Chapter 5
Kate’s sobbing sounded in the living room, her voice breaking as she lamented, “It hurts so much,” while Claude gently tried to soothe her.
Gabrielle stormed in right then, her anger boiling at the sight of Claude bringing Kate home. She lashed out, yanking me down the stairs as she declared, “In my lifetime, I’ll only accept Claire as part of this family!” Claude said, “Mom, do you know how cruel Claire is? She pushed Kate down the stairs. How could someone like that ever be part of our family? If you’re choosing her, I’m taking Kate and leaving p>
I patted Gabrielle on the back, trying to calm her down. She was battling lung cancer and didn’t have much time left, yet there she was, still worrying about me.
“Claude, let’s not fight. We’re family. I’ll leave,” Kate said, her face buried in her hands as she sobbed, attempting to flee.
“Shut up. You’re not my family. In the Hart family, Claire is my only daughter-in-law.” Gabrielle’s response was fierce.
However, Claude grabbed Kate, who was trying to leave, and said, “The one who should leave isn’t you, Kate. It’s Claire. After all, her beloved Richard will get out of jail soon p>
He gave me a scornful look.
Gabrielle turned around, her gaze filled with disbelief, but I thought, ‘If there is a chance to escape this mess, maybe it is best to admit it p>
I said calmly, “Gabrielle, let me divorce Claude p>
I finally voiced my decision, which surprised everyone, whose faces showed nothing but shock. A slight glimmer of relief appeared in Kate’s eyes.
I let go of Gabrielle’s hand and walked away from the Hart family, heading straight to the hospital.
Just when I thought I was ready to move on and finalize the divorce, the doctor delivered shocking news. “You’re five weeks pregnant and have been bleeding heavily. You might need to take it easy for some time to save the baby p>
I stared at the pregnancy test report in my hands, my body trembling uncontrollably. I was pregnant. And it had to happen right after I’d decided to divorce. My future child would be fatherless.
If I told Claude about the pregnancy after just declaring I wanted a divorce, he’d think I was playing new tricks and might even drag me to the hospital to end the pregnancy. I couldn’t tell him!
That day, Gabrielle still tried to use her impending death to influence my decision, and Claude called to find out where I was, eventually bringing me back to the Hart family. But was effectively under house arrest.
Upstairs, I could hear Claude and Kate laughing and enjoying themselves.
“Claude, I want a strawberry cake p>
“From which bakery? I’ll get it for you p>
Their happiness made my stomach churn, and I threw up in the bathroom.
Hearing me vomit, Kate came to check on me. “Claire, are you okay p>
Claude’s lazy, cold voice followed, “Don’t bother with her. She’s just putting on an act p>
Tears blurred my vision. Returning there was the ultimate humiliation.
Claude ordered coldly, “I’m going on a business trip tomorrow. You and Kate are to stay here. Take good care of Kate. I won’t hesitate to kick you out if she gets hurt again p>
I bit my lip and remained silent. I was staying there because I had nowhere else to go. Once Richard was released, I’d leave and never return to Claude.
During Claude’s trip, Kate and I got along well. She treated me with various delicacies while complaining about how poorly Claude treated me. I knew she loved Claude and wanted me to leave on my own.
Kate offered, “Claire, when Claude and I get married, we’ll treat you like a younger sister. You can stay here. After all, Claude owes your family p>
She was already acting like the lady of the house. I didn’t reply, just kept my head down and ate my oatmeal, feeling sick to my stomach at the thought of anything else.
Claude hadn’t returned yet, and on
the day of the Memorial, Kate
suddenly came up with a map of Crestview Metropolis’s highest mountain. “In past years, did Claude never let you go up the mountain to He’s
pay respects to your par
not home this year, so I’ll sneak you out. Even if Claude finds out, I’ll take the blame p>
Her words were tempting, so I agreed.
Halfway up the mountain, Kate said she needed to rest. As I turned to check the path, suddenly, I felt a heavy blow to the back of my head. Through the haze, I saw that Kate was also being taken away