Chapter 2
That night, Evan sat outside Claire's apartment building until the sun came up.
He ached to hold her, to explain, but he knew he no longer had the right to even be near her.
When Maya found him the next morning, the diamond ring he had never had the chance to give Claire was still clutched in his hand.
"You can't just give up," Maya pleaded, grabbing his wrist, her voice choked with tears. "Don't you remember? When you were starving in that alley, I gave you my only piece of bread.
"I saved your life. You promised you would help me get back everything that belongs to me. Have you forgotten?"
Her words were a noose tightening around his throat. The memory of Claire's kindness warred with the debt he owed Maya for saving his life. Torn, he finally relented, letting Maya lead him away from the home he had once shared with Claire.
Less than two weeks later, Dylan officially welcomed Maya into the family with a lavish celebration. Claire couldn't refuse to attend. She arrived alone, a vision of cold elegance in a black velvet dress, and took her seat at the main table.
Evan was there as Maya's "close friend."
From the moment he walked in, his gaze was fixed on Claire. With a desperate, hungry look in his eyes, he took in every detail, from the way a strand of her hair fell to the delicate curve of her fingers around her wine glass.
But Claire never looked at him. Not once.
She mingled with guests and sipped her wine, refusing to grant him even a sideways glance. Her complete indifference was more unnerving than any accusation.
Midway through the party, Maya approached Claire's table with a glass of champagne in hand. She "tripped," her body lurching sideways.
Almost instinctively, Evan shot up from his seat and caught her.
Maya melted into his arms with a triumphant glint in her eyes before she turned a look of delicate, wronged shyness toward the nearby cameras.
Shutters snapped rapidly in the dark. Come morning, the secret was out. The scandalous affair between the Stark family's second daughter and the boxing champ saturated the news cycle.
Watching the scene unfold, Claire tightened her fingers slightly on her glass. A few drops of red wine spilled onto her skirt.
She brushed them off as if they were dust, set her glass down, and walked toward the exit. Her posture was perfect, and her steps were unwavering.
Evan started to push Maya away, wanting to run after Claire, but Maya clung to him. "Evan," she whispered, "have you forgotten your promise to me?"
He froze and could only watch as Claire's silhouette disappeared through the doorway. His heart felt like it was being torn apart.
Perhaps it was the stress, but that night, Claire's stomach condition flared up with a vengeance. The pain was so intense she could barely stand.
She took a cab to the hospital alone, filled out her own admission forms, and lay in the sterile bed, finding it an effort to even sip water.
When Evan saw a news alert about her hospitalization, his heart seized. He didn't even grab a coat before racing to the hospital. He stood outside her room, his hand hovering over the doorknob, a bitter taste in his mouth.
Just as he was about to push the door open, his phone rang. It was Maya.
"Evan," she cried, "I hurt my leg when I fell today. It hurts so much. Can you please come be with me?"
He hesitated, his brow furrowing in agony. On one side was the woman who had saved him; on the other was Claire, the woman he had unknowingly given his heart to, only to shatter hers. He listened to Maya's sobs, the sound echoing in his ears.
Finally, he lowered his hand and turned away.
Inside the room, Claire, propped against her pillows, had heard everything. The familiar sound of his footsteps approaching, pausing, and then retreating down the long, empty hall.
She slowly closed her eyes, a wave of bitterness rising in her throat. The pain in her stomach was nothing compared to the ache in her soul.
She should have known. She was never his exception, just as her mother had never been her father's.
Tears welled up, but she forced them back down, refusing to let them fall.