Chapter 11
Just yesterday, my reputation came crashing down. The netizens were ablaze, urging Claude to divorce me and marry the virtuous Kate. How I wished I could tell them that I was already gone.
Finding proof of my demise would automatically annul our marriage. But this time, Claude seemed indifferent to the public outcry, a departure from his usual stance. He probably wanted to see if it would lure me to show up, easing his burden.
Yet, for two days, I hadn’t even called him. I saw him staring at my WhatsApp profile picture countless times. He must be waiting for my call.
Upon hearing about my online bullying, Gabrielle stormed to the villa early in the morning to confront Claude. “I know Claire better than anyone. Those rumors of her suicide and jumping off cliffs, aren’t they because of the pressure you put her under? Why didn’t you stop those people from slandering her p>
Claude remained silent with his gaze fixed on his phone. Leaning in, I saw him drafting a message, but before I could read it, he deleted it.
Claude promised, “Mom, I’ll bring her back p>
Today was the last day, Gabrielle’s birthday. If I didn’t show up by then, would Claude finally realize I was dead? But if I were dead, would he mourn? Probably not, given his cold-hearted nature.
He returned to the cliff where the incident occurred, taking a few friends along for the search. This time, Kate was with them. Claude had protected Kate since the incident. Surprisingly, he had brought her to the cliff today.
But halfway up, Kate pointed at a random tree. “I remember seeing this tree when I passed out. That day, I was hiking with Claire and then got kidnapped here. But by that time, Claire had already run away p>
All the spruces on the mountain looked identical; her casual pointing only convinced Claude.
I scoffed beside him, and he seemed to hear, his eyes meeting mine for a moment, his cold lips brushing past mine. I shouldn’t have been able to feel his chill. Not daring to stay close, I drifted further away. Listening to Kate repeat her abduction story made me puzzled. She was recounting it with such calm, even though she also had fainted when kidnapped. How could she claim I ran away? “Claude, just thinking about that day gives me such a headache.” Kate said.
One of their old friends felt sorry for
her and said, “Kate got injured by those thugs. Forcing her to remember is unfair. And Claire running away, leaving Kate behind, sounds just like her p>
My spirit screamed. “I didn’t run away. I got kidnapped, too p>
Claude helped Kate sit down, saying, “Rest here. I’ll look around nearby p>
Then, Claude signaled his friends to stay with her, but Kate surprisingly suggested, “You all go help look. More people means more help. Maybe we can find Claire faster.” Unable to argue, his friends went off to search for Claire. But no sooner had they left than Kate screamed for help.
Rushing over, we found Kate disheveled, her hair tangled with weeds.
Seeing Claude, she ran into his arms, trembling. “Claude, I was so scared p>
Fueled by rage, those friends scoured the surroundings, cursing, “Could Claire have sent someone after Kate?” “The moment we left, they attacked Kate and ran when they heard us coming back. They came after Kate.” “The only one who would do this to Kate is Claire p>
My spirit rolled its eyes at their blatant bias towards Kate. I looked at Claude, eager to know his thoughts.
He carefully cleared the weeds from
Kate’s hair, covering her with his jacket like a treasure. His face darkened as he declared, “If she doesn’t want to come home, don’t bother looking. It doesn’t matter if she’s dead. Let’s head back”
He concluded without seeking the truth or evidence, assuming I was the culprit again and always trusting Kate unconditionally. As for me?t seemed I would forever be the liar, the selfish one, the harbinger of doom.
“I didn’t send anyone after your beloved Kate!” I shouted toward Claude’s back.