Chapter 6
After getting in the car, Clarinda looked at Corbin. “I hope you
didn’t wait for long.”
“No, I didn’t. I just arrived.”
Corbin gently squeezed her hand, and his gaze fell upon her
slender, fair calves visible below the hem of her dress. He
frowned slightly. “Why are you dressed so lightly?”
She smiled, “I’ll either be in the car or the Alden’s mansion.
There’s always heating.”
When treating patients in the clinic, she would always remind
them time and again to keep warm.
But when it came to herself, those concerns suddenly vanished.
Corbin sighed helplessly, “You may catch a cold.”
“Then I’ll take some pills,” she said, her voice flat.
A cold was the easiest thing to deal with. A few pills would
suffice. She was an expert at it by now.
After all, that was how she had managed to get through the past
Chapter 6
three years.
She couldn’t count on Corbin to look after her.
That was a fool’s hope.
She had always been alone and couldn’t count on anyone.
Seeing her so nonchalant about her own health, Corbin felt a
wave of irritation. “I’m your husband. You make it sound like I
never care for you.”
She was slightly stunned. “You didn’t open the gift I gave you
yesterday?”
“Not yet,” he answered quickly.
“I decided to save it for my birthday!”
She fell silent.
Perhaps that was for the best.
This way, she would have plenty of time to prepare.
The two had little in common, and the remainder of the journey
passed in silence.
)
Corbin tilted his head and saw Clarinda gazing out at the traffic.
Chapter 6
He couldn’t fathom what she was thinking, and all he saw was
her meek appearance.
She was so gentle and harmless.
Why did Adrienne hate her so much? He didn’t get it.
Just as he was about to think of a topic, his phone suddenly
rang.
“Mr. Alden, Ms. Conley has gone on a blind date.”
The inside of the car was so quiet that Clarinda could hear every
word clearly.
The atmosphere in the car immediately thickened with tension.
She could almost feel Corbin’s fury burning through the
windshield he was glaring at.
He had always been so composed and controlled, and this was
something that had almost never happened.
“Text me her location.”
His expression darkened chillingly.
By the time he hung up and looked at Clarinda, his gaze had
regained its gentleness and calmness, but his words left no room
for argument. “Clara, something urgent has come up. I’m afraid I
Chapter 6
can’t accompany you to the family dinner.”
Something urgent?
Clarinda had no intention of exposing him.
She knew that pointing it out would only embarrass her.
“I see.” She lowered her gaze slightly.
“Ruben, pull over.”
The car came to a slow, steady stop.
However, Corbin didn’t move. Sensing this, Clarinda looked
over in confusion. “Corby? Get out of the car. We can’t block the
roadside for long.”
He then seemed to snap out of it and said, “Alright.”
He was slightly stunned. But at the sight of her gentle smile, he
couldn’t utter another word.
He stepped out in silence.
The Langdon family’s monthly dinner was different from those
of other prestigious families. It wasn’t exactly lively and
harmonious.
Chapter 6
There were mostly five attendees, including Corbin.
It was always so quiet–almost as quiet as a memorial service at a
grave.
Even the atmosphere was the same.
Clarinda stepped inside, and the housekeeper, Danny Scott, led
her to the dining room.
“Ms. Whitaker, Madam Langdon has been waiting for you since
this morning,” he said.
“Alright.”
B
Clarinda pursed her lips and nodded, her hands clenching
slightly at her sides.
In the dining room.
Rowena sat at the head of the table. To her left sat her eldest and
second daughters, Caroline Langdon and Kristie Langdon.
Clarinda entered and greeted them, “Hello, Madam Langdon.
Hello, Caroline. Hello, Kristie.”
Caroline and Kristie nodded lukewarmly in response, while Rowena looked behind her. Seeing no one, Rowena frowned
deeply. “Where’s Corbin?”
Chapter 6
Clarinda answered truthfully, “He had something to do at the
last minute and left.”
Immediately, a stern roar rang out, accompanied by a teacup
flying in her direction.
“Get out! You know what to do!”
When Clarinda walked out of the Langdon’s mansion, her limp
was more pronounced.
It had been this way for the past three years.
Whenever she returned without Corbin, she would be
punished according to the family’s rules.
She wasn’t surprised.
However, Corbin knew nothing of it. He was clueless that with
every attempt to prove his love to Adrienne, he was pushing
Clarinda further over the cliff.
A woman who couldn’t even keep her husband around was
useless to the Langdon family.
Danny sighed, “Sometimes honesty isn’t the best tactic. You
could have invented an excuse and made it sound serious to
deceive Madam Langdon. Then you wouldn’t have been hurt so
badly.”
“Danny…”
There was not a trace of resentment on Clarinda’s delicate, fair
face. “Madam Langdon raised me. She’s the last person in the world I would lie to.”
Danny sighed helplessly again, his gaze–a mix of kindness and genuine distress–resting on her.
He looked at her palms, reddened from the harsh strikes, and said, “Go to the hospital and have them looked at. Get some ointment before it gets worse.”
“Alright.”
Clarinda nodded, not saying much.
The Langdon family had already sent Ruben away.
Every step she took was like walking on knives.
She had known since childhood how cruel Rowena could be.
Even when Stacey was utterly furious, the worst she would do
was make Adrienne bow in the courtyard.
Lateefa Khanam is a spirited writer who finds freedom in horse riding. She cherishes her mare and the newborn foal, calling them her little happy family.
