I Did A Wedding Survey, And Exposed My Ten-Year-Long Love Betrayal Chapter 07

I Did A Wedding Survey, And Exposed My Ten-Year-Long Love Betrayal Chapter 07

At that same moment, I was sitting in my office in Riverton, eating a homemade lunch box.

Across from me was Hudson Cole, the magazine’s owner.

He watched me with an eager look.

“So? Good?”

“Yeah, really good. Aunt Shelly’s cooking keeps getting better.”

I bit into a roasted chicken thigh and meant every word.

“Eat up. It’ll make my mom happy when I tell her.”

Hudson relaxed, sipping his coffee.

“When I saw you last week, I barely recognized you. You looked pale and fragile, like a porcelain doll. You look so much better now.”

“My mom’s probably thrilled to see you like this.”

Warmth spread through me. I nodded softly and lowered my head to drink my soup.

A week ago, right after the transfusion, I’d collapsed at the hospital entrance.

Hudson happened to be in Ashford visiting a business partner and found me.

When I woke up, I learned that the mysterious owner of the magazine was him.

And on top of that—he was the son of my mother’s best friend.

We’d even played together as kids.

But then his family moved to Riverton, and we lost touch.

After his mother heard I was in Riverton, she treated me like her own daughter.

During my hospital stay, she showed up every few days with her homemade soups.

And even after I started work, she made Hudson bring me lunch every day.

After we finished eating, Hudson left to meet a client,

and I threw myself back into work.

With Hudson’s help, settling in at Riverton went smoothly.

The magazine here had a much trendier, more diverse vibe than in Ashford.

They used to have a separate women’s weekly, all about female independence.

But it had been discontinued due to low sales.

My current focus was to relaunch that weekly.

A month later, the new issue hit stands.

I chose “Trust” as the theme for the first edition.

I wrote my own story into it–exploring how women can protect themselves in complicated relationships without losing their sincerity.

Maybe because it came from real experience, the issue was a huge success.

Readers said they saw their own past in it and found strength.

With that win, Hudson threw me a celebration party.

It was the best night I’d had since coming to Riverton.

But that happiness came to a screeching halt when I saw a familiar figure downstairs.

Trevor.

A month had passed. He looked quiet and broken.

His wrinkled white shirt hung loose on him, and standing there in the wind, he seemed like he might blow away any second.

When he saw me, his eyes lit up and he hurried over.

“Clara–are you okay?”

He stopped about three feet away, lifting his foot like he wanted to come closer–but he couldn’t make himself move.

I stopped too. I smiled.

“I’m fine.”

And I really was.

I didn’t have to get up at five to make him oatmeal. I didn’t have to iron his shirts or organize his

files by category…

For the first time, I realized how good life could be on my own.

He looked at me, his lips trembling.

“Then… do you want to come back?”

His voice was barely above a whisper.

Like he already knew how ridiculous that question was.

He dropped his head, like a child caught doing something wrong.

“I filed for divorce from Lila. I know everything now.”

“I used to think the sins of the parents shouldn’t fall on the kids. I thought you were just biased against her. But I was wrong.”

“She threw that coffee on you on purpose, lied that you pushed her, and then–forced you to donate blood. She was never a good person.”

His voice cracked with tears.

“And our baby…”