Something inside Claire snapped.
She looked at the man she had loved for two years and felt as though she were seeing him for the first time. This was not the caring person who had proposed and spoken about their future. This was a petty, frightened man completely ruled by his mother.
“So I’m a pretty picture?” Claire repeated slowly. “That’s interesting. When you proposed to me, were you calculating the possible profit then too?”
“Don’t be rude!” Catherine jumped in at once. “Look at her, suddenly she has plenty to say! You should be thinking about where to find money. Perhaps you could sell your fur coat. Or the jewelry your parents gave you?”
“What jewelry, Catherine?” Victor smirked. “Probably cheap costume pieces. I said from the beginning this wasn’t a wedding—it was a scam. Ethan, you made a terrible mistake. You married a girl with no dowry, but with million-dollar expectations.”
Claire looked at Ethan again.
She was still waiting for one sentence. Anything. “Enough. Don’t speak about my wife that way.”
But Ethan only nodded.
“Victor’s right. I thought we were partners, Claire. Turns out you’re just a weight I’m expected to carry.”
Her disappointment instantly turned into anger.
It was a strange kind of anger—burning in her chest, yet leaving her mind perfectly clear. Suddenly she could see her future with frightening precision: daily accusations, Catherine controlling every decision, explanations for every purchase, Ethan’s endless complaints, and the need to defend herself every single day.
“I’m not a weight,” Claire said calmly. “I’m your wife. Or rather, I was.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Catherine demanded. “Don’t throw around dramatic phrases. Now you’ll have to earn your keep. There’s a garden at the house, and renovations in Ethan’s apartment still aren’t finished. You’re probably used to having everything done for you. Well, sweetheart, it’s time to work. The celebration is over.”
Ethan walked to the window and deliberately turned his back on Claire.
“To be honest, I already regret marrying you,” he said, staring at the dark glass. “We rushed into it. We should have lived together longer and gotten to know each other properly. Now I’ve got this chain around my neck—the loan, you… You know what, Claire? I can’t even stand looking at you. You’re standing there in a dress that cost forty thousand, and you’re of no use to me.”
The words hung in the room.
He regretted marrying her.
He couldn’t stand looking at her.
At that moment, Claire stopped feeling like a bride altogether.
She straightened her shoulders, walked silently to the closet, and pulled out a travel bag.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Catherine raised her voice. “This conversation isn’t over! Who’s going to repay the debt?”
Claire didn’t look at her.
She removed her veil and dropped it onto the bed, right over the scattered money.
“Here, Ethan,” she said. “Sell it. Maybe you’ll recover a few more dollars.”
In the bathroom, she changed quickly out of her wedding dress and into jeans and a T-shirt. Throughout it all, the loud family council continued on the other side of the door.
When Claire came out, Catherine and Ethan were counting the money again. Victor was finishing the remaining champagne straight from the bottle.
“I’m leaving,” Claire said.
“Then go!” Ethan snapped. “We’ll see how long you last. You’ll come running back in a couple of days.”
“Let her go,” Catherine agreed. “All she does is upset everyone. You should file for divorce tomorrow, before you have children. Maybe fate is saving you in time!”
Claire walked out and slammed the door behind her.
The quiet hotel corridor felt almost like freedom after everything she had left inside that room.
A taxi carried her through the sleeping city to her parents’ apartment.
Her mother and father were still awake.
When Claire entered with the bag in her hand, Robert was sitting at the kitchen table while Emily put the kettle on. One look at their daughter—alone, with smeared makeup and tears she could no longer hold back—and they asked no unnecessary questions.
“Did he hurt you?” her father asked.
His voice remained level.
Robert had spent many years working as a geologist. He knew how to stay calm in difficult situations.
Claire told them everything.
The loan.
The pathetic, in Ethan’s opinion, eighty thousand.
Catherine’s insults.
The words “burden,” “I regret it,” and “I can’t stand you.”
Emily gasped and covered her mouth.
Robert simply clenched his jaw.
“Small-minded people,” he said quietly. “Money became more important to them than anything else.”
“Dad, they said you were poor,” Claire sobbed. “They said our whole family was poor and cheap. They said the gifts you gave were worthless.”
Robert looked at his wife and gave her a sad smile.
Then he rose, crossed to the old cabinet, and took out a large, thick envelope.
“We were going to come see you in the morning,” he said, placing it in front of Claire. “We wanted it to be a surprise. We thought you and Ethan should have your first night together in peace, and that we’d make you happy in the morning.”