No Divorce? The Billionaire's Love Chase! novel Chapter 19

Claudia stayed at her parents' house for two days. A glance at the calendar showed it was mid-June, and the rainy season had set in.

As she left the residential complex, the aftermath of a moderate downpour hung in the air. The rain had washed all the color from the world, leaving everything a dreary, monotonous gray. The air was heavy, humid, and oppressive, a feeling so thick it felt like you could wring water from your own heart.

Claudia had intentionally waited for Monday, when York would be at the office, to return and pack her things.

Though he was the one who had cheated, she no longer knew how to face him.

In the end, it wouldn't matter—argue, shout, make a scene, the result would be the same. Better to walk away with what little dignity they had left intact.

Returning to the home she had shared with him for three years, Claudia went straight upstairs. The bedroom was exactly as she had left it. The bowl from the soup York had left on the nightstand was still there. The covers she'd thrown back were still in a rumpled mess. It seemed York hadn't been back to stay while she was gone.

Images of York and Ann together flashed through her mind, and an uncontrollable pain seized her heart.

Claudia entered the walk-in closet and pulled out a suitcase. She packed a few of her everyday clothes and some undergarments. The Watkins family had gone bankrupt before her marriage, and for three years, York had supported her completely. There wasn't a single thing in this house that she had bought with her own money.

Her eyes fell on a white graphic tee, and she paused. She reached out and took the shirt from its hanger. It was from the summer she had married York. She'd secretly flown to the city where he was on a business trip and begged him to go shopping with her, where they bought matching couple's shirts.

The graphic had been hand-painted by an art student. She remembered the artist asking what design she wanted. She had kissed York right there in public and then told the artist, "My husband is handsome enough already. Just make me look pretty."

After her shirt was done, York had said he had something to do and refused to wait any longer. So his shirt remained plain white, with nothing on it at all.

Claudia opened York's closet, pulled his plain white tee from a bottom drawer, and threw it into the trash along with her own. For three years, no matter how much she'd begged or pleaded, he had never worn it once.

"Cancel my evening appointments," York said.

Mark simply nodded, not daring to ask why. His boss hadn't bothered looking for his wife when she was missing for days, instead making him wait around a hospital that stank of disinfectant. Now that she was back, he was dropping everything to rush home. So, his boss wasn't as indifferent as he seemed.

Just as York was about to get into his car in front of the Ferguson Group headquarters, Ann ran up to him through the pouring rain.

York opened the car door for her. "What are you doing out here? You should be resting at home."

In the back seat of the luxury car, Ann clutched York's sleeve, her voice firm. "York, I've thought about it carefully. I think it's best if I leave."