The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 288

That blue diamond ring she had casually tossed aside in his study.

It wasn't meant for Lauren. The inside band was engraved with her initials.

She had worn it for so long without ever checking the inner band, and Miles had never mentioned it.

That day in the car, when she insisted on changing rings, Miles's gaze had turned incredibly dark. She thought he was just reluctant to let go of Lauren, so she stubbornly forced the new ring onto his finger.

What had he said? He said as long as she liked it.

Jared's furious roar echoed in her ears—Ten years! How many ten years do you think a person has!

Claire's mind went entirely blank. She had to go back. Even with this massive disaster right in front of her, she had to go back and get to the bottom of this.

"Professor, please keep an eye on things here. I'll be right back."

"Hey, in this rain, where are you going—"

Without a second thought, Claire dashed back into the storm, hailed a cab, and rushed to Grandview Heights.

Drenched to the bone, she didn't bother taking off her shoes and ran straight into Miles's study.

"The ring... where did I put the ring?"

Ignoring the mess, she frantically tore through the drawers until she yanked open the bottom one. A pristine blue velvet box sat inside.

With trembling fingers, she snapped it open, pulled out the ring, and held it up to the light.

CJ.

She froze.

Claire Jenner. Her initials.

Beneath the ring box was a stack of colorful envelopes, preserved impeccably without a single crease.

She tore them open.

One by one... they were all written in her handwriting. Every single one was filled with her smooth, practiced words of love.

These were the letters she had mass-produced in college to earn extra cash.

She had written countless sappy, dramatic declarations for total strangers. There were so many that she had long forgotten who she had written them for.

Claire's hands shook violently.

Miles had collected every single one and kept them safe.

The origin of this love was so absurd—so unbelievably absurd that she had never even noticed it.

Clutching the letters, she slowly sank to the floor.

She read them over and over, her tears falling without warning, blurring the ink that had survived a decade.

How could anyone be this foolish?

Had he really clung to her meaningless scribbles, guarding her with such pure devotion for ten years?

Guilt, bitterness, and agonizing regret twisted tightly around her heart.

Slumped against the mahogany desk, she could barely breathe.

Claire's shoulders heaved as her suppressed sobs finally broke the silence in the study.

-

Miles woke up in Jared's bedroom. Following the psychosomatic attack, every inch of his body was screaming in pain.

He forced his eyes open, and his first instinct was to reach for his phone to reply to Claire.

When his hand met empty air, his heart sank.

"Jared, where's my phone..."

Jared's voice was low. "What do you need your phone for? You're sick, just rest."

"Tell her I got called away on an emergency teaching assignment," Miles fell back onto the mattress, completely drained of energy.

"Call the housekeeper and my driver. Have them take care of her at Grandview Heights for the next few days."

"Move." Miles's eyes were bloodshot. "I'll go myself."

There was no room for negotiation. He was a man pushed to the brink of insanity.

Jared couldn't pin him down, nor could he stop him.

"You're insane. You're completely out of your mind..." Jared shook with anger as he grabbed his car keys.

"Let's go. I must owe you from a past life. I'll take you!"

"I'm coming with you! Hell, if you die at the factory, I'll be right there to resuscitate you!"

The sun had risen, but the rain was still falling in an endless, dreary drizzle.

The roads to the Westside were treacherous, and Jared cursed the entire drive.

At the Westside Factory, the open flames had been mostly extinguished, but after burning all night, the heavy smoke still lingered.

Walls had cracked, rebar was exposed, and entire sections of the building had completely caved in.

Miles tore through the police barricade. His steps were erratic, his eyes filled with nothing but raw panic. He scanned the devastated site like a madman.

Rescuers, firefighters, staff, and medics were everywhere. But the only person he was looking for was nowhere to be found.

Miles's heart hung by a thread, the pain infinitely worse than the heartbreak he'd felt the day before.

Julian spotted him—a completely unhinged, irrational Miles.

How pathetic. He saw the divorce papers, and yet he still chased her all the way here.

Julian stepped forward, a cold sneer on his lips.

"Looking for Claire, Dr. Zimmerman?"

"Where is she?" Miles's bloodshot eyes locked onto him.

Julian pointed to the crumbling, unstable ruins behind him.

"Claire... she didn't make it out."