All Chapters of The Shadow Husband : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"This dress has to be more luxurious than anything Claire has ever worn. I want silk imported directly from Milan, not the cheap material you can find in local boutiques."Natalie tossed the thick catalog of high-end wedding planning designs onto the glass table. Her eyes gleamed with obsession as she stared at the sketch of a long-tailed wedding gown. To her, the marriage to Arthur was not just the union of two people. It was a stage to prove that she was the true winner.Even though she knew full well that this engagement was the result of a scandal she had deliberately created to trap Arthur, Natalie did not care. She wanted to drown Claire in a luxury that the wife of a disgraced grandson could never achieve.Arthur, sitting on the sofa across from her, only stared blankly out the window. His face looked haggard, a lingering effect of the financial collapse that had hit him the day before. "Natalie, can you stop talking about dresses for a minute? My head is about to split open th

"You really have the nerve to show up here wearing just that plain dress, Claire?"Natalie’s shrill voice greeted Claire the moment she stepped through the hotel ballroom doors. Natalie stood in the center of the room, wearing a gold dress covered in sparkling sequins. Around her neck and ears hung a set of large diamond jewelry that looked almost too heavy for her petite frame. She deliberately stood under the main crystal chandelier so everyone could see how expensive her appearance was that night.The engagement party was held at a smaller family-owned hotel, but Natalie had tried hard to transform it into something grand. Unfortunately, budget constraints made the lilies she had chosen look slightly wilted in some corners, and the room felt too crowded for the number of guests present. The forced sense of luxury instead created a faint impression of tackiness.Claire took a deep breath, tightening her grip on her small handbag. She wore no flashy gold or silver. Her simple black s

"You think you can fool everyone with this cheap circus act of yours, Julian?"Arthur intercepted Julian just as the man was about to follow Claire to the buffet area. His face still flushed with shame, Arthur pulled Julian’s arm toward the quiet hotel balcony.The cold night wind blew strongly, but it was not enough to cool Arthur’s searing anger. He made sure no other guests or servants could hear their conversation.Julian removed Arthur’s hand from his arm with a casual movement, as if brushing off dust from his suit. He leaned against the balcony railing, looking at Arthur with a gaze that made the man in front of him feel small."What circus act are you talking about, Arthur? I just came to celebrate your success in ruining the family’s stocks," Julian replied in a perfectly flat tone."Don’t act so innocent!" Arthur snapped, pointing at Julian’s face. "Sterling is the best expert in the world. If he says it’s real, then it’s real. You stole that jewelry or used illegal money to

The apartment's silence was suddenly broken by the loud sound of the phone on the table. Claire jolted, almost dropping the wallet to the floor. On the screen, Julian's name flickered.Claire swallowed hard. She tried to steady her breathing so her voice would not sound shaky. After wiping away tears with the back of her hand, she pressed the green button."Hello?" Claire's voice sounded hoarse."Claire," Julian's voice came from the other end of the line.The girl was silent for a moment. Usually, Julian's voice was always steady, calm, and without excessive emotion. But this time, Claire could detect something different. His breathing sounded slightly uneven. There was a subtle note of panic in his words, something Claire had never heard before even when they were in dangerous situations."Yes, Julian?""Did you see my wallet?" Julian asked quickly.Claire looked at the dark brown leather wallet in front of her. The small photograph still lay beside it, staring at her with a child's

"Why aren’t you asleep yet, Claire? It’s past midnight."Julian stood in the kitchen doorway, still in his work shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He watched Claire as she sat staring blankly at her laptop, which had already gone into sleep mode. Claire jolted slightly, surprised by the man’s nearly silent presence."I was just checking some class schedules," Claire said as she closed her laptop. "Did you just get home?"Julian nodded faintly and stepped inside to pour himself a glass of water. Claire watched him quietly. Since the photo incident and their conversation about Bellwood Lake, the air between them had grown awkward. An invisible wall had been thickening by the day. Still, strangely enough, Julian’s attention had only grown sharper.Claire glanced at the pillow leaning against the couch where she’d been sitting. That morning, she’d found her old pillow replaced with a far more comfortable orthopedic one. Julian had said nothing about it, but he must have noticed h