herself. 

She mumbled, 'Fine, let's see how far you can go to be with her. I will also try my best to keep our marriage together. Let's see who wins this war, Hunter.' 

Claire stood there for a long while. It was a wandering bird that flew through the window and chirped loudly that fragmented her reverie. She blinked distressful tears and unzipped the dress. 

It fell into a heap around her feet. Claire stepped out and entered the bathroom. She stood under a shower and let her tears loose. She cried her heart out. She cried loudly and helplessly. 

Just when she thought she was going to get the sky to rule on, she was thrown back in the dirt on the ground. 

She blamed Zara for Hunter's changed behaviour. After all, it was after her arrival that he became indifferent to her. It would have been better if she didn't come.

Wrapping a towel around her, she came out. Just as she was thinking about what dress to wear, she realized something.

"Zara left Bloomcrest two years ago to live with her husband, who I believe was not from here. Then why would she come here to bury him?" She spoke to herself. 

There was no hidden fact about it that it was all planned. Zara's arrival right on their anniversary day was too obvious to the eye. 

"I will have to dig into her history. Where Zara lived before and how exactly her husband died, I will have to find out everything to make Hunter see the truth himself. Her husband's death and her return to Bloomcrest around our anniversary day don't sit well with me. It is not a mere coincidence for sure. I will have to investigate. But first I need to grab some food." 

With wet hair she descended the stairs and came down. Obviously, she was not going to starve while there was a huge battle taking place outside her house. 

She needs strength to keep the opponent from breaking into her house and destroying her family. 

"Claire," Cole's voice stopped her from going to the kitchen. 

She observed her husband's best friend was waiting in the living room for her. He got up when he saw her and moved towards her while his eyes remained stationed on her face. 

Compared to yesterday, she looked even more pale and sick. But that assuring smile warmed his heart. 

"Didn't expect to see you in the morning, Cole. What brings you here? If you want to meet Hunter then you will have to go to his office. I hope he went there." She said with a raise of her brow. 

Cole studied her and said, "I came here for you." 

"For me? Why?" She chuckled. 

"Yesterday has been a tough day for you...." 

"And a memorable one." Claire said with a wink. "But I'm over that. Come, join me for breakfast." 

Cole was amazed with her behaviour. For a moment he was afraid that the trauma of Hunter leaving her outside their party's venue had got to her head. 

Anyway, he trailed along in her wake to the kitchen. Cole mounted one of the two stools arranged by the working counter and watched as Claire put a pan on the flame and broke two eggs in it. 

His eyes escalated in amusement. For someone who had a heartbreaking day right on their marriage anniversary, Claire appeared quite calm and composed. 

As she scrambled the eggs with a spatula he spoke, "Has Hunter come home?" 

"Yeah, and we talked." 

"You did?" Cole scratched his head. "What did he say?" 

"The same thing... Wanting a divorce and all." Claire shrugged. 

Surprise etched his forehead in fine lines as he watched her. This Claire was different from the one he knew earlier. Something seriously wrong with her. 

However, he remained quiet and kept her company as they finished their breakfast. When it was time to enjoy some fresh juice that she extracted from fruits, Cole asked. 

"What did you say about the divorce, Claire?" Cole's voice was slightly tense. 

Of course he knew his best friend's obsession for Zara. 

At this point when she was back he wanted to know what Claire was hoping to do because he was certain Hunter would leave no stone unturned to be with Zara after waiting all these years for her. 

"Hunter is stuck with me until death do us apart." She said with a smirk that was neither good nor bad.

Tbc..