Regretting Divorce
Chapter 22

Chapter 22

His chest shuddered as he watched her unconscious body going towards the floor.

He leapt forward and wrapped an arm around her waist before she went down. Pulling her to his chest, Hunter cupped her face as a serpent of regret coiled around his being

His throat felt dry and eyes hurt with heat of self–reprimand as he observed her ghostly complexion. A tear left the corner of her eyes, which he picked on the pad of his finger while his chest grew heavy.

Her cheek was ghastly red, the imprint of his five thick fingers swelling on her white face. It felt like all the blood in her face accumulated in her cheek in the shape of a hand print. Hunter kept staring at it as he reflected back on his impulse.

He hit his wife. He raised his hands on a woman for the first time. That too… his wife.

While he was regretfully gawking at her red cheek, her head fell back, causing his breaths to falter. Gently, as though he was caring for a baby’s head, he picked hers in his hand and rested it on his chest.

Then carefully lifted her in his arms and took her inside her ward

(After a while)

Hunter sat in the stool, his eyes wavering, as he observed her face.

The doctor just left post examining her. Hunter received a handful of the doctor’s scolding for being careless with her. She was mad because Claire’s condition was frail

Since she was a female too, she didn’t take it lightly that her patient passed our after being hit by her husband. Her first reaction to it was to ask him to get out of Claire’s ward.

“Which husband raises their hands on their sick wife? Mr. Macintyre, firstly you don’t care for her whether or not she’s eating her food properly. Then you don’t come to ask for her updates. It’s beyond my understanding why would you even want to stay in her ward after treating her so coldly and hitting her out of anger?

“If you insist on staying around her out of guilt then you shouldn’t feel it. You wouldn’t have struck her if she matters to you.”

The doctor’s words echoed in his head

The shocking part was that he didn’t even know why he was not leaving her alone after slipping her.

ey were connected, by their hands, and

It’s been over thirty minutes since he brought Claire to her ward He stared where they wondered why was he even sitting there?

It’s not like he loved her!.

He wanted a divorce. He wanted her gone. But stil

still, he was sitting beside her while holding her hand.

Hunter reminisced about all the days he spent with her while pretending to be in love with her. She had been so happy, so vibrant, and so grateful. Her happiness in the two months of farce that they lived also made him believe they were a true lovely couple.

As he regarded her face now, a wave of self–loathing crashed over him. She has changed. With the vibrancy gone from her face, she looked like a corpse. So pale, so colorless. Only the face of a corpse looks that way.

His gaze lowered to her mouth. On the corner that ripped open with the slap. Actually his wedding ring came in contact

Chapter 22

with her lip, opening it up. He remembered the trail of blood slipping down her chin and staining his shirt. He had been frightened. The sight of blood unfurled many fears in his heart,

Above all, what made his body crumple under the weight of self–reprimand was the fact that he hit his wife,

Hunter brung his left hand in front of his eyes, Staring at it, he stared behind his hand at Claire’s face. Te kept switching his gaze from her face to his hand. One moment her eyes were close, the next moment they were looking at him.

His heart skipped beating when he saw her awake. Hunter wished to shift because spasms emerged in his body. But he couldn’t do so as Claire beheld his gaze.

Seconds turned to minutes but none of them spoke. After what it felt like a millennial, she whispered as her eyes began to water again.

You hit me.”

Hunter felt the blood drain from his head so abruptly that the room swam before his eyes. He parted his lips like a goldfish, trying to say something. Not that he had anything to

“Just tell me one thing. Hunter. In the two years that we were together… No, two months. In the two months that we were together, did you feel even one bit of love for me?”

He was tongue–tied. The guilt ate his insides as he saw her mouth bleed from all the speaking.

When he was finally able to say

mething, she said with a dry chuckle, “What am I asking? And to whom? Certainly all that you ever felt is nauseated. I shouldn’t have asked.”

More and more tears emerged in her eyes. Hunter felt a need to wipe them away. But since she cast her eyes away, she seemed to have gone far away from him. So close yet so far to touch.

“I’m sorry that I happened. I’m sorry that our marriage happened. I’m sorry for everything. But know that it’s not going to last any longer and make it difficult for you.”

Those were the last words from Claire. After that, she asked him to leave her alone and he quietly did. No sorry, no thank you. He said nothing! Hunter felt obliged to give her peace by leaving her alone.

He came back to Zara’s ward. She was fast asleep when he walked in. The wounds caused by Claire were cleaned and treated. Staring at her, Hunter dragged in deep breaths

Although Zara looked sicker than his wife, he couldn’t feel attached to her injuries. She was a victim of a bigger physical torment and still his mind wandered back to his wife. Hunter gawked at his hand that he used to slap her.

Night crept in and he didn’t leave Zara’s ward. She was still asleep. Hunter was sitting on the couch, looking sightlessly upon the ceiling when Cole entered.

He took a seat by his feet and looked at his friend. Hunter hated this silence between them. After what he did to Claire, he was expecting backlash from his best friend. Nevertheless, it never came.

In fact this was the first time Cole was showing his face after he was asked to leave him and Claire alone for a talk.

“Congratulations.” Hunter stared at Cole.

He did want Cole to speak. This was far from what he was expecting though.

“Your wife has signed the divorce papers.”

Lead settled in Hunter’s chest. He found breathing difficult as he observed Cole withdraw an envelope from his jacket.

“Claire summoned your lawyer with the new copy of your divorce papers. She signed them” As the envelope was handed to

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him, Hunter’s throat ached from his attempt to keep breathing

He hesitantly opened the papers. Seeing her signature made a wave of indecipherable emotions pass through his boily.

He noticed that her signature was rather scribbled on the papers Instantly the image of Claire shaking as she cried while signing the papers slammed into his awareness.

“You should have slapped her earlier, you know. That way you could have avoided creating war–like tension between wife and girlfriend Cole said rather mockingly.

your

Hunter rose on his feet. His body language specified his intention. Before he made a move to get out and go to Claire, Cole made a revelation that froze him in disbelief.

*Claire is gone.

Hunter stood rigidly as if rods were installed in his body.

“She left a message for you,” As Cole stated that Hunter held his breath. “She said that you won. You managed to make her divorce you. You are free from her, and her imposing love. She will no longer bother you now. Enjoy your freedom.”

By the time he finished it. Hunter’s face was colorless. Even if he was feeling something, it didn’t reflect on his face.

He just nodded and said, “Will you stay here for a while? I need to go to have a word with Zara’s doctor?”

He didn’t wait for Cole’s reply and came out of the room. Hunter slumped by the closed door and released the breath he was. holding.

His rigid jaw loosened as a wave of unknown emotion washed over him.

You are free from her, and her imposing love. She will no longer bother you now. Enjoy your freedom.

The words played in his mind.

He thought, “Why do I feel like my soul is tearing apart? Why was my heart beating so fast when Cole repeated her words? 1 should be happy that she agreed to leave me. Then why am I feeling like I’m being abandoned? This doesn’t feel like freedom. Why’s that? Why does my chest ache so much? What is this feeling?”

The

Now you’ll see the title of the book coming into affect!!! How many of you are excited to read further now?

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