I Put a Price on My Don Husband Chapter 19
Claire kept her face calm and her gaze empty, never responding or glancing back. She would step around him, let Jack stand firmly in her defense, and toss away every gift his staff delivered.
Vincent watched it all, his heart breaking apart, yet he refused to give up.
He waited for her through wind and rain, lingering in every spot she might appear. He looked utterly lost and hopeless, clinging to hope that she would turn around someday.
He watched Jack hold an umbrella over her, tie her scarf snugly around her neck, and murmur soft words as he shielded her from the world. All the warmth and happiness that should have been his had been destroyed by his own hands.
He finally understood that a broken heart could never be mended, and deep wounds would never fully fade away.
He had pushed away the woman who loved him most with his own cruelty. Now every humble attempt to win her back was nothing but his own bitter karma.
The gentle breeze of the small town blew on, but it could never thaw Vincent’s cold, despairing heart.
His desperate pursuit was doomed from the start, with no end and no happy ending in sight.
All his groveling and pleas only earned him Claire’s unyielding resolve.
One bright early morning, Claire walked straight up to him. She wore a long off-white dress, her expression utterly placid, free of hatred, resentment or pain. Only total indifference remained in her eyes.
This cold distance was worse than any insult or angry word, and it choked Vincent.
“Vincent, stop following me.”
Her voice was soft yet clear, cold and unyielding.
“Everything between us ended the moment Lily fell right in front of me three years ago. The remarriage, the service list, the divorce, me leaving town – it was all just me erasing you from my life little by little.”
Vincent’s throat tightened, and his eyes stung with tears. He reached out to touch her, but she stepped back instinctively.
That small movement crushed the last flicker of hope inside him.
“You tore down Lily’s playground, repainted her room, threw all her belongings in the trash, and defaced her memorial cemetery plot. Every choice you made drove me to the edge. I once hated you with every fiber of my being, but now, hatred feels like a waste of time.”
Claire lifted her head slightly, her gaze clear and icy.
“Your paranoia, selfishness and foolishness destroyed your wife, your daughter and your family. You brought all this upon yourself.”
“I have a good life now. I have my family, my lover, and peaceful days. I don’t want your apologies, your compensation, or your presence ever again.”
She paused, speaking each word with brutal clarity.
“Leave. And never come back. This is the last time I will speak to you.”
She turned and walked off without a single glance backward, heading straight for Jack who waited nearby.
Jack took her hand naturally and smoothed her wind-tousled hair. They walked side by side, their warm and quiet silhouette like a perfect, peaceful painting.