Chapter II: LOSS
After Claudia’s frantic call, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I sent my guys straight to the hotel to get her back to the James Estate. I’d planned to bring that guy along too, but the moment the hotel door swung open, the guy disappeared like he’d practiced a hundred times before.
I stood there, cigarette hanging between my fingers, watching the smoke curl lazily into the air.
The confession I’d been rehearsing all night had a bigger meaning–today was Howard James‘, the patriarch, birthday.
I’d intended to propose properly, but fate had other plans.
I’d picked the wrong woman.
Now, all I wanted was to fix what I’d broken with Nadine.
I was going to find her.
And I was going to bring her back.
…
Claudia’s POV
I curled up in bed, shaking like a leaf. I could still feel that damn snake wrapped around my legs, the memory clinging to my skin like ice. I covered my ears and screamed, but the fear stuck in my throat.
Then, a sharp slap landed across my cheek.
I just stared, stunned.}
was my mother. Marissa.
It w
She didn’t even flinch. No guilt. No softness. Just cold, hard disgust in her eyes.
“Look at yourself–covered in hickey and bite marks. You think you can show up at the party looking like this? Pull yourself together, Claudia!”
Her voice turned sharp and mean. “You’re such a damn disgrace. What, finally learned how to chase men? Can’t even do that right. Now Russell’s dumped you back on our doorstep. How the hell are we supposed to show our faces after this?”
“Mom, I messed up, I know I messed up… please don’t give up on me…” I broke down, sobbing, collapsing to my knees right there on the floor. I’d never felt so small.
She looked at me like I was nothing. Just pure contempt in her eyes. Then she turned her back on me like I wasn’t even worth another glance–but not before throwing one last knife over her shoulder.
“If I’d known this was how you’d turn out, I never would’ve brought you back. Nadine’s ten times–no, ten thousand times–better than you. You’ll never measure up.“}
I shivered.
Sure, the snake wasn’t venomous, but it might as well have been. Every bite had left a mark, and every word she said felt worse than a sting–it burned.
This family never had a heart. Not for me.
Even though Marissa was supposed to be my mother, none of them ever really accepted me. Not once. To them, I was just some small–town stray, dragged in to replace Nadine–but never really good enough.
From the second I walked into this house, I swore to myself that I would beat her.
No matter the cost.
And I did succeed.
I tore apart Nadine’s perfect little world. Took her husband. Took everything that mattered to her.
So why the hell was it still falling apart? Why did they still treat me like trash?
‘Husband… husband… I pondered, biting my lip until it bled.
Then, a thought beamed. That’s right… Husband. That’s what I need.“”
I still had a fiancé in the capital. He’d be here tonight. He had to.”
A slow smile crept across my face, bitter and sharp.
They all looked down on me?”
Fine. Let them.
I’d rise so high, they’d be choking on their own shame.
I’d make every last one of them beg.
Russell’s POV
I walked into the party in a custom–tailored suit, jaw clenched so tight it felt like my teeth might crack. There was no way I was letting this chance slip through my fingers again.
As soon as I turned around, there she was–Claudia.
Even with layers of makeup caked on, she couldn’t hide the bruises and bite marks. They stood out, clear as day.N
Her eyes filled with tears the second she saw me.!!
Chapter 11. Loss
23
9:06 AM
“Russell, you’re here!“}]
Ο
She rushed toward me, ready to throw herself into my arms like always.}
I stepped aside without a word, cold and distant.
Claudia froze mid–step, eyes wide with disbelief as the tears streamed down her cheeks. “Russell… It’s not what you think! That man forced me–I’m the victim!“}
If I hadn’t been outside that hotel room last night, hearing everything with my ears, I might still have believed her. Perhaps I’d still be playing the fool, just like she wanted.
I looked her straight in the eyes, my expression calm, indifferent.}
A faint smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Sorry, Claudia. I have a wife. Please don’t stand so close, she gets jealous.”}
Her face went pale, lips trembling as she opened her mouth to protest.”
But before she could get a word out, Marissa appeared.}
Claudia clamped her mouth shut and backed off, biting her tongue. “Mom! Tonight is Grandpa’s birthday. My fiancé from the capital should be here, right? Where is he?” she asked, forcing some composure back into her voice.}
Marissa shot her a strange look. “Your fiancé? Oh… Didn’t I tell you?“}
She gave a nonchalant shrug. “The Goldman family’s groom is a fifty–year–old man in a vegetative state. They’re paying a fortune to marry you off to Peter Goldman just for the family name, to keep things in their favor. Why would he even show up here?“>
Claudia’s eyes widened. Her breath caught like someone had just slammed her in the chest.
“W–What?” she choked out. “No! I’m not marrying him!“}
Then she just broke down in the middle of the hallway. She dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Tears and snot ran down her face, making her look pathetic, completely wrecked.
“Mom, please! I don’t want to marry him! He’s practically dead! I’m your real daughter. How can you do this to me?” Claudia cried
Marissa’s face hardened.}
Claudia was putting on a full–blown scene, and she didn’t like it one bit.}
Then, Marissa raised her hand, ready to strike. I stepped in, calm and steady.”
“I can handle this,” I said.
out.
Marissa let out a long sigh of relief. “Wonderful. Take this ungrateful girl away. I never liked her. Nadine was always the better one!“}
Claudia looked like hell–disheveled, desperate, and completely broken–as I led her away.”
She thought I was saving her.§
She started laughing, a wild, broken sound that scraped at the nerves.
Her fingernails dug into my arm as she clung to me.
“Russell… I know I was wrong. Take me away, okay? I’ll stay with only you. I’ll never cheat again. I…“)
Her words were cut off the moment a rag was shoved into her mouth, silencing the rest of her pleading.
Her screams became muffled as I dragged her into a room crawling with snakes.}
Not like the one from the night before. These were different–venomous, their colors bright and warning. Lethal.}
“Russell, don’t do this to me!” she screamed behind the gag.}
I locked the door behind us, keeping my gaze fixed on the window. My face gave nothing away–cold, detached.}]
The same man i was when this all started.
Right before she passed out, Claudia heard my final words.
“Blame yourself. You drove Nadine away. Now, I’ll never see her again.”}
Right then, my assistant showed up as planned.
I handed him the key and instructed, “When she’s bitten, take her out. Then dump her on the highway. Make sure she gets run over.”
I headed back to the house I once shared with Nadine.!!
But the woman who made it a home? She was gone.
I stepped into the dressing room. The wardrobe, once full of her clothes, was empty now.”
This was where I’d signed the divorce papers.
A sharp pain shot through my chest.
I furrowed my brow as I called, “You have one hour. Find my wife.“%
There was a pause on the other end before my assistant said, “Mr. Fraizer, Ma’am Nadine is already back.“#
My eyes widened. “What did you say?“%
My assistant hesitated and then said, “I just saw her at the James Estate. She was talking to Howard James. There was a guy with her, too, and everyone on staff says that’s her boyfriend.“#
