Chapter 4
Cold air seeped through the cracks in the door, and her fingers turned purple from the cold. Her legs swelled and ached, and every tiny movement sent sharp pain shooting through her body. But no matter how much she screamed, no one answered.
Claire's stomach churned with acid, the hunger gnawing at her from the inside.
Lynn's cheerful voice drifted in from outside the door. "Ethan, you're so good at this. Detective Simmons should finally understand what I went through back then, right?"
Ethan's gentle reply came next. "Don't think about her anymore. Didn't you say you wanted to eat my cooking? Let's go."
Claire's heart dropped, and something hollow opened up in her chest. A smile pulled at the corner of her lips even as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She whispered to the empty room, "We were never on the same path. I was the fool who kept trying to follow you, dragging this out until now. From here on out, you go your way and I'll go mine. Ethan, you'd better not regret this."
Her body gave out, and darkness swallowed her whole. Time lost all meaning until an anxious voice pierced through the void. "Claire, Claire wake up."
Ethan was gripping her hand tight, his eyes bloodshot and red-rimmed. "You're finally awake."
Claire felt dazed, her mind struggling to catch up with reality.
Ethan helped her sit up and gently held a glass of water to her lips. "After going through this, you should understand how hard things were for me and Lynnie back then," he said softly. "So stop spreading lies about her."
The brief moment of tenderness was shattered instantly. Claire's voice came out cold. "Fine. I'll stay away from both of you from now on."
Something twisted uncomfortably in Ethan's chest when he heard that. "Don't say things you don't mean. Look, I've already taken care of the reporters, so this won't affect you. Right now, Lynnie's not doing well."
He sighed, "She keeps having nightmares, and the spiritual master we brought in says the person who harmed her needs to go pray for her at the church. Get some rest tonight, and we'll leave first thing in the morning."
"Ethan." Claire's hands trembled as she pulled back the covers, revealing her legs—still swollen and bruised. "Look at me. Really look. I can't even stand up, and you want me to go pray for her?"
But those eyes she'd loved for over ten years refused to meet hers, choosing instead to stare out the window at nothing.
A bitter laugh escaped Claire's lips as she closed her eyes. It was the only way to keep herself from crying in front of him like some pathetic fool.
"I know you're uncomfortable, but this all happened because of you," Ethan said. "Lynnie's willing to forgive you, but you made a mistake and you need to make it right."
A mistake? What mistake had she made?
She'd nearly died saving him from those kidnappers. She'd run herself ragged trying to get him justice, only to be humiliated by him in front of everyone.
No, maybe that was the mistake. Maybe she should have seen it sooner—Ethan wasn't the person she'd fallen in love with anymore. That man was already gone.
"I'm not going." Claire knocked his hand away, her whole body trembling. "What's it gonna be this time, Ethan? You locking me up in that room again, or are you threatening my mom?"
Ethan's face went pale. He stared at his empty ring finger for a long moment, like he was turning something over in his mind. When he finally spoke, his voice was careful.
"Claire, why would you think that? I'll be with you the whole time. We'll pray at the church and then I'll take you straight to the hospital to see your mom, okay?"
He softened his tone even more, like he was afraid she wouldn't believe him. "I love you so much—how could I ever lock you up again? Don't be upset. I promise this is the last time."
His voice had that same gentle coaxing quality it used to have when he'd ask her out on dates.
Claire's heart twisted violently. God, the absurdity of it all.
He'd destroyed her reputation, threatened Helena's life, imprisoned her, forced her to donate blood, made her pray—and here he was, still claiming he loved her.
*****
The next day, while it was still dark outside, Ethan gave her no choice but to go to the church with him.
Snow was falling thickly outside the window. When he touched her freezing fingertips, he reached over without a word and turned the heat up a couple of degrees.
An hour later, the car pulled up at the base of the mountain. The wind cut through the air like knives, and her thin frame swayed under the force of it.
Ethan said, "Claire, it's time."
The moment the words left his mouth, his bodyguards grabbed my arms and forced me down to my knees.
Ethan couldn't seem to look at me like this, so he turned his head away. "Claire, Lynnie's all alone up on the mountain peak, and she gets scared easily. I need to go be with her right now."
He paused, then added, "Claire, you've always been so strong. It's just praying for Lynnie's sake—you'll be fine, I know you will."
With that, he turned and headed for the cable car, and within moments, he was gone.
The guards dragged Claire down one thousand and eight stone steps, and her forehead slammed against each one. Blood smeared across the stone, leaving a crimson trail behind her, and the pain eventually faded into numbness.
When she finally reached the last step, she knelt on the ground and looked up. Lynn smiled down at her with fake sweetness. "Thank you so much, Detective Simmons, for praying for me. I'm sure it'll make all my wishes come true."
She emphasized those last words, and Ethan carefully placed the rosary beads around her neck.
The guards finally released Claire, and she collapsed onto the ground. Hot blood streamed into her eyes, turning her entire world red.
Claire let out a sneer. How could he still claim to love her?
There was a time when she'd get even the tiniest scratch, and Ethan would panic and call a doctor in the middle of the night.
But now he stood there holding rosary beads she'd bled for—her forehead split open, her blood coating every stone—and all he cared about was making another woman feel safe.
How could this be love?
It was just like her—she didn't love him anymore either, so that was why it didn't hurt.
When Claire woke up again, she was already in the hospital.
The room was empty, and her phone showed a text from Ethan. [Stay put at the hospital. I'll come see you after the auction ends.]
That same night, she saw the news plastered all over the entertainment headlines. [Attorney Shepherd lights lanterns with his new flame while Detective Simmons recovers alone in the hospital.]