Chapter 3

From that day on, Charles started showing up at the hospital constantly, playing the part of the doting dad.

Every time he came, I'd cry my heart out about how hard things had been for me, how I'd stood by him through all those years while he chased his dreams and built his company from scratch, and how deeply I loved him.

I knew Charles too well. Before long, he'd get tired of my tears and start reminiscing about his first love.

That would only bring him one step closer to finally asking for a divorce.

It was like guilt-tripping him on purpose. When he eventually brought up divorce, he'd feel so guilty that I'd end up with an even bigger settlement.

But what Charles didn't know was that I'd been tracking every single one of his meetups with his precious Julia for months.

From the moment I learned she existed, I'd already hired a private investigator. Every time her plane landed, I knew.

After 40 days of my crying nonstop, Charles finally snapped.

He barked, "Claire, can you cut it out already? It's the same crap every damn day. Maybe you don't get tired of talking, but I'm sick of listening!

"I never realized you could be this impossible. Look around. Has anyone else in this hospital caused this much drama? You're acting like a total crazy drama queen."

He called me a crazy drama queen?

I bit down my anger, forcing myself to stay calm. Quietly, I asked, "So what is it you want, then?"

Charles was silent for a long time before finally saying, "Let's get divorced. I'll bring the papers tomorrow."

Then he turned and stormed out of the room.

But what he didn't realize was that I'd already made up my mind to end our marriage.

The reason? He wasn't going to be around much longer anyway.

*****

Snapping out of my thoughts, I couldn't help but wonder what Julia was really up to, calling me out of the blue like that.

She could've easily left everything to the doctors, so why did she reach out to me instead?

We'd been divorced for half a year and hadn't crossed paths since. So why was she suddenly dialing my number?

I took my time getting ready—full makeup, perfect outfit—before calling Charles' assistant. "Hey, I heard Mr. Sterling was in a car accident. Is it serious? Which hospital is he at?"

The assistant sounded thrown off by my sudden concern. After a pause, she said, "He's at St. Andrew's Hospital. Are you coming over?"

"Yeah, Ms. Bennett called and asked if I could donate blood. I figured I might as well play the good ex-wife for once. We were married, after all. There's still some feelings there."

The assistant seemed relieved. "All right, Claire. Mr. Sterling's in Room 302. Would you like me to let him know you're on your way?"

"No need," I said, hanging up.

I couldn't wait to see what Julia was really up to this time.

*****

When I walked into Room 302, Charles was lying quietly in bed, all alone.

A bandage was wrapped around his head, but aside from that, he didn't seem badly hurt.

He was staring blankly out the window, unaware I was even there. I knocked lightly on the door to get his attention.

Charles slowly turned his head, and when he saw me, his eyes widened. "Claire? What are you doing here?"

I gave him a soft smile. "Ms. Bennett called. She said you'd been in a car accident and needed blood, so I thought I'd stop by."

For a second, something flickered in his tired eyes, but it disappeared just as fast. "Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine."

"Why don't I see Ms. Bennett around?" I asked.

"She's probably off paying the bills," he said.

"All right, then. Since you're fine, I'll get going." I turned to leave.

"Where did you move to? I haven't been able to find you," Charles called after me.

I turned back with a small, knowing smile. "Why are you trying to find me?"

He couldn't meet my eyes. As soon as our gazes met, he looked away. "I... just wanted to see the kid."

So now he suddenly cared about the kid? I'd only brought up fatherhood to guilt-trip him into filing for divorce.

I didn't bother replying. I just walked out without looking back.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I spotted Julia standing by the doorway; maybe she'd waited for quite some time.

This was the first time I'd seen Julia in person, and I had to admit—she was even more stunning in real life than in her photos. The camera didn't do her justice.

Her features were strikingly refined, and strangely enough, there was a faint resemblance between us that I couldn't ignore.

Charles probably saw me as nothing more than her knockoff.

I had no intention of dealing with her, so my first instinct was to turn and leave.

Then I heard her soft voice from behind me. "Claire, is that really you?"

I looked back at her—so delicate, so innocent-looking, like she didn't have a care in the world. At that moment, I finally understood why Charles could never forget her.

When I didn't respond, Julia continued, "I honestly didn't expect you to come. Thank you so much, Claire. I'm still new to Newford City, and I panicked earlier; that's why I called. Hope I didn't trouble you."

I wasn't in the mood for her act. "As long as he's fine, that's all that matters. I'll be going now."

Before I could leave, Julia stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Claire, please, I just need a minute to talk. Would you mind?"

Of course, she wouldn't call me unless she had an agenda.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "All right, then. What do you want?" I asked, giving her a small, amused smile.

"Well," she started, "didn't Charles give you everything when you two divorced? His company's in trouble now. You know him—he'd never ask you himself. But maybe you could help? For Jules Media's sake, at least. You two built it together."

I almost laughed. So that was what this was about. She'd had her eye on my assets all along. Calculated and shameless, she wanted to bleed me dry.

It figured. Charles had given me everything except the company. To him, that was the real treasure, the only thing worth holding onto.

Back then, our roles were clear. Charles handled content and promotions, while I managed the artists and finances.

He had no clue how much cash it actually took to keep a company like that running.

Cut off the money flow, and it would crumble before he even realized what hit him.

Now, with the company barely staying afloat, Charles was clearly going to struggle to support Julia's lavish lifestyle.

And there was no way someone like Julia would ever settle for that.