All Chapters of After the Sunflowers: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I slipped my phone into my purse and looked at Adrian Hawthorne, who stood a few yards away.He had lowered his head so Celeste Monroe could straighten his cuff links.Her fingertips brushed his throat. He did not so much as flinch.The graduates around them laughed and began to tease."Adrian takes such good care of his former sister-in-law. Anyone watching would think they were the couple."Someone tossed out the joke.Adrian did not correct him. He only smiled and clapped the speaker on the shoulder."Knock it off. Celeste has been sick. Of course I look after her."I took two steps back and turned toward the campus gates.The afternoon sun was painfully bright, but I never looked back.Ten minutes after I got into a cab, Adrian called.His voice was already accusing when I answered."Where did you go? We were supposed to celebrate at your favorite sushi place. Celeste and I have been waiting outside the school forever."I watched the streets slide past the window."I'

Chapter 2

At ten that night, the keypad lock chimed.Adrian came in from the cold carrying a box of my favorite maple cream pastries.The bakery was twelve miles in the opposite direction from the clinic where Celeste had spent the day.He had made the detour anyway.He set the box on the table and found me reading on the couch.Then he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.He rested his chin against my neck with practiced intimacy, his voice low and gentle."Are you still mad? Celeste has a serious heart condition. She can't be left alone. You're going to be my wife, part of the Hawthorne family. Could you help me take care of her?"Celeste never asked Adrian outright to stay with her.She would simply murmur over the phone that he should not come because Clara might be upset.Then, one breath later, she would cough until she could barely speak.I closed my book. I did not pull away. I only asked one question."Adrian, what does July second mean? The date engra

Chapter 3

The deadline for high school seniors to commit to colleges fell on the same day as Adrian's thirtieth-birthday gala at Cedarhaven's most exclusive private club.He had commissioned a couture gown for me and led me through the ballroom by the hand.He introduced me to everyone as his fiancee.I played my part as the perfect partner.I smiled politely and made conversation with the various socialites.Inside, I counted down the days until my flight to Port Sterling.Three days.The party was at its height when Celeste appeared.She wore a white gown that looked almost identical to mine.Her eyes were red, and she hovered timidly near the edge of the room.Adrian noticed her at once.He released my hand and hurried over to ask what was wrong.Women nearby began to whisper.They watched me standing alone with equal parts pity and amusement."So what if she's the official fiancee? One tear from the former sister-in-law and she disappears.""Those matching dresses are interest

Chapter 4

I called Adrian. When he answered, I heard him soothing Celeste to sleep.Before I could speak, he lowered his voice and said, "Celeste just fell asleep. Don't start a fight."I went to the emergency clinic alone.While the physician stitched my arm, a nurse asked whether anyone was coming for me.I did not answer.Anesthetic burned beneath my skin, and the sutures pulled at the wound.I stared at the ceiling and barely felt it.The worst pain had already passed when Adrian carried Celeste out without hesitating.I returned to the penthouse late that night and packed with steady hands.I took only a few older clothes. I left everything Adrian had bought.I folded three years of my life into one suitcase.Adrian finally came home the next afternoon.His gaze landed on the bandage around my arm, and he froze.Only then did he remember.I had been the woman he knocked down at his gala.He rushed toward me, then stopped as if he no longer knew how to touch me."Clara, I'm s

Chapter 5

Adrian rushed forward and seized my wrist."Who gave you permission to leave?"You disappeared without saying a word. Clara, even a tantrum has limits."He struggled for breath and watched me, waiting for the familiar moment when I lowered my head and obeyed.I looked at his hand locked around my wrist."Let go."Adrian, we're over."His entire body went rigid, as though the words had not reached him.He grabbed for my suitcase with sudden panic."Stop this, Clara. This isn't funny."Are you angry because I missed tonight? Celeste nearly died. I swear it was the last time."I'll charter a plane and take you to see the sunrise right now. Come home with me."Home.The word sounded absurd in his mouth."Home? You mean the place filled with memories of you and Celeste?"I pried his fingers from my wrist."I saw July second engraved on your watch. I saw the same date on Celeste's lock screen."His face turned white."I sold the sapphire bracelet and the necklace."I don't

Chapter 6

As the plane climbed through the clouds, the lights of Cedarhaven slowly disappeared beneath us.I silenced my phone and deleted Adrian's number.When the screen went dark, the breath I had held for years finally escaped.Julian sat beside me and offered a cup of warm water."Does your arm still hurt?"I looked down at the bandage.The struggle at the airport had reopened the wound, and blood had seeped through the gauze.I shook my head."Not anymore."The pain that mattered had ended long before.We landed in Port Sterling before dawn.Cold air slipped beneath my collar as I stood outside the unfamiliar terminal with my suitcase, almost unable to believe the moment was real.I had truly left.I had given Adrian no opening through which he could pull me back.Julian had a car waiting.Beyond the window, Port Sterling's wet morning streets were quiet beneath old-fashioned streetlamps.He studied my pale face and spoke softly."Rest at the apartment first. I've already

Chapter 7

My first year in Port Sterling was messy and difficult.I had imagined that everything would improve once I left Adrian.Reality was not that kind.I knew no one in the city's design circles, my style was dismissed as impractical, and one submission after another came back rejected.At my poorest, I had twenty-seven dollars left in my account.I bought discounted bread at a corner market and sat on the studio floor, eating while revising my work.Rain streaked the windows.I remembered what Adrian used to tell me in Cedarhaven."Clara, you don't need to work this hard. I'll buy you anything you want."I once mistook that promise for love.Later, I understood it was a gilded cage.He was willing to give me diamonds, a penthouse, and the name Mrs. Hawthorne.He was not willing to give me respect or the right to choose.I swallowed the last bite of bread and returned to my drawings.At three in the morning, Julian opened the studio door.He had just returned from a business

Chapter 8

When Adrian reached me, the noise around us softened.He looked at me, and his eyes slowly reddened."Clara."The name sounded almost absurd coming from him now.I did not answer.I offered my right hand and gave him a polite, professional smile."Mr. Hawthorne, I'm Clara Abernathy, this year's award recipient."There's no need to revisit events from three years ago. Thank you to Hawthorne Group for sponsoring the competition."His face went white.The hand he had lifted toward me stopped in midair."Do you have to speak to me like this?"I lowered my hand."How would you prefer that I address you, Mr. Hawthorne?"His throat moved, and his voice came out rough."I sent Celeste away."She'll never appear in front of you again."I removed Marcus from Hawthorne Group too."Clara, I got rid of everyone who stood between us."I watched him in silence."Adrian, you still don't understand."Celeste was never the person standing between us."You were."His eyes shook.I

Chapter 9

After Adrian was hospitalized, everything was quiet for several days.I thought the absurd pursuit had finally ended.One week later, he appeared outside my studio again.He looked worse than before.He was gaunt, and his lips had lost all color.Nina said he came every day but no longer brought flowers or gifts.He stood at a distance.He did not approach or speak.Julian asked me once,"Should we call the police?"I shook my head."Not yet."It was not because I felt sorry for Adrian.I simply wanted no further connection to him.A report, an interview, or another argument would create one more thread between us.Then came the late night that changed everything.Julian was away on business in Briar Glen, and I stayed at the studio to finish a design package.The streets were empty when I finally left.Port Sterling's winter air was wet and bitter, and yellow streetlights turned the alley ahead into a crack without an end.I knew something was wrong as soon as I ste

Chapter 10

I looked at the ring. The diamond still shone brilliantly.I did not take it.I reached out and gently moved the disordered hair from Adrian's forehead.My touch was light.Hope flashed in his eyes.He thought I had forgiven him.He raised a hand toward my face.I stepped back, and his hand froze between us.Only the steady beeping of the monitors disturbed the silence.I looked at him."Adrian, thank you for saving me."I'll cover every medical expense and arrange professional care throughout your recovery."But tomorrow I'm returning to Cedarhaven to marry Julian."The color slowly drained from Adrian's face."What did you say?"I repeated myself."I'm getting married tomorrow."When the meaning finally reached him, his eyes became frighteningly red."I almost died, and you still don't want me?"Clara, I was willing to give my life for you."Why can't you forgive me once?"I felt only exhaustion as I watched him."Adrian, you didn't throw away your life for me.

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