All Chapters of Divorced, Remarried, and Done With Them: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

With summer break approaching, Claire Chandler, who had been living far from home since getting married five years ago, received a call from her mother, Serena Chandler."Your dad's health keeps getting worse. I don't know if he'll make it through the year."Summer break's almost here, so if you and Luke have time, could you bring Stella back for a visit? Your dad wants to see you and the little one."After a slight pause, Serena added carefully, "But if Luke's too busy, then forget it..."She said to forget it, but Claire could hear the disappointment and hesitation in her mother's voice.Come to think of it, Claire had been married into the Holt family for five years now.She had gone home once during the first year of her marriage, but she hadn't returned at all in the four years since.Luke always gave the same reasons: he was busy with work, he didn't have time, and traveling that far was inconvenient.Holding back tears, Claire agreed to go. As soon as the call ended, she opened

It was hard to believe that the man asking her for a divorce so coldly now had once cried with joy when she said yes to his proposal.It was a moment before Claire could feel her stiff fingers again. Then she typed a single word.Claire: [Okay.]She had already been bracing herself for this, so the message didn't hurt as much as it might have. Once she'd collected herself, she headed to her father's hospital room.When she opened the door, Serena Chandler was helping Gordon Chandler out of bed.Claire's eyes immediately filled with tears. Her mother's back was hunched, half her hair had turned gray, and her father looked gaunt and exhausted, his body much thinner than she remembered."Dad... Mom..." Her throat tightened painfully around the words.The older couple turned around in surprise and delight."Claire, why didn't you tell us you were coming?" Serena hurried over and took her hand. "I would've gone downstairs to meet you."Then she glanced behind Claire. "Where are Stella and L

Back in the hospital room, Claire told her parents about transferring Gordon to another hospital.Gordon hesitated. He didn't want to burden his daughter, especially when he knew things hadn't been easy for her in the Holt family these past few years."Claire..."Serena spoke up too. "Forget the transfer. Your dad's doing fine here..."Claire knew exactly what they were worried about.Feeling guilty, she stepped closer. "I've already contacted a doctor. It's settled, so don't worry about me.""You..." Serena sounded exasperated, but beneath it was a mix of heartache and warmth....The next morning, a little after ten, Claire packed everything up, completed Gordon's discharge paperwork, and took her parents to the airport.What she didn't expect was to see Luke, Stella, Bella, and Bella's family outside the terminal.They had just gotten out of a stretch limousine. Luke stayed close to Bella and Stella, shielding them from the passing traffic as they crossed.The three of them made suc

Half an hour later, Claire arrived back at the Holt residence and went straight upstairs.Stella was lying listlessly on the bed in her pajamas, with only Mrs. Jones beside her. Luke was nowhere to be seen, which made Claire pause for a moment.At the sound of someone coming in, Stella lifted her pale face from the pillow and looked toward the door. The instant she saw Claire, all the hurt she'd been holding back came spilling out."Mommy, I feel awful," she cried through her tears. "Why didn't you answer my messages?"Whatever Claire had been feeling before no longer mattered. She went straight to the bed, sat down, and gathered Stella into her arms, gently comforting her.She figured Luke had probably sent Stella home with someone after dinner so he could go off with Bella without having to worry about her. Claire didn't let herself dwell on it. She brushed the sweat-dampened hair back from Stella's temples and asked gently, "Did you take your medicine? Does anything else hurt?"S

Her own chat, meanwhile, was buried near the bottom.Claire's mouth went dry. She opened Bella's conversation and began scrolling through the messages.The more she read, the more everything started to fall into place.Now she understood why Stella had been in such a good mood first thing that morning.When Claire heard the bathroom door open, she quietly set the phone back down and left the bedroom.As she closed the door, she caught a glimpse of Stella picking up her phone again. The little girl looked delighted, clearly chatting with Bella.Claire turned away and kept walking.The master bedroom door was open as she passed. No one was inside, and the bed was still perfectly made.It was obvious that Luke hadn't come home last night.Thinking back to Bella's messages, Claire slowed.So when Luke said he had something to take care of last night, he had gone to see Bella?Had they slept together?Claire forced the thought aside.Luke had time for Bella, yet he couldn't spare a few minu