Chapter 9
The Alden family and the Langdon family had been matched
rivals in the early years.
But later, Ambrose took over the Langdon family and began to
revolutionize its operations decisively and mercilessly. Only
then did the Alden family start to be outshone.
But that did not mean his wife could be bullied with impunity.
Clarinda looked up at him, her eyes as crystal clear as ever. “You said you had to deal with something urgent,” she said
deliberately. “I thought it must have been important. I didn’t
want to disturb you.”
Corbin fell silent.
For a fleeting moment, a treacherous question flashed through
his mind.
If he had known that the price for stopping Adrienne’s blind
date would be Clarinda being brutalized, would he still have
gone?
He looked up unconsciously, his gaze drawn to Clarinda’s meek,
gentle face.
Chapter 9
A profound tightness gripped his chest. He fetched the first aid kit and began applying the ointment to her wounds. “Why did
you never tell me this was happening to you?” he asked, his
voice gentle.
This time, Clarinda remained silent.
At first, she had truly wanted to be Corbin’s perfect wife.
And she had genuinely believed he’d be a fantastic husband.
Everyone thought she was part of the Langdon family.
Why, then, would she speak ill of them to Corbin?
She wasn’t a fool. Of course, she had always been able to sense
Corbin’s feelings for her.
She had always known he didn’t love her very much.
But it had only truly dawned on her a few days ago that he had
never loved her at all.
In this moment, she was simply glad she had never placed her
entire existence on someone else’s love, never made it so vital
that she could not live without it.
She gently clenched the fingers resting on her thigh and said,
her voice barely a whisper, “I didn’t want to put you in a
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difficult position between me and the Langdon family.
“After all, you still have to collaborate with them on business,
right?”
She couldn’t tell the truth.
She could only offer a convenient excuse, feigning genuine
consideration.
Corbin, however, fell for it completely. A lump formed in his
throat, and he was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of guilt.
Just because Clarinda was reasonable didn’t give him the right
to take her for granted.
He took a deep breath to collect himself. Then he stroked her
hair and said gently, “I’m sorry, Clara. This is my fault. And I
apologize for forgetting our anniversary. Is there a gift you’d
prefer?
“Name it. I’ll make it happen.”
He meant it–she could ask for properties, cars, jewelry,
anything.
He’d always been generous in that regard.
alway
“Well…”
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After a moment of pondering, Clarinda looked up and said
softly, “I want you to like the birthday gift I gave you.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.“”
She nodded lightly.
At the age of twenty, her birthday wish had been to marry
Corbin.
At twenty–four, her only wish was to leave him for good.
As she met his sincere gaze, she felt a pang of unease for the first
time.
But in the next second, his phone rang.
It wasn’t his normal ringtone.
Rather, it was an exclusive one.
With a single glance, she saw the caller ID–Adri.
Corbin answered. Immediately, he sprang to his feet, his
expression turning worried. “What? Is it serious? Why didn’t
you ask the driver to take you? How did you end up twisting
your ankle?
Chapter 9
“Send me your location. I’ll be right there.”
He hastily hung up and was about to stride out, only to halt
abruptly. He was still in the middle of applying ointment to
Clarinda’s wounds.
The cotton swab hovered in mid–air as he stood there, visibly
torn.
Clarinda took the swab from his hand. “I can manage by
myself,” she said. “Go ahead with your business.””
People always said that while silent children went unnoticed,
the crying ones got all the candy.
Clearly, Clarinda was the exception.
If she cried, there would be no candy at all–only discipline.
But it was fine. One day, she would buy candy for herself.
A whole lot of it.
After a few seconds of silence, Corbin nodded, his relief
palpable. “Alright.“”
Then he added, almost as a reflexive justification, “Adri’s hurt.
She’s alone out there with no one but Leon, so I have to go.”
Chapter 9
With that, he strode out.
For some reason, Clarinda suddenly blurted out, “Corby, is
Adrienne still your sister–in–law in your eyes?”
Corbin’s heart skipped a beat, and he stopped in his tracks
abruptly.
Turning around, he met Clarinda’s clear, penetrating gaze, and
he unconsciously called her name, “Clarinda…”
Suddenly, she chuckled, the sound light and airy. “Come on
now. Why are you so nervous? I know you and Adrienne have
known each other for years. She’s not just your sister–in–law.
She’s also a dear friend to you.”
Watching as the black Maybach pulled out of the courtyard,
Clarinda slowly leaned back against the sofa.
Her impulsiveness had startled even herself.
She was used to putting on a meek, gentle facade. All she had to
do was use Corbin’s guilt to get a divorce.
Why? Why had she asked him that stupid question?
She looked up at the ceiling, her eyes terribly sore.
Before she could figure out the answer, Cecily called. “Clara,
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wanna go out for a drink tonight?”
“OK,” she agreed readily.
After a brief pause, she added, “But later. I’ve got a livestream,
and it’ll end around ten.”
It was the clinic’s livestream–something that hadn’t originally
been part of her job.
But once, the colleague in charge had an emergency and asked
her to fill in.
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.
