Chapter 181 After the Divorce, Both Are Single

Chapter 181 After the Divorce, Both Are Single

Claire nodded obediently. After Evan left, she looked at Nicholas with concern. "Nicholas, I heard you got hurt. How bad is it? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"Already went. The doctor said it's not serious—just need to rest at home." At this point, Nicholas no longer felt that closeness toward Claire he once had. She was just like anyone else to him now.

Claire immediately sensed the shift, and a suspicion formed in her mind, though she didn't let it show.

Nicholas stared at her intently. "Claire, we've always gotten along well. I've always thought of you as my sister-in-law, and I've been helping you deal with Harper. So why... why would you want me dead?"

Claire's eyes widened in shock. She covered her mouth as tears welled up. "Nicholas, how could I possibly want you dead? How can you think that? Do you really believe I had something to do with the yacht explosion?"

"We've known each other for years—don't you know me by now? Would I ever do something like that? I only found out about the explosion when Leo told me. It absolutely wasn't me. What do I have to do to make you believe me?"

As she spoke, tears finally spilled down her cheeks. She was desperate, not knowing how to prove her innocence to Nicholas.

Nicholas felt himself wavering. He did know Claire well. In his eyes, she'd always been kind.

Could it really not have been Claire who planted the explosives? Then who did? Who wanted both him and Harper gone?

Claire kept crying. "Nicholas, I've never hurt anyone before. The only reason I've been going after Harper is because I'm terrified of losing Evan. Besides, Harper's the one who came between us. If it weren't for her, Evan and I would already be married."

"Harper wronged me, not the other way around... I always thought that after three years of marriage, Evan didn't have feelings for her. But lately I've realized he does. You must have noticed it too. I'm just... scared."

She kept circling back to Harper, then once again emphasized that she absolutely had nothing to do with the explosives.

When Nicholas remained silent, Claire covered her face and stumbled out of the room, visibly heartbroken.

After that performance, the scales in Nicholas's mind tipped once again.

The next day, everyone prepared to leave.

They'd originally planned to stay a few more days, but after Harper's kidnapping, no one was in the mood to continue the vacation.

Harper finished packing her luggage and stepped out of her room.

What should have been a rare getaway had ended abruptly. Such a shame.

She'd barely had any time with her college friends. Who knew when they'd all be together again?

Harper wanted to catch up with them one more time before leaving, but ran into Claire in the hallway instead.

Perhaps after a good night's rest, Claire looked better than yesterday.

At least her complexion had some color, and she wasn't wobbling like she needed someone to hold her up.

Harper took a few steps closer. "You put that time bomb on the yacht, didn't you? You wanted to send Nicholas and me straight to the bottom of the ocean."

Claire's heart lurched for just a moment before she regained her composure. "Miss Wilson, I know you have issues with me—after all, I'm the reason you and Evan got divorced. I can understand that. But you can't go around making accusations."

"Planting a bomb on a yacht that could have killed people—that's a crime. That means prison time. If you can't prove it, I could sue you for defamation."

Claire's voice grew firmer as she spoke. She was certain she'd left no evidence. Harper couldn't trace it back to her.

Harper had expected as much. She just wanted Claire to know that she knew—wanted to rattle her into making a mistake.

But apparently her nerves were steadier than expected. Only that brief flicker of panic.

Harper sighed softly. "Well, I hope it wasn't you, Miss Martinez. Nicholas and I almost died. If we hadn't discovered it in time, we'd be at the bottom of the ocean right now. Thank God Evan got there when he did, or who knows where we'd have ended up."

Claire's jaw clenched. She'd desperately wanted to keep Evan from going, but he wouldn't listen. If she'd managed to stop him, Harper wouldn't be standing here right now.

Seeing Claire's face remain calm, Harper decided she needed to push harder. "The conditions were pretty rough out there. Evan and I spent an unforgettable night together yesterday. Things got... intimate. I really should thank those kidnappers."

Claire's expression finally darkened. She never imagined that Evan would rush to Harper's rescue only to spend the night with her, and that they would...

"You—you're divorced! How could you do that? Have you no shame?" Claire could barely get the words out.

Harper's face broke into a brilliant smile. She even licked her lips deliberately. "I have to say, Evan's got great stamina. And how is this shameful? We're divorced, sure, but we're both single now."

Realizing she'd brought this on herself made Claire lose her composure entirely. "Evan and I are about to get engaged! I'm his girlfriend! How could you do something like that with him? You're shameless!"

Harper remained perfectly calm. "Speaking of shameless, aren't you even worse? When Evan and I were still married, you two went to a hotel together. It even made the news. So what I did doesn't compare."

Claire had no comeback. Everything Harper said was true. She and Evan had been seen together constantly back then, while Harper—his actual wife—had been treated like she didn't exist.

Evan had spent all his time with Claire, buying her gifts, completely ignoring Harper.

Just then, Evan appeared from around the corner. Claire spotted him immediately. "Evan, Miss Wilson said that the night you went to find her, you two slept together. Is that true?"

Looking at the agitated Claire, Evan didn't deny it this time. He admitted it outright. "Everything Harper said is true. We did sleep together."

Claire had been so upset, but part of her had thought Harper was just saying it to get under her skin—that it wasn't real. She'd held onto a sliver of hope.

Now that hope... shattered.