Chapter 243 So I was going to take hers
Chapter 243: Chapter 243 So I was going to take hers
Clara’s POVEvening settled over the city like a shroud, and I moved through the house with methodical precision, throwing clothes into my suitcase without really seeing them.
My hands were steady now. No more tears. No more hysterics. I’d cried myself empty hours ago, and what remained was something cold and crystalline—a clarity I hadn’t felt in years.
I gave up everything for him. I I never imagined it would end like this.
Although Ethan and I began with a lie. Not his—mine.
Back in college, drowning in debt I was too ashamed to tell my parents about, I’d let a wealthy old man keep me for a while.
Then I met Ethan and fell for him anyway. It wasn’t until later I found out whose money I’d taken—Ethan’s grandfather.
He tried to pay me off a second time once Ethan and I got serious, offering me money to disappear and let him go. I said no.
And now,Ethan wanted to divorce. How considerate of him. How thoughtful.
But I wasn’t going to wait around for him to work up the courage to destroy what was left of my life.
I grabbed Marcus’s favorite stuffed wolf from his bed, tucking it into the smaller bag. He always needed it when he was upset or scared.
"Mama?" Marcus appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. "Where are we going?"
My heart clenched. He was only three—too young to understand why his world was falling apart.
"We’re going on a trip, baby," I said, forcing brightness into my voice. "Won’t that be fun?"
"Is Daddy coming?"
The question was innocent. Trusting. It made me want to scream.
"Not this time," I managed. "It’ll just be you and me for a while."
His lower lip trembled, but he nodded. Such a good boy. Such a sweet, perfect little boy who deserved so much better than this broken family I’d helped create.
I turned back to the dresser, yanking open drawers. My fingers brushed against something small and hard at the back of the jewelry drawer.
The flash drive.
Ethan had given it to me weeks ago—I’d plugged it into my laptop with shaking hands, copying every file I could before my nerve gave out.
Aria had my marriage, my reputation, my future. So I was going to take hers.
I left it sitting in that drawer. I had what I needed now. It could rot in there for all I cared.