Chapter 192
I Did Lie to You
After spending the whole night digesting it on his own, he had finally managed to steady his emotions. He wanted to pursue Claire Bennett all over again; he couldn't afford to fail at a critical moment like this.
Julian Sterling coaxed softly, "I'm sorry. I did lie to you. My family isn't just those few people—there are other relatives too. I was afraid you'd dislike how complicated my family is and think the burden was too heavy, so I lied to you."
"Who else?" Claire Bennett asked.
"My grandfather, my grandmother... they had five children. My father is the second. My other uncles all have children too."
Julian Sterling wasn't lying. That was the makeup of the Sterling family. There really were a lot of people in the family. If he truly started listing the complicated relationships across several generations, he probably wouldn't be able to finish anytime soon.
After hearing him out, Claire Bennett fell silent for a moment.
There really were a lot of people in Julian Sterling's family, more than she had imagined. A big family like that really was a heavy burden for ordinary people, so it was no wonder Julian Sterling had concealed it.
But she wasn't angry about that. She was angry because he had lied to her.
"How is your aunt so rich? She just throws around fifty million!"
"She married a nouveau riche."
Claire Bennett accepted his explanation, then huffed. "Does having money give her the right to humiliate people?"
What did the matter between her and Julian Sterling have to do with his aunt? She was Julian Sterling's aunt, not his parents. What right did she have to stand in the way of the two of them seeing each other?
Actually, what Julian Sterling's aunt had done was completely pointless, because up until now, she was only Julian Sterling's wife in name. They weren't together at all, so there was nothing for his aunt to worry about.
"I'm sorry." Julian Sterling obediently apologized on Paige Sterling's behalf.
The anger in Claire Bennett's heart eased quite a bit. The one who had humiliated her was Julian Sterling's aunt, not him. There was no need for him to apologize to her.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say. She was still angry.
Julian Sterling opened the car door and said softly, "Get in. We're going home."
Hearing the words "going home," Claire Bennett's heart trembled, and an indescribable feeling flowed through her.
But then she immediately remembered that this man had disappeared for a whole day and night and had gotten angry for no reason. Who wanted to go home with him?
"I'll go back by myself," Claire Bennett said firmly.
Julian Sterling knew Paige Sterling probably hadn't said anything nice just now, and Claire Bennett had every right to be angry. He didn't dare push her buttons again.
So he said softly, "It's still a bit of a distance from here to the exit. You'll have to walk out before it'll be easier to catch a cab. Should I drive you to the gate?"
Claire Bennett had walked around for a long time earlier without finding the exit. She had no choice but to accept Julian Sterling's suggestion. Without saying anything, she opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
Julian Sterling returned to the driver's seat and drove off.
Ten minutes later, the car slowly pulled up to the entrance of the detached-house neighborhood.
Julian Sterling stepped on the brake. He turned to look at Claire Bennett and reminded her, "This is the suburbs. Everyone who buys a house here has a car. There are no public transit routes. You'd probably have to walk two hours to get to the nearby town to catch a ride, and basically there's no way you'll be able to hail a cab either..."
"..."
Claire Bennett cursed inwardly at that moment. If Julian Sterling's aunt wanted to talk to her, couldn't she have arranged it somewhere downtown?
She just had to pick a place like this, making it impossible for Claire Bennett to go back alone now.
Julian Sterling had said all that just to lead into what came next.
He said sincerely, "Claire, don't be mad anymore. I'll apologize to you on my aunt's behalf. Can we go back together?"
Did she have any other choice now?
Claire Bennett turned her head to the side and huffed, "Mm."
Julian Sterling drove toward Parkview Heights. Neither of them spoke the entire way, and the atmosphere in the car was unbearably awkward.
By the time the two of them got back to Parkview Heights, it was already ten at night.
Claire Bennett directly took some clothes and went to shower, while Julian Sterling sat on the sofa outside. He felt it was necessary to talk to Claire Bennett.
A little while later, Claire Bennett came out of the bathroom in a set of loungewear and immediately saw Julian Sterling sitting on the sofa. He seemed to have been waiting for her.
After thinking about it, Claire Bennett didn't avoid him. She walked straight over. "Were you waiting for me?"
"Let's talk."
He was probably going to talk about divorce. Julian Sterling's aunt looked down on her, and he didn't like her. He had even gotten that angry yesterday. He was probably itching to dump her now.
Claire Bennett's face went a little paler. She wanted to preserve at least a little dignity. She couldn't be dumped by two men in a row!
Before Julian Sterling could say anything, she struck first. "I've already thought it over. I think we should get divorced."
The moment the words left her mouth, Julian Sterling's expression darkened abruptly.
A hard protective shell appeared on Claire Bennett's face, and a resolute look slowly rose in her eyes, as though she had made some kind of decision.