The Colonel’s Claim: After the Divorce novel Chapter 5

It was hard to imagine that the man ruthlessly demanding a divorce today was the same man who had cried tears of joy when she accepted his proposal years ago.

After a long pause, Clara willed her stiff fingers to type a single word:

[Okay.]

Having mentally prepared herself, she didn't feel overly devastated. She took a moment to compose herself before heading to the hospital ward.

Pushing the door open, she saw Sarah helping Caleb out of bed.

Seeing her mother's hunched back and half-gray hair, and her father's gaunt, emaciated frame, Clara felt as if she had taken a physical blow, her eyes instantly brimming with tears.

"Dad, Mom..." she choked out, a painful lump forming in her throat.

Hearing her voice, the elderly couple turned around in joyous surprise.

"Clara, why didn't you tell us you were coming? I would have gone downstairs to meet you."

Sarah hurried over excitedly, grasping her daughter's hands while craning her neck to look behind her. "Where are Stella and Dominic?"

Caleb was equally eager to see his granddaughter. "Yes, where are Stella and Dominic?"

Clara lowered her eyes. Terrified that the truth about the father and daughter's devotion to Scarlett would break their hearts, she lied smoothly:

"Dominic had an emergency at work. He'll bring Stella over a bit later."

"I see. When will they get here? They'll probably be starving, right? I should go buy some food. Stella loves the pastries around here."

Clara couldn't maintain her forced smile any longer. Heartbroken, she murmured, "Don't worry about them. Look at you both—you've lost so much weight. Have you not been eating properly?"

"Nonsense."

Sarah brushed it off with a smile, though her eyes reddened with heartache as she gently cupped Clara's cheek.

Clara pointed out their weight loss, but Sarah could plainly see that her daughter looked incredibly haggard as well...

It was glaringly obvious that Dominic had been treating her coldly.

Marriage, it seemed, had ground down the fiery passion of their youth.

Sarah couldn't help but wonder—if they hadn't agreed to let her move across the country, if they had told her to wait for Rowan, would things have turned out differently?

Sigh.

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