Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Nothing Breaks Like My Heart
Claudia POV
His words stabbed me like a sharp dagger right into my heart. It was so painful that I let out a small whimper as I exited the car.
Ray drove away right after that, and I staggered my way to the elevator.
I must’ve looked like a zombie, because I accidentally bumped into someone, but ignored the scolding and continued walking.
It had been a while since I became so disoriented in my life. The last time I felt this way was when I got escorted by officers to the police station and then got questioned about what happened.
But the way the officer interrogated me was more like coercion, telling me to admit what I did because Miles and Clarissa ’saw’ everything.
What shook me the most wasn’t actually Miles’ words.
I knew that he was a pathetic man who chased money over everything, and wouldn’t hesitate to toss away the wedding rings that we had together.
It saddened me greatly, of course, but what disoriented me was actually Ray’s words.
Every single sentence that came out of his lips was like venom that got under my skin and attacked both my heart and mind.
In fact, I could still recall the words he said, including the most hurtful one.
’Your husband just discarded you and your sacred vow over pocket change, Claudia Reed. You should drill that into your brain.’
It hurt me so much because it was true. Miles did discard me and our vows over pocket change for Ray. He even harmed our daughter because he thought that I was past my expiry date.
The way Ray said it felt like he was squeezing a lime and sprinkling salt on an open wound. He didn’t need to tell me that I had to drill it into my brain, because I never wanted to get back together with Miles.
All I did was appreciate and fantasize about the only wedding I had in my life.
I walked out of the elevator once it opened, and then unlocked the door with a key card. Nothing had changed inside the penthouse, but I noticed that Jane Jiang wasn’t in her usual spot.
Usually, she would sit at the coffee table right next to the window, typing on her laptop with her eyes glued to the screen. Sometimes, she would check her phone since it buzzed often.
But I didn’t pay too much attention to it. She could be in the bathroom right now, or perhaps decided to leave because there was nobody in the penthouse anyway.
However, as I walked into the living room, Ray’s office door suddenly opened from the inside, and Jane walked out of the office.
We both looked shocked when our eyes met, and I peered at her instantly. "What are you doing inside Ray’s office?"
After the initial shock, Jane slowly collected herself and shrugged. "Just some work things. Unlike you, I am very much employed."
"But you never did that before," I pointed out. "All you did all this time was sit at that coffee table and work on your laptop."
Jane rolled her eyes. "Gosh, aren’t you suffocating? There are many things that I have to do as Mr. Gatlin’s secretary, and an unemployed bitch like you wouldn’t know, since all you do is trot around in this penthouse and go for walks with him."
"..."
I had no energy to fight with her. Not when my mood was at its lowest.
But I also couldn’t erase this unease in my heart. Because it was very strange to see Jane Jiang suddenly walking out of Ray’s office.
What if she tried to do something in there, and what if she also entered my room while I was gone?
To make sure that I wasn’t wrong about my suspicion, I asked, "What about his office? Have you checked the mess inside?"
"I’ve called the housekeeper and some others to clean it up. What do you think I was doing the whole time other than cleaning up the mess he made after he fought with you?" Jane Jiang scoffed. "You’re like a poison to him, you know that, right? You turn him into someone that I don’t even recognize."
I was relieved to hear that she had been busy cleaning up the mess inside Ray’s office, and that she called many people, which meant she had no time to enter my room.
Maybe I was paranoid, but I had my own suspicion after all. So I ignored her completely after that and walked into my room.
The first thing that I did was rummage through my bag to see if the wedding rings were still there.
"Ah, thank God..." I muttered in relief when I saw a pair of rings at the bottom of my bag. I was actually worried that Jane would try to steal the rings.
After all, she was loyal to a fault to Ray. So that madman could’ve instructed his secretary to steal the rings and flush them down the toilet after what happened last night.
"Ah, look how paranoid you’ve become, Claudia. You even make up scenarios in your head!" I mocked myself as I zipped the bag. I didn’t take the rings out and clutch them like last night, because it was too hard to look at them after listening to Miles’ confession and Ray’s painful words.
But as long as the rings were still in my bag, then I had nothing to worry about.
Because what made the rings valuable wasn’t Miles, but the memory of the dream wedding, the way I opened a new Chapter after that cheap wedding and rented dress.
I lay on my bed, still in my dress as I was too distraught to even change right now.
My head kept replaying the moment in the swan boat and how Ray told me all those hurtful words about my marriage.
Why did he have to be so cruel about it? Did he really think that I didn’t know how pathetic Miles was after he discarded his ring over money?
I closed my eyes slowly, and the tear that I had been holding back the whole time finally fell and soaked the pillow. "Do you really take pleasure in hurting me, Ray Gatlin?"
