The Love We Missed Chapter 09By Novel7s Admin / October 5, 2026 The Love We Missed Chapter 09I didn’t answer. I didn’t have one. With a week left before our hearing, Claire went completely dark. I went to our condo to confront Claire about the buyout. A strange guy answered the door, telling me he had just signed a long–term lease. Claire had rented it out and vanished with Mia. I smoked a cigarette on the curb before driving home. Saturday morning, I packed a bag to check her parents‘ place upstaté. Vivian yanked the passenger door open and climbed in. “What are you doing?” I snapped. “Get out. Claire can’t catch us together before the court date.” “I’m coming with you,” she said, buckling up. “I’ll wait in the car.” I stared at her, exhausted, but put the car in gear. Two hours down the interstate, she broke the silence. “Tell me the truth, Julian. Did you use me just to offload that mortgage?” My hands tightened on the wheel. “Is that really what you think of me?” She didn’t look at me. “Then wire me the money, Julian. You stuck me with an eight–hundred–thousand–dollar loan, and I can’t carry the monthly payments alone.” “I can’t touch my accounts right now,” I said. “The divorce isn’t final. If Claire subpoenas my bank records and flags payments to you, she’ll sue us both for fraud.” “What if she never signs?” Vivian countered. “Then we take it to trial,” I said. That didn’t reassure her. For the next six hours, she watched me like a hawk. We hit Claire’s parents‘ place after dark. Claire wasn’t there, and they claimed they hadn’t seen her. We holed up in a roadside motel. At two in the morning, I came out of the bathroom and caught Vivian scrolling through my unlocked phone. “What are you doing?” She dropped it on the nightstand and pulled the covers over her head. “Nothing. Go to sleep.” I stared at the ceiling until sunrise. The sweet girl I knew was gone, replaced by an impatient stranger. Three nights before the hearing, I finally got hold of Claire. I sent her an address: [Coffee shop by the plaza. I’ll wait for you.] I got there early, but the bell above the door rang, and Vivian walked in. “What the hell are you doing here?” I stood up. “Why shouldn’t I be?” Her voice dripped with spite. “What can you say to your wife that you can’t say in front of me?” I grabbed her arm, trying to pull her outside. “I’m here to finalize the buyout. Leave before she sees you and backs out.” Vivian shook me off and dropped into the booth. “You told me you couldn’t touch a dime. But the second Claire demands two hundred thousand dollars, you don’t even flinch.” She looked at me with open disgust. “Logan was right, wasn’t he? You dragged me into this so I’d drown in your debt.” Before I could answer, the glass door swung open. Claire walked in, holding Mia’s hand. She had a fresh short haircut and stood tall. She looked younger, lighter, and completely done with me. Mia rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked up. “Daddy?” The word hit me like a slap. My throat tightened, and for a second, I forgot why I was there. “Cat got your tongue?” Vivian’s shrill laugh shattered the room. “Look at you. Can’t take your eyes off her, can you?” I flinched, staring at the venom across Vivian’s face. The woman I had blown up my marriage for looked monstrous. I couldn’t breathe. I spun around and bolted out the door into the rain. Behind me, Claire didn’t rush. She walked up to our booth, looked down at Vivian, and laid a calm hand on her shoulder. “Take some advice,” Claire said evenly. “When a man has no conscience, you don’t win a prize by stealing him. You just take out his trash.” Monday morning at the office, HR informed me that Vivian had put in for extended time off. I pulled out my phone and texted her: [I’ll handle the money. Take a few weeks to clear your head.] Seven days later, a process server handed me a court summons.
