Chapter 17

Day after day, Ethan lay in his cold hospital bed, replaying every moment since Claire's release. The painful truth gnawed at him — he had ignored her at every turn. The realization was devastating.

Even in his dreams, she appeared only to look at him with cold indifference before turning away. He would thrash in his sleep, calling out, "Claire, don't go. Don't leave me."

He was a shell of a man, barely alive. The only thing that could draw any flicker of response from him was the sound of Claire's name.

The Holloways hired therapists, but Ethan refused to cooperate. In desperation, they even brought in women who resembled Claire.

He flew into a blind rage, shoving them away in a panic. It was because of Vivienne that Claire had left him in the first place.

His eyes were bloodshot, his voice raw and shredded. "Get out! Get away from me! I'll never do anything to betray Claire again. Get out!"

Two years crawled by like decades. He was consumed by longing, waking in the dead of night with chest pains so severe he'd collapse and pass out — yet even unconscious, her name was on his lips.

Then one day, a photo taken in a crowd was posted online and sent shockwaves across the internet.

Countless users were stunned. "Holy shit, isn't that Claire Sterling? Grace Sterling's daughter?"

"Oh my God, look at that baby bump — she's got to be at least seven months along."

"They're gorgeous together. They look so in love!"

Someone quickly urged the poster to take it down. "She's clearly being well taken care of. If Ethan or the Sterlings see this, they'll never leave her alone. Please delete this!"

That comment shot to the top, and the original poster deleted the photo almost immediately. But it was too late. In his hospital room, Ethan stared at the photo Margaret had brought him. "Trust me, sweetheart. That's definitely Claire."

They'd had this conversation countless times over the past two years. Ethan had sunk into complete despair, and Harold had washed his hands of him. But Margaret never stopped searching for Claire.

Ethan had long since given up hope, but he glanced at the photo anyway. Just one look — and his breath caught. His hand clenched around it, trembling. He recognized the woman instantly.

The woman in the photo was breathtakingly beautiful, her belly swollen with pregnancy. Beside her, a strikingly handsome man held her arm with gentle attentiveness.

That familiar expression, those eyes curved with laughter — Ethan's whole body went rigid with shock. "Claire... she's pregnant?"

He was absolutely certain it was her. But in that moment, his face drained of color as he fought against what he was seeing. The woman who had once sworn she loved only him was now carrying another man's child.

His heart turned to ice. He'd searched for her for so long. How could she do this to him?

It had to be revenge. She must have been so angry about Vivienne that she'd stayed away to punish him.

He forced himself to calm down, repeating silent reassurances. It didn't matter. As long as Claire came back, he wouldn't care that she'd been pregnant with someone else's child.

Once he'd steadied his breathing, he fixed his gaze on the man in the photo with a hatred that ran bone-deep. "Claire would never hide from us willingly. That bastard must have been keeping her locked away for two years."

He couldn't accept that she had simply vanished, and he would never allow her to disappear again. But for now, he still needed the Sterling family's resources.

With that thought, he dialed Julian's number. "Julian. I found Claire."

On the other end, Julian's composure shattered the moment he saw the photo. But he quickly narrowed his eyes, locking every emotion behind a mask of calm. "The Sterling family will devote every resource to finding her."

After hanging up, Julian stared at the man standing beside his sister, his jaw clenched with fury. "Who the hell is this man? If he thinks he can take advantage of my sister and get away with it, he's dead wrong."