Finding Hope Where Heartbreak Once Lingered

"Broke up?" Danny froze, disbelief flashing across his face. "When did that happen? I thought you were crazy about him. You even went so far as to—" "How's your leg?" Claire interrupted calmly, her gaze dropping to his knees. "It's not too serious, is it?" Earlier, when the bodyguard named Jackson had forced him to the ground, Danny's knees had taken the worst of the impact. "It's nothing," Danny said dismissively. His injury was the last thing on his mind. He tightened his grip around Claire's arm. "That boyfriend of yours… don't tell me he dumped you because he heard about your engagement to Logan, got scared, and ran off?" Claire hesitated for a brief moment before nodding faintly. "Something along those lines." "Damn it!" Danny swore under his breath. "What a cowardly piece of trash! Three whole years with you, too spineless to show his face to your family or friends—and now that my family arranged this engagement, he doesn't even have the nerve to come and fight for you? He—" "Claire." Ivy appeared beside them, her hand closing firmly around Claire's. "Come with me. The ceremony is about to start." Claire turned her head, casting one final glance toward the dressing room. It remained eerily silent. Carsten clearly had no intention of stepping out. At last, the last trace of expectation in her heart dissolved into quiet resignation. She straightened her back and followed Ivy into the banquet hall. The hall was dazzlingly luxurious, filled with the fragrance of expensive perfume and the soft chime of crystal glasses clinking together. Nearly every influential figure in Fiklens was present, gathered to witness what they considered a grand joke—an engagement ceremony without the fiance present. Under layers of thinly veiled scrutiny and barely concealed disdain, Claire maintained a flawless smile, mechanically completing an engagement ceremony whose male lead was conspicuously absent. Once it ended, Harold and Ivy flanked her on either side, guiding her through the crowd like an exquisitely dressed puppet, forcing her into polite smiles and empty pleasantries. By the time the last guest departed, night had already fallen deep and heavy. After changing her clothes, Claire stepped out through the restaurant's main entrance—only to have a sleek black luxury car pull up sharply in front of her. The window slid down, revealing Carsten's striking, angular features. "Get in," he said flatly. Without bothering to look at him, Claire turned and headed toward Danny's car. Danny glanced at her curiously once she got in. "Did you and Carsten have a fight? You always used to ride with him." In the past, Claire had never chosen his car whenever Carsten was driving. It was a habit he had long since accepted. "No." Claire turned toward him, a soft smile touching her lips. "I just suddenly realized today how good you are." Danny stiffened. A faint, awkward blush crept onto his face as he coughed and looked away. "So you finally noticed my good qualities? But don't get any funny ideas—I don't date people I'm too familiar with." Claire chuckled quietly, tilting her head as she studied his sharp profile. "Danny, just hypothetically speaking—if we were together, but I had to constantly consider my ex-boyfriend's feelings, to the point where I couldn't make our relationship public… would you accept that?" Danny rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "If you cared that much about your ex, why would you even be with me? And keeping things secret? That kind of humiliation? I couldn't tolerate it. Not a chance." Claire smiled, though a trace of desolation flickered in her eyes. The humiliation Danny claimed he could never endure… she had borne it quietly for three entire years. Back at the restaurant entrance, Carsten sat motionless in his car, staring in the direction Claire had disappeared, his expression unreadable. So lost was he in his thoughts that he only snapped back to reality when the cigarette between his fingers burned down to his skin. ... When Claire returned to the Dale residence, a servant hurried forward, presenting her with an elaborately wrapped box and informing her that it had been sent by Logan. The moment it settled into her hands, she noticed its unexpected weight, solid and unyielding. Inside her bedroom, she set the box aside without ceremony, leaving it untouched on a storage shelf before washing up and slipping beneath the covers. Logan's gift held no appeal for her—not even enough to spark curiosity. Morning arrived with the shrill ring of her phone, tearing her from an uneasy sleep. "Claire." Addison Blake's voice came through the line, careful and subdued. "Are you… managing alright?" Addison, Claire's bestie, was among the very few who knew the truth about Claire and Carsten. "I'm fine," Claire answered softly, eyes fixed on the ceiling above her. "It doesn't hurt the way I thought it would." There had been a time when she believed losing Carsten would destroy her completely. But now that the end had truly come, all she felt was a hollow stillness—an absence where pain should have been. "You're lying to yourself," Addison said bluntly. "I took today off just for you. Get up—we're going shopping. I'm paying for everything." Claire sat up, swinging her legs off the bed as she turned on the speakerphone. "Then I'll make sure to take full advantage," she replied with a faint laugh. After washing up, she made her way downstairs. The Dale family was already gathered in the dining room, the breakfast table neatly arranged and waiting. The moment Ivy spotted her, she beckoned warmly. "I was about to send someone upstairs. Come, eat while it's still warm." Claire had scarcely settled into her chair when Carsten, seated across from her, wordlessly pushed a plate of fried eggs in her direction—the kind she used to like best. "Well, look at that," Danny said lazily, arching a brow. "Carsten suddenly remembers how to be considerate. Let me guess—the Carters wired money into your company this morning, right after the engagement ceremony?" Ivy shot him a sharp glance. "Claire has been part of this family for years. She has already become a real Dale to us. Is it so strange for your brother to show concern?" Danny scoffed, unimpressed, "I just don't recall him ever being this thoughtful before. Funny how it starts the moment she's engaged to someone else." Without a word, Claire nudged the plate back across the table. "Thanks. But no need," she said evenly. "I don't eat this anymore." Danny's barbed remarks hadn't drawn so much as a flicker from Carsten. But Claire's simple refusal wiped the color from Carsten's face in an instant. "Claire," Ivy said gently, clearly attempting to smooth things over. "Logan called earlier. He wanted to know whether you liked the gift he sent last night." Claire's lashes lowered, her expression unreadable. "I haven't opened it. It's still in my room." Harold's brows knitted together at once. "You didn't even open it? That was a gift Mr. Carter personally prepared for you." Without hesitation, Ivy motioned for a maid to go upstairs and retrieve the box. After breakfast, with Ivy insisting, Claire finally opened the gift in front of everyone. The instant the lid was lifted, the atmosphere in the room shifted, and every face went unmistakably pale.