Chapter 1

After five years of marriage, Claire Nolan finally reached her breaking point when her husband Ethan Sterling dodged her kiss yet again.

She watched him recoil, his brows furrowing as he wiped his mouth with an expression of pure distaste. "Ethan, let's get a divorce," she said, her voice steady.

Ethan's hand froze, his face the very picture of impatience. "All this drama because I won't kiss you? Claire, are you really that horny?"

Claire's eyes grew misty in an instant. She bit her lip and said, "Yeah, that's exactly why."

Ethan's eyes turned icy. "You're so unreasonable."

He never bothered to comfort her. Instead, he turned and walked away, the chill of his aura lingering in the air long after he passed.

Silence reclaimed the room, and Claire was left standing there, once again entirely on her own.

She stood still for a moment and then walked numbly toward the guest room upstairs, the one with the best light.

As expected, she found Ethan there.

On the bed lay a woman in her thirties. It was Emily Sutton, Ethan's sister-in-law.

A month ago, a car crash had claimed the life of Ethan's brother, Michael, and left Emily in a persistent vegetative state. She hadn't woken up for an entire month.

The Sutton family had already given up on Emily, but Ethan refused to let go. He brought her home and took care of her himself.

Michael and Emily had been childhood sweethearts, so Ethan had known her since they were kids. The three of them were really close.

Claire had once naively believed that Ethan only ever saw Emily as a sister, and that was why he couldn't let her go.

Now, in the quiet room, he cradled Emily's hand against his cheek. He pleaded, his voice raw, "Emily, don't keep sleeping like this. Please, wake up. I'd give up everything I have, every last thing, if you'd open your eyes again."

He pressed a kiss to her palm, almost reverently.

All the love he'd kept bottled up finally spilled out now that his beloved was lost in a coma.

The pain and desperation in his voice hit Claire hard.

Being his wife suddenly felt like a sick joke. She was the outsider begging for scraps of a heart that clearly belonged to someone else.

That kiss she'd asked for earlier had been her last, pathetic attempt to hold on. And with his silent rejection, Ethan crushed the last bit of hope she had left.

Claire went back to the study and printed out the divorce papers.

Ethan came out of the guest room right then. When he saw Claire's eyes were red from crying, he frowned.

Claire handed him the papers, her voice still raw from tears. "Sign it."

"What's this?" He took them.

As he was about to open them, his phone suddenly rang.

Claire was close enough to catch the gist of the call. "Mr. Sterling, we've developed a new treatment. There's a high success rate for patients in early-stage comas like Miss Sutton. You should bring her in."

Ethan, usually the definition of stoic, looked ecstatic. "Okay. I'll get her there now." He tossed the papers aside, ready to bolt.

Claire stubbornly grabbed his arm. "Sign it."

"You're such a pain," he muttered, shooting her an impatient glare. He grabbed a pen, scrawled his signature, and threw the document back at her.

He rushed into the guest room, and in no time, he was carefully carrying the unconscious Emily downstairs.

He didn't spare Claire a single glance the whole time.

Claire stood there, holding the divorce papers, quietly watching his back. Then, she raised her voice a little. "Ethan, congratulations."

Ethan had already reached the door, but Claire's words made him pause. There was something strange about her tone, and for some reason, it unsettled him.

Normally, he wouldn't have cared, but this time, he stopped and turned to look at her. "What are you congratulating me for?"

For the divorce. For finally being free. For that Emily would finally wake up as he wished.

But Claire only gave a faint smile and went ahead, opening the door for him herself.

Ethan frowned, but didn't ask anything else. Carrying Emily in his arms, he got into the car and rushed off to the Sterling Hospital.

He never really cared about anything that had to do with Claire.

Watching the car disappear, Claire wiped her face, hopped into her own car, and drove in the opposite direction, straight to her lawyer's office.

The lawyer took the papers and said, "Miss Nolan, since you're using the express lane, you'll be able to pick up your divorce certificate in a week."

Claire nodded slightly. After leaving the law firm, she dialed that familiar number.

It was picked up instantly. The man on the other end didn't speak, but his shaky, uneven breathing gave him away.

Claire spoke softly, "Ryan, I'll be divorced in a week. Will you still marry me?"

Ryan didn't hesitate for a second. "I've been waiting for you."

Claire laughed, carefree and unburdened,

"Ryan, I want to marry you. I don't want anything else. I only want your love. Love me with everything you've got."