When the company’s funds ran dry and salaries could not be paid,Adrian concealed the truth from her.He went instead to a former rival,lowering himself,drinking to borrow money,until he bled from an ulcer and ended up in the hospital.
She kept vigil by his bedside,weeping,while Adrian only smiled,brushing away her tears.
“Clara,don’t cry.For you,all of this is worth it.”
“In this lifetime,I,Adrian Cole,will never betray you.”
They lived in a cramped rented apartment,sometimes sharing a single bowl of instant noodles.He would always push the sausage and the fried egg into her bowl.
In winter,he warmed her frozen feet with his body heat.In summer,he fanned her to sleep,sweating through his own shirt.
When Adrian signed the walk-away-with-nothing clause,he did not hesitate.He held her hand and said,
“If I sign this,will you finally feel safe staying with me forever?Everything I have is yours—including me.”
That burning love,those shared struggles,the solemn promises—they had been so real,etched into her very bones.
Could it all be voided simply because of Vanessa?
Had Adrian’s devotion all been false?
Clara’s heart quaked violently,pain tangled with reluctance and confusion.
She hated his betrayal,but the years they had shared were already part of her very blood,not something that could be torn away so easily.
Sensing her silence and her ragged breathing,Lawyer Bennett spoke cautiously:
“Miss Winter,legally,although both parties have signed,before the agreement can take effect,the law grants you a seven-day consideration period.”
“During those seven days,the contract remains pending submission.My advice is…take time to think it through.”
“Not for him,but for yourself—to be sure you will not regret it later.”
Clara closed her eyes.Scalding tears slid down her face,quickly chilled by the night wind.
Regret?
She was already being torn apart by the searing pain.
But she knew the lawyer was right.
A decision made in anger and despair might not be calm enough.
She needed time.She needed to breathe.She needed to lift her head,just for a moment,from the grief drowning her,and decide what she truly wanted.
“…Alright.”
She let out a weary sigh.
“By the rules then—seven days.”
After hanging up,Clara stood alone on the bustling city street.
Crowds surged around her,traffic roared past,yet she felt only a crushing loneliness and cold.