Chapter 3

3.

"There, all signed." Amber shoved the document back into Claire's hands, her tone a mixture of charity and warning. "I heard from Grayson that your marriage is just a formality. So just stay in your lane and behave. In the future, if you have any little contracts or things to sign, bring them to me. Don't bother Grayson―he doesn't want to see you anyway."

Claire stared at the signature―Amber's signature―on the agreement, the irony feeling like a physical blow.

She opened her mouth, about to tell Amber that this wasn't some real estate contract, but a divorce agreement...

Suddenly, a piercing fire alarm blared through the auction house.

"Fire! Get out!" someone screamed, and in an instant, the crowd descended into chaos, stampeding madly toward the exits.

Standing further inside, Claire and Amber, both relatively small, were instantly knocked to the ground by the panicked mob.

Countless feet trampled over them. The pain was so intense Claire felt like her bones were being crushed. She desperately tried to get up but was powerless.

"Grayson! Help me!" Amber shrieked in terror.

"Amber!" Grayson's anxious voice came from a distance.

Claire saw him rushing back, fighting his way through the crowd. A pathetic sliver of hope sparked in her heart.

But he charged over, his eyes locked directly on Amber. Without a second's hesitation, he bent down, scooped Amber into his arms, and shielding her, turned to run for the exit.

From beginning to end, he never once glanced at Claire, who was lying helpless on the floor.

"Grayson!" Claire screamed his name with the last of her strength, her voice swallowed by the cacophony of shrieks and cries.

Did he hear her?

Maybe he did, but he didn't turn back.

Just as Claire despaired, thinking she would be trampled to death, that familiar figure actually returned.

A flicker of light ignited in her fading heart―he had come back for her after all...

But Grayson rushed to her side, didn't even look at her, and quickly snatched a bracelet from the floor near her hand, something that must have fallen off. He clutched it tightly and turned to leave again.

"You found it! Thank god it wasn't crushed!" Amber's voice, laced with relieved laughter, came from a distance. "That's my favorite bracelet! I would have been heartbroken if I lost it!"

Grayson hurried back to Amber's side, his tone as indulgent as ever. "Of course I had to get it back. You would have been sad for days otherwise."

"You're the best!" Amber beamed, kissing him.

So... he had only come back to pick up a bracelet.

In his eyes, his wife of five years was worth less than a piece of Amber's jewelry.

Her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.

She regained awareness on a hospital bed.

The glare of the surgical lights was still blinding. A doctor stood by her bed, his expression grave. "Mrs. Sterling, you're awake. You have multiple soft tissue contusions, signs of a fractured rib, and internal bleeding from being trampled. We've performed emergency surgery, and your vital signs are stable for now, but you'll need close observation."

Before Claire could even process his words, the door to her room was pushed open.

Grayson's chief secretary walked in, followed by two other people.

The secretary nodded at the doctor. "Mr. Sterling has arranged for a VIP suite. Please handle the transfer procedures as soon as possible."

The doctor frowned. "The patient needs to rest and be observed post-surgery. I wouldn't recommend―"

"Mr. Sterling is this hospital's largest benefactor," the secretary interrupted with a slight smile, her tone leaving no room for argument. "He has already spoken with the director's office. Please cooperate."

The doctor opened his mouth, his expression conflicted, but ultimately said nothing more.

And just like that, Claire was wheeled on her hospital bed down the cold hallway and transferred to the VIP wing.