Chapter 23
“Paperwork?”
“For my visa.”
Clarinda made something up on the spot. “Cecily asked me to
travel to Trastrica with her. I thought it’d be a hassle, so I didn’t
want to go. But Matilda heard about it and said she’d arrange
someone to handle it for me.”
No sooner had she spoken than her phone chimed.
800,000 dollars were transferred to her account.
Corbin didn’t press further. Instead, he brought up last night.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to talk to me about something?
What was it again?”
Startled, Clarinda pursed her lips. “It’s about the visa. I thought
asking you for help would save me some trouble.”
“Am I late to the party?”
Corbin chuckled, tilting his head toward the empty gift box on the coffee table. “That was your gift for me, wasn’t it?”
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“Matilda saw it. She liked it, so she took it.”
Clarinda replied, “If you want one, I’ll have Matilda give you
another next time.”
Corbin nodded, not asking what it had been. “If Mom likes it,
then let her have it!”
He didn’t care to look deeper.
Just like his attitude toward their marriage over the past three
years.
Clarinda used to think it was because he was gentle and even-
tempered. Only later did she realize it was indifference.
He didn’t care about her gifts or about her. From start to finish,
he’d always kept his distance.
Now Clarinda no longer minded. She just smiled. “Fine, as long
as I don’t have to spend money preparing another one.”
“Stingy.”
Corbin shot her a sidelong look. “I’m not stingier with you than
Ambrose, am I?”
Her fingernail grazed her fingertip as she smiled faintly. “You’ve
always been generous.“”
As kids, many of her birthdays were spent with Ambrose and
his friends.
And whenever it came time for gifts, Corbin always managed to
pick the one that hit home.
He was never stingy.
He was a gentleman, willing to make his friend’s sister happy.
But only as a friend’s sister.
That answer seemed to please Corbin. He smiled. “Still holding a grudge against your brother?”
“I’m not sulking”
Clarinda Whitaker’s voice was calm and cool.
She had never been sulking at Ambrose.
When Matilda left, she hadn’t shut the door, and cold drafts
slipped in off and on. Clarinda sniffled and changed the subject.
“Corbin, I should go.””
“Heading to the clinic again?”
Corbin didn’t catch the undertone.
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Clarinda didn’t explain. She only nodded. “Yeah. Rudolf said he’s
busy today, so he asked me to help.”
“Go on then. Want me to have the driver take you?”
“No need.”
Clarinda Whitaker declined. “I can manage on my own.”
She’d long been used to being on her own.
With that, she pulled on her long down coat and stepped outside
into the icy, slick ground where sunlight still spilled across the
pavement.
After hailing a cab, Clarinda pulled out her phone and
transferred the full 800,000 dollars she’d just received to a
charity supporting girls from poor families so they could grow
up with an education.
She hoped every girl could live a real life, standing in the
sunlight, free and unrestrained.
Not like her.
They couldn’t end up like her.
Corbin watched her figure fade from view, a hint of emotion in
his eyes.
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That girl from the past, she’d grown up in the blink of an eye.
Sarah’s anxious voice carried over. “Hey! Careful with that.
Don’t drop it!”
Corbin turned at the sound and saw Sarah directing people as
they carried things toward the back garden.
He walked over, frowning. “What are you moving?”
Sarah answered honestly, “No idea. Mrs. Alden packed it up and
asked me to have it shipped.”
Something felt off. Corbin lifted his chin. “Open a box and see.”
“Wouldn’t that be bad? If Mrs. Alden finds out, she won’t be
happy…”
“Whose orders do you follow, mine or hers?”
“Yes, sir.”
Sarah knew who paid her salary. She fetched scissors and
carefully slit the tape.
Just as she was about to lift the lid, Corbin’s phone rang.
“Let me go!”
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Adrienne’s panicked voice cried through, breaking into sobs.
“Corbin! Save me!”
Corbin’s expression darkened, and he bolted.
Sarah froze. “If you don’t check, I’ll be sending it off right
away…”
“Then send it!”
Corbin was too frantic to care.
He sped to the hotel like the wind, brushed past the front desk’s
protests, and reached the room. One kick from his leg, and the
door crashed open!
Inside, there was more than one man.
Thankfully, Adrienne’s clothes were still intact. The moment
she saw Corbin, she collapsed to the floor in tears.
Corbin’s face was stormy, his eyes bloodshot, fury rolling off
him in waves.
He grabbed a chair and smashed it toward the three men!
When the chair splintered, he used his fists.
Each punch landed heavy and hard.
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***
When Clarinda got the call from the police, she could only feel
the absurdity of it all.
Corbin, the picture of refinement, had actually thrown punches.
And not just that, he’d taken on three men and left them all
worse for wear.
When she arrived at the station and saw the bruised men, she
froze. “What happened?”
“Clara, don’t be mad.”
Adrienne walked over, eyes swollen red. “It was all my fault. I
drank too much. If Corbin hadn’t shown up…”
She didn’t finish, but Clarinda already understood. It was the
classic tale of a man fighting for his beloved.
Only the man in question was her husband in name, nothing
more.
Corbin looked at Clarinda with a hint of apology. “Sorry to
trouble you.”
“Not at all.”
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Clarinda briskly followed the officer to sign the papers and
complete the procedures.
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.
