Chapter 204

Lucas's fist crashed onto the hospital bed with such force that the IV line jerked violently, crimson liquid snaking backward through the tube.

"Claire, you're heartless!" His voice was raw, eyes burning with a mix of fury and anguish. The usually composed man looked shattered, his jaw clenched so tight it trembled. "After everything… You were the one who loved me. How could you do this?"

"The woman who loved you died the day you betrayed her." Claire's voice was ice, her fingers tightening around the folder in her hands. "And I will keep Julian. Sign the papers, Lucas."

She dropped the divorce agreement in front of him, the crisp white pages stark against the sterile hospital sheets.

Lucas didn’t even glance at it. With a snarl, he seized the documents and shredded them in one brutal motion, scattering the pieces like confetti across the floor.

His chest heaved as he leaned forward, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "You’re mine, Claire. Until the day I die, you stay mine. Divorce? Never. And you sure as hell won’t be with another man."

Claire didn’t flinch. "I’m keeping Julian."

A dark, humorless laugh escaped him. "Then I’ll have him ruined."

"Have you lost your mind? What did he ever do to deserve this?"

"Exactly. He's done nothing wrong. So why drag him into our mess?"

As the words hung in the air, the sound of a wheelchair rolling across the floor echoed from the doorway.

It was Isabella.

After her fall down the stairs, she had suffered a severe concussion and multiple fractures.

Now, despite her injuries, she had insisted on coming, supported by her caregiver.

Her limbs were wrapped in bandages, her usually pristine appearance now disheveled and frail.

"Lucas! How did you end up with a perforated stomach? Claire, he chose you. Why didn’t you protect him?"

Evelyn’s fists clenched the moment she saw Isabella.

"How dare you question Claire? Who do you think you are?"

A flicker of guilt crossed Isabella’s face. "I’m Lucas’s friend. Don’t I have the right to care about him?"

"Enough!"

Lucas’s sharp voice cut through the tension.

He noticed immediately how Claire’s expression darkened at Isabella’s words.

The tension between Lucas and Claire had reached an all-time low. Just when things couldn't get worse, Isabella decided to barge in uninvited.

Hadn't he made himself perfectly clear the other day?

Realizing Isabella was deliberately stirring trouble, Lucas's expression darkened. His voice was icy as he snapped, "Isabella, get out before I make you regret it."

Tears welled in Isabella's eyes as she stared at him. "Lucas, I just want to take care of you. That's all..."

Before Lucas could respond, Claire rose from her seat.

"Then come in. You can take better care of him from up close." She turned to Lucas, her tone deceptively light. "Since you have company, I'll leave you to it."

With that, she casually looped her arm through Julian's.

"Didn't you promise last night you'd show me around your campus?" Her lips curved into a faint smile. "Let's go stargazing on the field tonight. Just like old times."

Julian froze.

He had never mentioned taking her to school. In fact, he hadn't stepped foot on campus all semester—he'd taken an extended leave.

The air thickened with unspoken tension as Claire's words hung between them, sharp as a blade.

Claire's fingers curled around Julian's arm, her touch feather-light yet possessive. The pressure of her grip bordered on painful, though she appeared completely at ease.

Julian noticed. His lips pressed together, the tips of his ears flushing pink as he gave a small nod.

"Behind the playground," he murmured, voice low and smooth, "there's an open field. In summer, people sprawl across the grass just to escape the heat."

His words wrapped around her like a spell. Claire found herself captivated, drawn in by the warmth in his gaze as he spoke, his attention never wavering from her face.

"We could camp there, actually." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "The university is famous for its night skies—so many stars, it feels like you could reach up and pluck them from the heavens."

Romantic. That was the unspoken implication.

Countless couples had whispered promises beneath that very sky, sealing their fate among the constellations.

But Julian couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.

Claire had only pulled him along as part of her charade, yet his suggestion sparked something real in her. A flicker of genuine interest.

"You study at the Medical College?" she asked.

Perched on the hillside, the campus was legendary for its celestial views.

Rumors swirled about an upcoming meteor shower—the Geminids, streaking across the December sky in a dazzling display.

But access was restricted. Only enrolled students could pass through those gates.