Harbor of Heartbreak

Chapter 6

Natalie stood frozen, tears streaming down her face as she watched Alexander walk away. After a long pause, she let out a bitter laugh, the sound echoing in the empty air.

"Ha, Alexander Crawford. I didn't think you could be more naïve than me… but here we are," she muttered to herself. "You've hurt Claire too much. How could she ever come back to you?"

But Alexander didn't hear a word. He didn't stop, didn't even flinch at her words.

He knew Claire.

After all these years, he knew how she worked. No matter how furious she got with him, as long as he gave a genuine apology and the right gifts, he'd win her over. Every time.

But this time was different. This time, she had printed out divorce papers.

Regular gifts wouldn't cut it.

After a long deliberation, as soon as Alexander landed, he rushed to a tattoo parlor. Without a second thought, he handed the tattoo artist the design I had sent him five years ago and said, "I'm in a hurry. No anesthesia, please."

Seven hours later, he walked out of the shop, his white shirt soaked with blood.

With the tattoo still fresh on his skin, he bought gifts worth millions, along with 999 pristine white roses.

Having gone nearly 48 hours without sleep, Alexander drove straight to a vineyard estate on the outskirts of London, his heart racing as he rehearsed the perfect apology in his head.

He couldn't wait to see me. To tell me how much he missed me.

But the moment he spotted me in the distance, the words died in his throat.

There I was, in the golden glow of the setting sun, wrapped in the arms of a tall, handsome man. A man he didn't recognize.

With a smile that he'd never seen on my face before, I playfully fed fresh grapes, sweet and tart, to the man beside me.

The flowers in Alexander's hand dropped to the ground with a soft thud.

"Who is he?" he asked, his voice harsh.

I stiffened for a moment, but Ethan immediately tightened his hold on me, a protective gesture that made Alexander's stomach churn.

"You must be Alexander Crawford?" Ethan said, eyeing him coolly. "I've seen your wedding photos with Claire. Tsk, didn't expect you to be even uglier in person."

At the sound of Ethan's playful jab, I couldn't help but laugh. The tension in my body melted, and I relaxed, finding comfort in Ethan's presence. Alexander felt the weight of my laughter like a punch to the gut.

His fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms, but he didn't speak.

Ethan, unfazed, leaned in with a smirk. "Since you've come all this way, I'll introduce myself. I'm Ethan Parker, Claire's…"

"Ethan Parker?" Alexander scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "I know who you are. You're the son of the driver the Sullivan family took in. The same ungrateful bastard who got kicked out for stealing."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, clearly uninterested in Alexander's accusations, but I frowned, stepping forward to defend him.

"Alexander Crawford, Ethan isn't what you think. And what are you even doing here?" I demanded. "You're trespassing. This is private property. You know that, right?"

The cold dismissal in my voice made Alexander's expression twist with frustration. For a moment, he forgot why he'd come, his mission to win me back lost in his anger.

"Claire," he said, his voice low and demanding. "I've come to find you. Please stop acting childish. Come home with me. It's time to end this."

"Home?" I looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Are you serious? We're divorced. Didn't you see the signed papers?"

A small part of me thought maybe the courier had lost the package, but before I could even consider reprinting the divorce agreement for him, Alexander cut me off, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"I tore those damn divorce papers up," he snapped. "Claire, I know what you're upset about. I've already handled Natalie. She'll never come near you again. I promise."