Chapter 8

Claire’s POV

A few days later, I was discharged and went home to pack.

Not that there was much to pack.

I had no desire to take anything from the Bennett family, and the things Julian Prescott had given me hurt just to look at.

One by one, I cleared the designer handbags, high-end clothes, and jewelry out of my walk-in closet and piled them in the middle of the room.

Finally, I took a heavy box out of the safe.

Julian Prescott had given it to me on my twentieth birthday.

He had said that every year, he would put in a piece of jewelry he thought suited me best.

When the box was full, he would marry me.

It had been seven years. The box had long since filled up.

Inside were the diamond-studded earrings he had bought me with his bonus after landing his first project.

There was the antique brooch we had found at a Paris flea market on our first trip abroad together.

And the emerald ring his mother had left me…

I had once treasured every piece.

Now, they were nothing but a pile of cold stones.

I closed the lid and put it in the cardboard box of things I intended to return, along with the blank wish card he had signed when he was young, promising to grant me any one wish.

That wish card was my last trump card.

Back when Julian Prescott’s grandfather was still alive, Julian Prescott had signed it in front of both our families to reassure me.

He had said that as long as I had that card, I could ask him for one thing, anytime, anywhere, and he would never refuse.

I had once thought I would redeem it when I married him, as the most romantic fulfillment of his promise.

Later, I had thought it would be my last bargaining chip to win him back.

But now, I only wanted to return it.

I didn’t want to owe him anything anymore.

I called his assistant, Ethan Brooks, gave him the address, and asked him to come pick everything up.

Ethan Brooks’s voice was as cold as ever.

“Ms. Bennett, Mr. Prescott is very busy preparing for his engagement party with Ms. Reed. I’m afraid he has no time to deal with such trivial matters.”

“Trivial matters?

I kept my emotions in check. “There are personal belongings of his in the boxes. They’re important.”

Ethan Brooks’s tone grew impatient.

“Ms. Bennett, I know you’re upset, but Mr. Prescott really is moving on with his life. Why keep clinging to him like this?”

He thought I was playing games, desperately trying to hold on.

The truth was, he had never taken me seriously.

By the time he became Julian’s assistant, Julian was already treating me coldly.

Julian’s attitude toward me dictated how his assistant treated me.

Ethan had always seen me as a nuisance he had no choice but to deal with.

I took a deep breath and told him as calmly as I could:

“There are important belongings of Julian’s in these boxes. You need to pick them up before five this afternoon. Otherwise, if anything goes missing, you’ll be responsible.”

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end before he reluctantly agreed.

“Fine. I’ll come by this afternoon.”

At four thirty, Ethan arrived, just as promised.

He didn’t come any farther than the foyer.

I pushed the large cardboard boxes I had packed toward him.

“Ms. Bennett,” he said pointedly as he directed the driver to carry them out.

“You need to look ahead. Everyone knows Mr. Prescott and Ms. Reed are a perfect match. Doing this will only embarrass you.”

I didn’t explain or argue.

He was nothing but Julian’s dog. There was no point arguing with him.

I simply looked at him and said evenly,

“Check that everything’s there, then take it all back to him. After this, we owe each other nothing.”

Once they had loaded everything into the car, I closed the front door.

Three days later, a black stretch Lincoln pulled up outside the Bennett family’s house.

The Blackwood family had sent it to pick me up.

I wore a simple white dress and carried one small suitcase.

Under Richard Bennett’s and Vivian Hayes’s conflicted gazes, I got into the car and set off for San Francisco.

I was leaving, but this wasn’t the end.

It was time to make Julian Prescott and Richard Bennett pay for everything they had put me through over the years.

(Paywall break)