Chapter 43 Change
Ian
Had she known? Or was she only guessing that I hit her mom? I cleared my throat before speaking, but got cut off again.
“And don’t lie and say you didn’t, Dad. That’s why she wore so much makeup, and that’s also why she left and didn’t come back yesterday. So why did you do it?” Isabella asked, her voice rising.
I shook my head and closed my eyes briefly.
“You know nothing, Isabella. Your mother and I had a huge argument, that’s all that happened,” I said, already getting irritated that she was questioning me.
“So you resorted to hitting her?” she said. “You know what, Dad, we always say Mom has changed, but now that I see it…” She shook her head. “The one who has really changed is you.” Her eyes looked hurt.
I clenched my fists. Who wouldn’t change? When your wife puts no effort into making the marriage exciting—no passion, no spark—just the same dull routine every single day.
And now that I had no feelings for her anymore, the things she was supposed to do for me, she was doing for another man. Buying sexy lingerie. The marks on her neck said enough—he wasn’t a gentle lover. He was rough.
Just thinking about it made my blood boil.
“Or maybe you’re just blind,” I told Isabella, and she gasped.
“Your mom has changed. She’s not the woman you think you know,” I added.
She blinked, then scoffed lightly.
“And whose fault would that be?” she asked.
What exactly had Claire told her?
“What makes you think it was my fault?” I asked, already tired of the conversation.
“Mom can’t just suddenly change like that, Dad. Something must have triggered it—something you did,” she said, and my eyes widened.
“So what did you do to her?” Isa asked.
This girl was too smart for her own good, and she kept pushing.
“I don’t know, Isa. I didn’t do anything to your mother. Couples argue—it’s nothing new. Everything will be resolved soon,” I said as I turned back to packing my things.
She didn’t say anything else. She just stood there for a moment, staring at me like she was trying to read my thoughts.
“I just hope you don’t regret this,” she finally said.
I paused, then she turned and walked away.
Regret? Me? Never.
Not being with Claire had made me the happiest I’d been in years. So no—I regretted nothing at all.
Once they leave, I’ll be leaving too. I won’t waste any more time in this house. I need to find Pattie and make her explain why she left me the way she did.
She’s the only one on my mind—Pattie. I thought she loved me, but it turns out all the sweet words, the affection, the care… it was all fake. Just a way to drain money from me.
And when she decided she’d had enough, she walked away. Just like that. Shattered everything and didn’t even look back once.
But once I find her—and I will—I’ll make sure she explains herself properly. Or I’ll use my influence to drag her back down.
I put her where she is in the modeling world using my connections. I can just as easily take it all away.
I gave her my love, and she never truly acknowledged it. My face twisted in disgust, but damn it… I missed her. The way she smelled. The way she felt. Everything about her.
The way she screamed my name, the way she made me feel young again.
Why did you use me, Pat? Why?
Not when I had fallen so madly in love with you.
My eyes dropped back to the file.
I have to find you. Immediately.
Claire
It was time. We packed our luggage and loaded everything into the back of the car while the driver prepared to take us to the airport.
The plane had already arrived. I took a deep breath and glanced back at the house. Finally, I was leaving for some peace. I just hoped my parents wouldn’t bombard me with questions.
Soon we were on the road, driven to the airport and escorted straight to the private plane. The staff rushed forward, making everything comfortable for us.
“Sometimes I forget how rich your parents are,” Riette said.
“You mean your grandparents,” I corrected, and he chuckled.
Even I sometimes forgot how wealthy they were—my parents owned almost half the businesses in our town.
They were known as the workaholic family. Even when Ian married me, because of how powerful my family name was, he took my last name. That was how influential my family is.
Soon the plane began to move, and I let out a deep sigh. I missed my parents more than I expected. Right now, they were the only people who could truly help me relax—especially since it would be a while before I saw Liam again.
Speaking of which, why did I get excited whenever I saw him? Like a teenager all over again. I really needed to get my head checked.
And the fact that he could be gentle—I never expected that. I didn’t want to dwell on it, but he had made love to me the way I had begged. I quickly pushed the thought aside before my cheeks warmed with embarrassment.
The flight lasted three hours. Once we landed, we were escorted to a line of waiting cars.
“Welcome, Madam Claire,” a familiar face greeted me, and I smiled.
“Thank you, Billy,” I said warmly.
“And you too, young masters and mistress,” he added.
“Thank you, Billy,” the kids chorused, while Isa added, “You’ve lost all your black hair,” making us all laugh.
Billy then glanced at Luppy. “I see you still work for Madam.”
She bowed her head slightly. “It’s always a pleasure to work for her.”
I giggled softly as we were escorted to the cars.
At last, I would be home—seeing my parents again. I felt like a child, eager and impatient to be with them.
We pulled up in front of the mansion, and my parents were already standing on the pavement. As soon as the car stopped, the kids jumped out before me, running straight into their grandparents’ arms.
I stood there smiling.
“Oh, Grandma, you still got it,” Riette joked as she ruffled his hair.
“And you still have a sweet tongue,” she teased back.
Max shook hands with his grandfather, who was smiling the whole time while Isa stood beside her grandfather smiling.
I walked over slowly, and my mom pulled me into a tight hug.
“Oh, how I’ve missed your warmth,” she said.
I chuckled softly, not wanting to cry.
“Me too, Mom. I’ve missed you,” I replied as I straightened and turned to my father, whose eyes were already fixed on me.
“I’m actually surprised—you look better than the last time you visited,” he said, studying me.
My mom nodded quickly. “That’s true. You’ve even added a little weight, and your skin looks fresher.”
I had?
“See? We all told her,” Isa chimed in, and I laughed.
“Thank goodness,” my mother said. “It seems Ian took good care of you after all.”
If only she knew.
It wasn’t Ian—but the young man their daughter had been seeing.