I Put a Price on My Don Husband Chapter 06
Leo let out a small cry of pain before Vincent could think further. He grabbed a pen quickly and signed the document.
He walked past Claire on his way out. His expression softened all at once, and his voice turned gentle. “Claire, stop picking on Natalie and Leo. They can never take your place. We lost our daughter, but we can always have another child someday.”
She laughed. It was a laugh filled with sorrow, worse than tears. Someday? Would there ever be a someday for them?
Claire raised a hand to wipe the last tear from her cheek. Vincent, I will never give us another chance starting today.
The estate fell deathly quiet over the next few days. Vincent, Natalie and Leo vanished completely, as if they had never set foot there.
Claire had grown used to the silence until her phone vibrated. She opened it to find a short video Natalie had posted online.
Sunlight glinted across the ocean waves. Vincent stood behind Natalie on the deck of the luxury yacht and held her close, while the theme song from Titanic played in the background. The caption read: After all the twists and turns, you were always waiting for me.
Claire’s heart skipped a beat, but she understood everything right away. He had told her he was taking the mother and son out to relax, yet he had given the yacht he once gifted her straight to Natalie.
The whole thing was absurd. Once, jealousy would have eaten her alive, but watching the pair embrace now left her completely unmoved. She even liked the post.
She headed straight for the law office. Michael Foster was New York’s top attorney. He judged cases on their merits, not people. He took on the toughest cases everyone else avoided, and that was exactly why Claire had sought him out.
“Rest assured, Claire. The evidence and clues you provided are thorough. The case has a one hundred percent win rate.”
Relief washed over Claire. Once her father was free, she could leave Vincent for good. She prayed Vincent would never notice what she was doing.
“Thank you, Mr. Foster. I also have a divorce case I’d like you to handle…”
After thanking Mr. Foster, Claire rushed to the County Detention Center. She used the legal documents to post bail and secure her father’s release.
Tears stung her eyes as she stared at his newly gray hair and haggard face. She held his hands tightly and spoke through a sob. “Dad, we’ll leave here soon and start a new life overseas. We’ll never come back.”
Henry nodded firmly, his voice rough with emotion. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. All the Reed family’s assets were frozen, and you’ve suffered so much because of me.” He trailed off with a heavy sigh.
Father and daughter then visited Eleanor at the hospital. Learning the case was likely to end in their favor unleashed all her pent-up grief. Mother and daughter held each other and cried bitterly.
Once her father was settled, Claire returned to the estate filled with old memories. She began packing her things and erasing every trace of Vincent from her life.
She listed the necklace, bracelets and limited-edition bags he had given her to win her back for the luxury consignment auction without a second thought.
On the second day, she gathered old movie tickets, amusement park stubs, flight tickets and love notes. She burned them all, letting the ashes carry away every sweet memory.
On the third day, she cleared her social media accounts, unlinked shared profiles, deleted her playlists and blocked all his contact information. Every action was sharp and decisive.
Days passed one after another.
Vincent suddenly pushed open the door just as she removed all traces of him from her world. Claire was tearing their wedding photo in half when he walked in. Half the picture fluttered into the trash can, the happy smile on their faces broken forever.
“What are you doing?”
Vincent’s voice was tight. He frowned at the trash can, and the proud Don knelt down to search through it.
Leo tugged at his sleeve. “Dad, don’t look. It’s dirty.”
“I’m hungry. I want you to cook for me.”
Vincent’s full attention shifted to the boy. He leaned down and tapped Leo’s nose gently. “Alright. Daddy will make you something delicious right away.”
Claire watched him put on an apron and walk into the kitchen, and the whole scene felt absurd. When she was pregnant with Lily and suffering from terrible morning sickness, she had begged him to cook for her and been turned down. Now he happily cooked meals for Natalie and Leo.
Night fell. Claire was packing her last suitcase when her phone rang. It was her best friend.
“Claire, the plane tickets are booked for three days from now.” Sophie sounded worried. “Are you really set on leaving Vincent, no turning back?”
Claire gripped her phone, her tone firm. “Yes. I’m leaving him for good.”
A loud bang echoed as the door was kicked open hard right after she spoke. Vincent stood in the doorway, his face dark and his aura cold. He strode inside and fixed his gaze firmly on her, his voice ice-cold.
“Who are you planning to leave?”