Chapter 15
Claire shoved Curtis away. When she opened the door, a middle–aged couple burst in, flanked by two men.
“Where is Cartis Miller? Hand over that bastard the man shouted.
The moment be spotted Curtis in the suit, he stormed over and grabbed him by the hair. “Finally got va, you piece of trash! After what you did to my daughter, did you think you could just walk away untouched?”
With that, he yanked Curtis hard, trying to drag him out the door.
Curtis went pale with fear, thrashing wildly in the man’s grip. “Let go of me! Clairy, help! Get this psycho off me!*
That finally snapped Claire out of her dare. She rushed over and pulled him free, stepping before him protectively.
“Who the hell are you people? Get out of my home, or I’m calling the cops!TM*
The man gave her a cold, dismissive look. “Matilda Carney is my daughter. I’m here for him. This has nothing to do with you.”
The moment he said that, Claire’s anger boiled over. She might not have feelings for Curtis anymore, but she wasn’t about to stand by and let him get hurt, especially not like this.
Besides, after what Matilda had done to Ashton, she couldn’t believe Matilda’s parents had the nerve to barge into her home and lay their hands on someone.
Before Claire could argue, Matilda’s mother, Jennifer Wallace, interrupted with a shocking revelation.
“My daughter was about to get married until this bastard came and ruined everything! He basically sent my son–in–law away! And what he did do after that?
“He bolted right after spending every single penny in my daughter’s savings account. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have gone mad and done such crazy things!
Curtis grabbed Claire’s sleeve and sobbed, “That’s not the case at all! She’s framing me! It was her daughter who wouldn’t leave me alone!*
This time, she didn’t immediately jump to his defense. Instead, she looked at Jennifer with a conflicted expression.
“Do you have any actual proof of what you’re saying?”
Without a word, Jennifer hurled a thick stack of photos straight at Claire’s face. The sharp edges of the prints cut into her skin, leaving several thin, bloody
scratches.
“You want proof? Take a good look and tell me that’s not the bastard standing behind you!*
Claire picked up the scattered photos, and as she flipped through them, her face turned pale.
In every picture, Curtis looked nothing like the pitiful, desperate man he had been pretending to be. He was smiling confidently, laughing freely, arms wrapped intimately around Matilda.
Some of the photos were even suggestive, far beyond anything one would expect from someone claiming he was being stalked or harassed.
They clearly weren’t one–sided interactions.
Jennifer scoffed when she saw Claire’s face drain of color. “See it now? His parents knew about this long ago. And you know what they told me? They said he can clean up the mess he made himself for all they care!
“So, tell me, are you planning to pay off his debt for him now?”
Claire felt a loud ringing in her head.
So, it hadn’t been Curtis‘ parents forcing him to marry Matilda, and it wasn’t Matilda shamelessly chasing after him, either.
Claire finally realized just how horribly wrong she had been.
The Curtis she had pitied and thought was a heartbroken victim had actually been the one wrecking someone else’s relationship from the start. He was the other
man.
Meanwhile, she had hurt the man she loved the most, the one person who truly mattered, for someone like… Curtis.
What made her any different than Matilda?
No, there was a difference. She had loved Ashton from the beginning and had simply been fooled and tricked into believing Curtis needed her.
