The Belated Bride: Becoming My Own Muse Chapter 19

The Belated Bride: Becoming My Own Muse Chapter 19

Tara was so angry she was nearly in tears.

“Claire, who sent this?”

I looked at the sender’s address and shook my head.

“I don’t know.”

A few minutes later, a message from Grant came through.

[ Did you get the recording? ]

I glanced up toward the door.

He was standing outside the glass, holding a bag of chicken noodle soup from that little diner around the corner.

I opened the door.

“You sent this?”

“Not me.”

He said, “But I have a pretty good idea who did.”

“Who?”

Grant set the soup down on the table.

“Bianca’s assistant.”

I frowned.

“Why would she help me?”

“Bianca is getting ready to dump all the blame on her. Make her pay the breach-of-contract penalties. Blacklist her from the industry entirely.”

Grant looked at me.

“When you’re the one being pushed out to take the knife, you know better than anyone who handed the knife over.”

I was quiet for a moment.

“Will she agree to testify as a witness?”

“Not right now.”

“Then we’ll wait.”

Grant raised an eyebrow. “You’re not in a hurry?”

I closed the audio file.

“The day of the show… she’ll be in a hurry.”

Grant looked at me, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

“Claire, you are exceptionally suited for battle.”

I picked up the soup.

“I don’t like battle.”

“Then what do you like?”

I thought about it.

“I like taking back the things that belong to me.”

He didn’t say anything else.

He just handed me the spoon.

Such a small gesture. But it made something in my chest shift, just slightly.

Christian would never notice details like that.

He’d buy me things that cost a fortune, but he never remembered that I never ate cilantro.

He’d have his secretary send flowers but didn’t know I was allergic to lilies.

He’d call me his wife in front of strangers but had never actually looked at the calluses on my hands from the drafting pencil.

The difference between people isn’t always in the grand gestures.

It’s in the small moments. When you lower your head, does someone adjust the light so it falls better on your work.

Three days before the show, Christian came to find me again.

This time, he didn’t barge straight into the studio. He texted from downstairs.

[ I’m outside. Can I have ten minutes to talk. ]

I didn’t want to see him.

But my lawyer had advised me that, before the divorce was finalized, it was best to confirm one last time where both parties stood on the asset division.