“Where are you? I miss you so much. Let me come get you. Bring you home,” Finley pleaded. “I know I was wrong–I never should’ve hurt you over and over because of Renee. I see that now. Please, Claire, forgive me.”
Nothing. His words didn’t stir a single emotion in her.
“Finley, there’s nothing left to say. I’ve spent years saying everything that mattered. As for the divorce, it’s in Raoul’s hands. If you have questions, talk to him. Don’t contact me again.”
“Can’t you give me one more chance? I swear, I’ll never see Renee again. She’s out of my life.”
Another promise.
Claire let out a bitter laugh. “Finley, how many times have you said that in the past three years? I lost count. Do you really think I’ll believe you now?”
1/2
+20 Bonus
“I mean it this time! I’ll prove it to you. Just tell me where you are–please, Claire, just one more chance.”
Finley’s voice cracked with emotion, but Claire remained unmoved.
“Even if I forgave you, our dead child never will. Don’t forget, Finley–it was you who pushed me down those stairs. You who
stood there and did nothing. That’s why, at just three months, our baby died inside me!”
Tears streaked down her face. She sniffed, forcing down the sobs. “Since you love Renee, not me, go be with her. Once the divorce is final, she’s all yours. I don’t care anymore.
“You called me jealous. Cold. Don’t worry–I won’t be anything to you ever again.”
She hung up before he could get a word in.
Wiping her tears, she switched off her phone and turned to the instructor with a steady smile. “I’m ready. Let’s get in the water.”
With the instructor’s guidance, Claire slipped beneath the surface. The ocean was unreal, more breathtaking than she’d ever imagined. Down here, surrounded by nothing but silence and blue, she finally felt a flicker of peace.
Meanwhile, Finley stared at his screen. Straight to voicemail. She’d shut him out.
Desperate, he instructed Kevin to track Claire’s location through her phone’s signal.
It didn’t take long.
“Mr. Lloyd, Mrs. Lloyd is in the Maldives.”
Finley’s face fell.
The Maldives–Claire’s dream destination.
