After all, I had once loved Alexander madly.
Back then, everyone knew I was his most cherished treasure, his goddess.
He had even taken a bullet for me, endured kidnapping and humiliation, nearly dying in the process.
And I, too, had given him everything.
But all of that changed the moment Isabella returned from abroad.
Her presence turned our love into a cruel joke—made me into the cruelest joke of all.
So when Alexander appeared with Isabella, pregnant and glowing, the others were already waiting for a spectacle.
What had just happened only stoked their eagerness for drama.
Yet while I sat there calm and composed, Alexander grew restless.
Why had I changed?
Isabella, seeing his eyes still fixed on me, suddenly spoke.
“Alexander, my stomach hurts. Claire must have come here to harm our child.”
At her words, his agitation flared alive once more.
Yes—that must be it.
I was only playing hard to get, putting on this act.
If he thought I had gone after Isabella, then it meant he still cared.
But since I had indeed hurt Isabella and her unborn child, he had to stand up for them.
So Alexander Hughes helped Isabella to her feet and turned to me.
“Claire Bennett, apologize.”
Before I could speak, a message lit up my phone.
“Enjoy the banquet if you wish. If not, Thomas Reed is already waiting outside.”
I recalled what Ethan Walker had said earlier—he might not be able to accompany me to the Hughes family banquet. He told me if I didn’t want to go, I didn’t have to.
What had I answered then?
I had been indifferent.
Since I had chosen to marry Ethan and live my life with him, I would never let the past trouble me.
But today, Alexander and Isabella had gone out of their way to provoke me.
The rest of the Hughes family watched eagerly, their desire for drama plain as day.
I had no intention of being their monkey, performing for their amusement.
Picking up my bag, I stood to leave.
Alexander blocked my path.
“I told you to apologize. Did you not hear me?”
His eyes burned with anger.
I yanked my hand free with no hesitation.
“Apologize? Does she deserve that from me?”
My words made Alexander laugh coldly.
“You think you’re in any position to talk about qualifications? What leverage do you have to challenge me?”
“Didn’t you come here today just to win me back?”
“Claire, if you want to play games, don’t overdo it.”
He was still the same arrogant man he had been years ago.