The Daughter He Abandoned Called Him A Stranger Chapter 09

The Daughter He Abandoned Called Him A Stranger Chapter 09

In the end, Nathaniel still contacted Claire. 

A few days later, she came to my studio. The moment she 

walked in, she let out a mocking laugh, bright with the open 

satisfaction only the young can get away with. 

“Mom, guess what? That Mr. Whitmore actually came looking for me today.” 

I smiled at her fondly. 

There was no sadness or hesitation on her face, only pure 

contempt. 

“He really put on the whole devoted–father act. He said he 

owed me for all these years and wanted to make it up to me.” 

“Then he started talking about how his empire needed an heir 

of his own.” 

Claire imitated his tone, then rolled her eyes. 

“I told him straight up, Mr. Whitmore, did you only remember 

you had a daughter because you realized there might be no one 

left to inherit your empire or mourn you when you die? Too 

late.” 

She came over and slipped her arm through mine, her voice 

turning serious. 

“I have you, Mom. That’s enough for me. As for him and his 

family, I don’t care about any of it.” 

I patted her hand. 

Whatever faint disturbance Nathaniel had stirred in me finally 

went still. 

“But Mom, I do have some fresh society gossip. Want to hear 

it?” 

Claire’s eyes shifted with the excitement of sharing a secret. 

Only the gossip itself was chilling. 

“My friends are all saying that Chloe Lancaster may look 

glamorous, but she can’t have children at all.” 

“After all these years of marriage, she’s tried everything. She’s 

probably gone through more rounds of IVF than anyone can 

count, but nothing worked.” 

“With a family fortune as massive as the Whitmores‘, how could they not want an heir?” 

She lowered her voice slightly. 

“Apparently, once that grand romance of theirs wore off, 

Nathaniel started looking elsewhere for women who could give him a child.” 

“But every time one of those women got pregnant, Chloe 

would find out soon after. Then somehow, the baby would be 

gone. People say she was ruthless.” 

“The scariest part is that a couple of years ago, there was a 

woman he was especially fond of.” 

“She finally carried the baby to term, but on the way to the hospital to give birth, her car slid under a semi. Both she and 

the baby died.” 

“Everyone says privately that Chloe had something to do with it, but there’s no proof.” 

For a moment, my mind went blank. 

I remembered the cruel oath Nathaniel had once made during 

the year we loved each other most. 

“If I, Nathaniel Whitmore, ever betray Evelyn Hart, may my 

bloodline end with me, and may I never die in peace.” 

Looking at it now, those words had come true. 

“What about them now?” I asked. 

“Divorce? How could it be that easy?” Claire scoffed. 

“The two families‘ interests are tied together too tightly. They 

can’t just separate.” 

“They have no real feelings left. I heard they’ve lived apart for years, barely speak when they see each other, and spend their days tormenting each other.” 

“Nathaniel is practically losing his mind over wanting an heir, while Chloe clings to the title of Mrs. Whitmore and refuses to let any illegitimate child have a chance.” 

“They’re just a miserable couple trapped in a gold–plated 

hell.” 

After saying that, Claire let out a long breath, as if she had finally released resentment she had carried for years. 

“Mom, see? Thank God you left back then. Whoever wants 

that kind of hell can have it.” 

I looked out at the thousands of lights slowly brightening beyond the window, and everything inside me felt clear. 

Yes. 

Only by leaving that marriage, which had looked so dazzling 

on the outside but had long since rotted within, could Claire and I have this steady, warm happiness now. 

As for Nathaniel and Chloe, let them remain trapped in the 

cage they had built with their own hands. 

Let them spend the rest of their lives living with the consequences of that so–called love.