Chapter 3
Edward had some business to deal with, so I holed up in the bathroom, racking my brain for a plan.
I was never good at making money. In the first month after the divorce, I got scammed and lost the last 100,000 dollars I had.
Back then, I thought I could make it as a streamer or influencer, kept pouring money into it, and ended up with nothing but a joke.
With barely enough cash to buy food, I had no choice but to slink back to my parents' place.
But the moment I stepped inside, I saw a woman sitting on the couch, and my parents were holding her, both in tears.
After pressing for answers, I learned I wasn't a child of the Sutton family at all. My real parents had already passed away.
Just like that, I found myself parentless, an orphan.
My adoptive parents were never exactly kind, especially my adoptive father, who was furious about my divorce from Edward.
He shot me a mocking look and said, "Claire, you must be cursed to be broke. Even if you got rich, you'd still lose it all."
'Yeah, even if I got rich, I'd still end up broke,' I thought to myself.
If I hadn't been so reckless, I could've played the part of a rich wife and kept my head down.
Even if the real heiress came back, I'd still be getting about 167,000 dollars a month in pocket money and have a husband everyone envied on the surface.
But now? What was I supposed to do? Should I leave? Go back and keep slaving away?
I couldn't figure it out.
I spent over an hour perched on the toilet, staring at the floor and thinking.
My thoughts were interrupted when someone pushed the door open.
It was Edward, asking when we were going to get our marriage license.
He'd changed into comfy clothes and probably taken a shower, carrying the same jasmine scent as me.
I mumbled, "It's up to you."
For some reason, that made him laugh.
Edward bent down, his hand gently brushed my cheek.
"Claire, you're being so good now. Did things get tough for you out there?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, I had a tough time."
Edward said, "Then from now on, listen and don't make trouble. Let's live well together, the three of us, okay?"
"Okay, I'll behave," I answered softly.
He scooped me up in his arms and carried me toward the bed, his steps slow and deliberate.
His slow, deliberate steps were like they had been on our wedding day.
Back then, I felt unstoppable, but now, I was so cautious.
I let Edward kiss and touch me, not daring to make a sound, not even a moan.
He didn't let up all night; even when tears streamed down my face, he still wouldn't stop.
Edward kissed my neck.
"I missed you, Claire," he murmured.
"Let's never be apart again, okay?" he whispered.
His tenderness was unlike anything I'd ever felt. It was intoxicating, making me melt into him.
I pressed my lips together, biting down hard, holding back any reply.
When I finally drifted off, exhausted and half-asleep, he wrapped me in his arms and gently slipped a ring onto my ring finger.
Edward fixed his gaze on me. "Claire, as long as you know how to be good, that's all I care about."
"Don't be afraid. No one's going to hurt you anymore," he said softly.
The next morning, way before dawn, my body clock forced me awake.
Seeing Edward still sleeping soundly in bed, I got up quietly and made my way to the kitchen.
The housekeeper was cooking porridge, and she glanced at me, probably wondering if I needed something.
I stood there for a while, a bit out of it, before it finally sank in. I wasn't that broke girl anymore, the one who had to get up at dawn to work odd jobs to survive.
I couldn't sleep, so I sat in the living room.
Before long, Lucas got up.
He still had a bit of a pout on his face.
But the moment he saw me, his eyes lit up and he threw himself right into my arms.
"Mom, why are you up so early? Are you taking me to school?" he asked.
My hands froze in midair.
"No, I couldn't sleep," I said.
"Mom, can you go meet my teacher?" Lucas asked, blinking his big eyes at me, looking so innocent.
I hesitated, completely at a loss for words.
"Didn't you say you didn't want me to go to school because I'm awkward and teachers don't really like me? Is something up at school? Maybe I can ask Aunt Emily to check on you instead," I offered.
Lucas blinked at me, totally shocked. "Mom, I want you to come to school and hear about how I'm doing."
I gave him an honest smile. "It's okay, honey. Whatever grades you get, I can accept them. If I show up out of nowhere, it might bother your teacher."
To be honest, with the way things are right now, I don't know how much longer I can stick around here with the Shaws.