Chapter 1
In the third year of their marriage, when Corbin Alden’s brother
passed away, Clarinda Whitaker asked for a divorce.
Corbin furrowed his brows, nonplussed. “All because I took a
slap for Adri?”
Adri? They were calling each other by nickname now?
But Adrienne Conley was his sister–in–law.
An ironic smile tugged at Clarinda’s lips. “Yes. That’s exactly
why.“”
Of course it wasn’t the only reason. It was just the last nail in the
coffin.
The red handprint from the slap was all the more noticeable on
Corbin’s handsome face.
When Corbin stood up for Adrienne, all the Aldens were slack-
jawed.
But Clarinda wasn’t the slightest shocked.
She had already learned the truth three days ago.
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It was their wedding anniversary, so she flew to the city to
surprise him during his business trip, only to overhear his
conversation with his friends.
“Corby, you can’t keep disappearing on every one of your
anniversaries. It’s unfair to Clara. She loves you with her whole
heart.”
The usually aloof Corbin showed a flicker of sadness. “You
think I want to? If I didn’t do it, she wouldn’t have believed that I
never touched Clarinda.”
“She?”
The man, who was defending Clarinda, realized what he meant
and boiled with fury. He jeered, “You mean Adrienne? Corbin,
what the hell is wrong with you? She’s married to your brother.
And they even had a child. Why haven’t you moved on?”
He changed the subject and continued, “Besides, aren’t you
worried that Ambrose would make you pay for what you did to
Clara?”
“He won’t.”
Corbin rubbed his fingers and added, “After Clarinda married
me, they stopped talking. He even blocked her on WhatsApp.”
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Outside the private room, Clarinda strode away with calm, yet
the tips of her fingers quivered slightly.
She had always known Corbin harbored feelings for someone
else.
She asked around, but no one told her who it was.
And she had all kinds of speculations.
Yet she never expected it to be Adrienne, the woman she had
respected as her sister–in–law for three years.*
How humiliating!
It was pouring rain when Clarinda walked out of the club. But
she didn’t flinch, letting the rain soak her through and through.
That very night, she took the red–eye flight back to Veyton.
The moment she got home, she fell ill.
After battling the fever for two days and only beginning to feel
a little better, Duncan Alden, her brother–in–law, died in an
accident.
Seven days later, Duncan’s funeral was held in Veyton.
For the past few days, Clarinda had been staying at the Alden’s
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mansion, getting only a few hours of sleep each night. By the
time the funeral ended, she felt like a walking zombie.
Ruben Garrison, the family chauffeur, parked the car outside
the cemetery, waiting for Clarinda.
Once inside the car, Clarinda shut her eyes. “Ruben, take me
home.”
“Not going back to the Alden’s mansion?”
“No.”
Although the funeral was over, the family drama had just
started.
Duncan had been the firstborn, growing up in the spotlight.
Adrienne had persuaded him to go skydiving, but his parachute
failed, and he plummeted to his death.
He wasn’t rushed to the hospital for resuscitation but for
stitching his broken body back together.
The Aldens hadn’t vented their rage on Adrienne yet.
Clarinda had no interest in watching her husband defend
another woman. She got her own things to do.
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But just as Ruben started the engine, the door was pulled open.
Corbin, dressed in a black tailored suit, stood tall and poised. He
seemed torn, a rare expression for someone as powerful as him.
“Clara, are you going home?”
“Yes”
While answering, Clarinda caught a glimpse of Adrienne and a
chubby boy beside Corbin.
That was Leonel Alden, Adrienne and Duncan’s son. He was
only four this year.
Bewildered, Clarinda watched as Leonel climbed into the car.
Then he said to her bluntly, “Auntie Clarinda, please take me
and my mom back home!”
Clarinda frowned slightly and cast a look at Corbin, seeking
confirmation.
Corbin pursed his lips. “My parents are still mad. Let Adri and
Leon stay with us for now!”
And as if fearing she might refuse, he added, “Didn’t you say you
want a kid? You may start by taking care of Leon. Think of it as
practice.”
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The absurdity almost made Clarinda laugh.
But she swallowed it down, as laughing at a cemetery seemed
inappropriate.
So, Corbin sent Adrienne and Leonel back with her, while he
stayed behind to face his family’s wrath?
How dependable.
Back at the house, Clarinda found Sarah Tapia, the
housekeeper, had already prepared a guest room. Corbin must
have called ahead.
Fine. It spared her the trouble. Clarinda took a shower and
collapsed onto the bed, out like a light.
When she woke again, it was already 9 p.m.
Just as she picked up her phone, her friend Cecily Kerr called.
“I have drafted the divorce agreement just like you asked. Do
you want to review it?”
“Thanks, Ceci.”
Just waking up, Clarinda’s voice was still soft. “Just have it
delivered to my door.”
“Are you sure about this?” Cecily hesitated.
Having dealt with tons of cases, she worried Clarinda was
acting on impulse. “Corbin may not be the perfect husband, but
in some ways-
Clarinda turned on the lamp and sat up, her mind clearing. “Yes, I’m sure. Ceci, he jerked off to pictures of another woman.”
Words failed Cecily.
Her head buzzed.
She didn’t expect the shy Clarinda to say “jerk off“.
But what shocked her even more was how shameless Corbin
was.
Cecily cursed him under her breath and said. “Don’t bother. I’ll
deliver it to you myself.”
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.
