She Doesn't Seem Very Happy

"Bro, you're way too cold. I handled everything so well. Shouldn't you give me some kind of reward?" Ruby Sterling kept angling for benefits.

"You get one day to charge whatever you want to my card. No limit. If you miss it, too bad."

After sending that message, Julian Sterling received a wildly ecstatic meme from Ruby. It wasn't hard to imagine how happy she was on the other end.

Julian Sterling was just about to put his phone down when he saw another message from Ruby.

She was cautiously testing the waters. "Bro, how are things between you and Claire now? Are you interested in turning her into my real sister-in-law? Claire just had bad luck with men. She's actually a really, really good girl..."

In the middle of Ruby's nonstop chatter, Julian Sterling suddenly said, "She doesn't seem very happy."

"Huh? Not very happy?" Ruby casually guessed, "She can't still be unable to get over that scumbag Ethan Sterling, right? Is she mourning her dead romance or something?"

Seeing Ruby's words, Julian Sterling's expression darkened, and the air around him turned cold.

Even Ruby thought the same thing he did—that Claire Bennett couldn't forget Ethan Sterling.

So that was why Claire Bennett had seemed so down, low-spirited the entire evening. What was there about Ethan Sterling that was worth her lingering attachment?

Julian Sterling didn't reply for a long time, and Ruby's call came through in a hurry.

The moment Julian Sterling answered, she said impatiently, "Bro, were you serious just now? Claire really is unhappy?"

"Mm," Julian Sterling answered in a low voice.

"Oh, come on! What woman hasn't run into a scumbag? At a time like this, what you need to do most is comfort her, help her out of the gloom in her heart, and become that person in her heart!" In the tone of someone who had been there before, Ruby gave her earnest advice.

"How do I comfort her?"

"How do you comfort her... let me think. For example... take her out somewhere, give her surprises, and do things that make her happy. Basically, just make her happy again!"

Ruby tirelessly began instructing Julian Sterling in the art of comforting girls.

"Heh heh heh, I'm the most experienced in this area. Take her out and let her have some fun, treat her to a great meal, and she'll definitely feel better. If you two are going on a date, I can help."

Julian Sterling listened in silence, then said coolly, "Mm. I'm leaving this to you."

He agreed to Ruby's suggestion.

...

At this moment, inside the room, Claire Bennett sat blankly at the edge of the bed.

Just now, she had actually seen Julian Sterling walking over, but they were people who were about to get divorced. They shouldn't be sleeping in the same room, much less the same bed, so she had closed the door.

Now that she was sitting alone in the room, that sense of loss and loneliness welled up again.

A bitter smile touched her lips. Stop thinking about it!

Julian Sterling had done what he promised, and she ought to leave cleanly and gracefully too.

Next, Claire Bennett neatly folded the gown she had changed out of, then found her and Julian Sterling's marriage certificate and set it aside for tomorrow, when they would need it for the divorce.

After doing all that, Claire Bennett lay there in a daze.

Ever since leaving the Bennett family and before meeting Ethan Sterling, she had always been alone. Now she was returning to a life on her own, and all of a sudden, she missed her mother a little.

Before coming to Chicago, she had just gone to the hospital to see her mother. At the time, she had smiled and told her mother, lying there in bed, that she was about to get married. She hadn't expected this trip to Chicago to turn out to be a joke.

"Mom..."

Claire Bennett was too tired. With her eyes closed and her spirits low, she fell asleep.

The next morning, Claire Bennett got up listlessly.

When she opened the bedroom door to go wash up, she saw that Julian Sterling was already awake.

He had changed out of the expensive suit from yesterday and put on a casual outfit. He looked a little more easygoing, even more in line with the identity Claire Bennett had always assigned him in her mind.

Claire Bennett hadn't slept very well last night. Her complexion was poor, and she looked drained.

Seeing her like this, Julian Sterling became even more convinced that Ruby's words were true. Claire Bennett really couldn't let Ethan Sterling go. Could it be that she had spent the whole night thinking about Ethan Sterling, which was why she looked so absent-minded and heartsick?

The two looked at each other, and silence hung between them for a moment.

Claire Bennett spoke first. She said, "Wait a minute. I'm going to wash up and change."

After saying that, she ducked into the bathroom.

Looking at the haggard reflection in the mirror, Claire Bennett let out a silent sigh.

Compared to Julian Sterling, she seemed to be the one who couldn't let go. As for Julian Sterling, he looked refreshed and full of energy, as though he could hardly wait to get divorced. He had even gotten up so early just to wait for her.

He was probably very happy, wasn't he?

Thinking about how Julian Sterling had a girlfriend and was eager to get divorced, Claire Bennett felt a wave of bitterness in her heart.

First thing in the morning, those unhappy little emotions started up again.