Chapter 9
My daughter stood in front of me like a little hero, one hand clutching her doll and another waving her tiny fist at James.
“Don’t you dare hurt my mommy!”
James stared at my daughter in disbelief.
“You had a daughter?” he whispered.
He reached out tentatively toward her.
I immediately scooped her up, eyeing him warily.
“We’re done here. Leave.”
“My mommy said go away,” my daughter echoed in her sweet voice.
James swayed slightly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“You promised our son you’d never have another child!”
He’d also promised me a faithful marriage. Had he kept that promise?
I didn’t bother arguing, just looked at him with indifference.
His emotional manipulation might have worked on the old Claire, but it had zero effect on who I’d become.
He questioned me furiously.
“Did you marry him for money? I never thought you were so shallow. Were you cheating during our marriage? Were you hiding it all along? Tell me!”
His roaring voice echoed through the stairwell. Not wanting to frighten my daughter, I asked the nanny to take her downstairs.
Then I threw his own words back at him.
“He saved my life once. Isn’t that what you said? ‘People should show gratitude.“”
That incident happened years ago, even before I met James.
Young and overconfident, I’d jumped into a river before really knowing how to swim.
After a few strokes, I started drowning. If Hudson hadn’t been cycling past, I would have died.
From that first meeting, Hudson always saw me as irresponsible.
It’s why he later developed the habit of always looking out for me.
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Trash Husband. Billionaire Upgrade: Dumping the Fake for Real Love
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Chapter 9
James stood there looking lost, completely speechless.
The boomerang he’d thrown years ago had circled back to strike him. He was finally experiencing what I’d felt then, and looked like he wanted to slap himself.
James lowered his eyes, his face ashen.
After a long silence, his voice trembled. “Tyler is still your child too. You can’t favor one over the other. Don’t you miss him at
all?”
“No.” I said firmly.
Why would I miss a child who had always despised me?
James stared at me, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
“I’m just realizing that beneath your kind, gentle exterior beats a ruthless heart.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small teddy bear.
I recognized it immediately–I’d made it from Tyler’s old socks.
Little Tyler had treasured it, until Harper bought him expensive toys and he tossed it aside.
Seeing my focused expression, James mistook it for sentimentality.
He smiled, placing the bear gently on the table.
“I’ll go now. Come see your son anytime you want.”
After he disappeared from view, I picked up the bear and dropped it in the trash.
My daughter came running back, throwing herself into my arms.
“Daddy’s back! Guess what flowers he brought you this time.”
I thought for a moment, then smiled. “Mommy guesses jasmine.”
She giggled. “Mommy’s so smart!”
I held her tight, sighing deeply.
How ridiculous. With my sweet, loving daughter, why would I care about an ungrateful child who never acknowledged me as family?
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–the Cabo for Real Love
