Chapter 36
Chapter 36
36
Cole suppressed a gnawing desire to connect his fist with Hunter’s handsome face.
Even in this situation, where he was punishable for so many wrongs he did towards his wife, he was acting arrogantly. If audacity was to have a face, Hunter’s would be printed in the dictionary for visuals. C0ntent © 2024 (N/ô)velDrama.Org.
He set his anger towards this walking example of shamelessness and audacity aside and got a hold of his phone. Cole searched for Penelope’s number. Her name itself left a bitter taste in his mouth. He cringed when he realized he was really going to call her.
He thought about all the profanities he would receive just for calling that mad woman before he dialled her number.
Cole only had Penelope’s number because once Claire lost her phone during a girl’s trip to Greece, and she shared her friend’s number to him to forward to Hunter as he was busy in a meeting, and who else, other than Cole, would have done it on time for her?
Although he and Penelope never agreed on anything, he never found a solid reason to delete her number.
Guess, it was all for the good that he didn’t delete it.
“What do you want, Wordsmith?” Cole’s chest rumbled with raw,poisonous resentment blossoming towards Penelope at the sound of her equally resentful voice.
“Your help.”
“I must be dreaming!” Penelope laughed a bitter laugh. “Wordsmith wanting my help. It can only happen in my dream
Cole kept his voice devoid of bitterness he felt towards her as he replied. “Surprising, right? But we both lost our right to avoid each other like a contagious disease that we both think we are for each other when we became friends with our best friends. It’s hateful but we have to work together for them.
“Your implication being?”
Cole hissed, “We need to arrange their meeting, Baker!”
“Forget it,” Penelope said and hung up on him.
Anger built like a volcano inside Cole. Hunter watched him simmer as he stomped his foot.
“How dare she hang up on me? This impolite, ill–mannered woman!” Cole dialled her number again.
Penelope may have taken his call again because then Cole scoffed, “I would rather have my ears poured with acid than listen to your grating voice, you detestable woman! If it wasn’t for my friend I wouldn’t even let your name appear in my nightmare, let alone see it on the screen of my phone. How dare you hang up on me?”
“You swine! How dare you talk to me like that? You prick, ass hole, mother fucker… A satisfactory smile unleashed on Cole’s lips for being able to grate her to such an extent.
“Shut up, and listen to me, it’s important.”
“Fuck you, fuck your upcoming generation! Don’t fucking think you can fucking order me around, weiner!”
“It’s about Claire’s health, Baker!” Cole almost screamed.
Good that there were no observing hospital staff or else he would have been thrown out for causing noise pollution.
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He emitted a smug sighas he realized his trick of using Claire’s Health as an excuse worked. It put a seal on Penelope’s annoying mouth, shutting her,
“We both know Hunter’s been waiting to meet her ever since Claire was brought to the hospital. Although he doesn’t deserve to see her ever again, I believe he deserves this time. The baby was his too and as the father he definitely needs to have this. conversation with Claire.
“I never knew we would agree on anything together. You’re right about the part where you said he doesn’t deserve to see her ever again. Indeed, your best friend has ruined my girl. She had forgotten how to smile. Her tone was laced with despondency.
“She is weak and completely broken, Wordsmith. Even if I share the same opinion as yours, I can’t make it happen. Claire needs anything but another encounter with that devil of a man. She lost her baby because of him. What does he want now? Her to lose her life as well.”
Cole sighed, agreeing with Penelope. But he looked back at Hunter who was impatiently grinding his teeth while staring at
him.
“I know right. I may be his best friend but I don’t support him with this. I was out of his life the moment he left Claire outside their party venue to be with Zara. But you know, this will keep going on. Hunter will not stop chasing her unless he has her for a conversation. Which will be more traumatising for her. So… I don’t know if it makes sense or not but we must arrange this meeting Cole said between his teeth.
Behind him, Hunter held back his wrath. Cole was talking on the phone about him as if he was not standing behind. He obviously felt hurt for the way his best friend put it altogether to make this meeting happen, he kept quiet though. He really messed up a big deal this time, and he deserved all the reprimand.
Thanks, Baker, I owe you this one time” Cole hung up and faced Hunter. “She said she’ll talk to Claire.”
His eyes lit up and as instantly as they became big, they dropped low. His shoulders sagged as he sucked in a nervous breath.
He was waiting for this moment. For the moment to see her again. Listen to her voice again. Then why? Why was he feeling adrenaline spiking through him at the thought of seeing her? Why did his heart swell double of its normal size, making his ribs find it difficult to contain it?
When Penelope returned to the bed after taking the call by the window, a nurse was taking blood pressure and other reports of Claire. Her friend, on the other hand, sat quietly with her eyes staring in the air, She didn’t wince or so much as twitch when the nurse drew her blood sample.
“Laire,” Penelope called and her friend fluttered her lashes before looking at her.
Penny smiled at her as she wondered whether or not she should say it. But to be honest, she had been itching to tell Claire about Hunter. About his perseverance. About his stubbornness all the more.
Although she hated Hunter more than anything now, she was certain her friend still lingered on hun. She still had her heart in his grip. And if by telling her about Hunter she could feel something good, she didn’t want to rob her of the feeling
The miscarriage was uncalled for. Even if Hunter was its cause, he was still the father of that baby she lost. A woman would never deny a conversation with the father of the baby she carried. It was needed. It was the demand of the time. It was required to restore her peace.
“Happy to go back home?” Penelope winked at her.
Claire looked down with a sigh.
“I don’t know what I want now.”
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She stared at her belly over ber peach loose top. She badly wanted to rub a hand on her stomach. But she didn’t as she closed her eyes tight.
Would you want to talk to him if he came here?” Instantly Claire’s eyes shot up.
She was piqued and she sneered, “Hunter? You think he will come here now that he’s married to the woman he worships?”
Claire folded her hands and cringed, “Fuck him. I don’t want to talk about him. He’s better off dead for
me:
Penelope knew she was saying that by keeping a rock on her heart. Those words would never come out for Hunter. They never did even when he left her outside the anniversary party venue, when she was publicly insulted by him.
“This baby meant nothing to him, Penny, which is why it is dead And that man is happy with his new wife.” Claire spewed. angrily.
Penny held both her hands as they were shivering. Claire could say a thousand venomous things to him, she would still have the effect of his ignorance and absence. After all, her love was almost a decade old. It won’t go easily.
“Would you believe me if I said he is here? And that he’s been here, waiting to meet you, ever since you came to this ward after your miscarriage” Penny’s voice was low and calm.
Yet, the bewilderment it dawned on Claire was immense. She was left staggering, her breath becoming overly too deep and loud, her eyes watering in disbelief as she shook her head.
“Don’t say things that cannot be true. I know Hunter Macintyre. Everything else is important for him but me.”
Claire immediately chewed her tongue as she recalled those same words being hurled at her by Zara when they first met. And Claire had felt vulnerable hearing them. Back then, she didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to accept that she was not important in his life.
However, weeks later, which is today, she shed tears because Zara was right. She said those words herself.
“I think I am being paranoid everytime I see him because it is just so unbelievable. But it’s the truth. Hunter is here. He has been in the waiting lounge for five days without food or water. He refuses to leave. He’s been degraded, shoved out and done many other things but he won’t budge.” Penny paused. “Your mother even threatened to put a bullet between his eyes, Claire. He’s carefree though. He says he won’t go unless he sees you. In fact, he’s been waiting for an hour in the corridor outside.
Claire’s fingers twitched. Her heart throbbed wildly in her chest.
“You’re lying. That man feels nothing for me. He won’t be moved if I lost my baby. He didn’t want anything to do with me, let alone with my baby. He didn’t…” She faded out to take a deep breath, then the second moment, she was darting towards
the door.
The
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END GIFT