Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 105: Did You Marry Me Because You Loved Me or Not?

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Did You Marry Me Because You Loved Me or Not?
Tristan Lockwood received Sean Lockwood’s call at ten o’clock in the evening. He had just arrived home when Sean invited him out for coffee.
Tristan Lockwood stood on the first floor and glanced at the entrance; Claire’s shoes weren’t there, and she hadn’t returned yet.
He agreed to Sean’s invitation.
In the café, Tristan Lockwood and Sean Lockwood sat face to face.
"It’s so late, Uncle. Is there something you want to talk about?"
Sean Lockwood: "I heard from Dad and Auntie Heather that your divorce papers with Claire haven’t been processed yet."
Tristan Lockwood gave him a look and said, "Isn’t the company busy enough that Uncle still has time to meddle in my personal affairs?"
"Your marriage isn’t your private affair," Sean Lockwood said calmly, taking a sip of coffee, while discreetly glancing at the phone in his pocket that showed he was on a call. "You should be aware that Lockwood Group’s stocks have been falling, and some partners have withdrawn their investments."
Tristan Lockwood: "Uncle, you’re the head of the company. Can these issues be resolved just by me getting a divorce?"
"The lady Dad introduced to you from the Adler Family is an excellent prospective partner," Sean Lockwood said indifferently. "The Adler Family has been focusing on large-scale models for the last ten years, holding key technologies. Our traditional real estate industry in the Lockwood Family is inevitably declining. Currently, the Adler Family and Jennings Family are leaders in the industry. Jared Jennings, the head of the Jennings Family, won’t partner with us, so Tristan, we must secure support from the Adler Family."
Tristan Lockwood fell silent.
Sean Lockwood scrutinized him for a moment and then unexpectedly said, "You won’t truly miss Claire, will you?"
"Of course not," Tristan Lockwood blurted out, then paused, cautiously eyeing Sean Lockwood, "Even if I did, it doesn’t concern you. Do I need to lay bare my personal feelings to you?"
Sean Lockwood persisted with his questioning, "So, did you ever have feelings for Claire?"
Tristan Lockwood’s gaze, suddenly cold, looked at him.
His expression was filled with vigilance.
Sean Lockwood continued drinking his coffee, unperturbed.
Tristan Lockwood scrutinized him for a while, suddenly noticing the faint light from Sean Lockwood’s cell phone inside his suit pocket.
At the same time, Sean Lockwood looked into his eyes, his smile conveying a cryptic message.
As if warning him: You know how you should respond.
Between them, even the air seemed to turn frigid as Tristan Lockwood’s gaze at Sean Lockwood grew colder.
His uncle was indeed cut from the same cloth as Byron Lockwood, ruthless and cold-blooded, leaving no room for sentiment regardless of who it was.
No wonder Byron Lockwood valued him so much.
People in high positions always favor the child most like themselves. Otherwise, Byron Lockwood wouldn’t have turned a blind eye to the reckless Timothy Lockwood, letting him fend for himself.
After a while, Tristan Lockwood spoke, his voice clear, "No, I’ve never liked her."
Then he saw Sean Lockwood’s phone screen dim.
Tristan Lockwood sneered, "You just wanted to make sure she heard, huh?"
Sean Lockwood didn’t deny it, "I really have no interest in your affairs, but it’s an order from the old man I can’t ignore. This approach is a bit cruel, but better a short pain than prolonged heartache; sometimes it’s better for her to cry now than to hold onto memories of you forever, don’t you think?"
Tristan Lockwood got up and left the café.
His car was parked across the street; as he walked over, he saw that familiar figure disappearing around the corner.
Tristan Lockwood felt an unexplainable irritation; the feeling of things spiraling beyond his control was quite unpleasant. For a moment, the thought of catching up with Claire to explain began swirling in his mind, but soon, it was chased away by reason.
Ultimately, Tristan Lockwood did nothing. He drove back home, contemplating all the way about how to discuss the matter with Claire. Even if there was no room for maneuver, he didn’t want things to end too badly.
Moreover, after Valentine’s Day, their relationship had indeed softened a bit.
Had it not been for that previous incident, Tristan Lockwood even considered maintaining this marriage with her.
However, upon returning home, Claire was coming downstairs with a suitcase.
Upon seeing him return, she calmly said, "Tomorrow, we go to the civil affairs bureau?"
Her gaze was tranquil, as if discussing an ordinary dinner.
Tristan Lockwood furrowed his brows, his chest feeling congested, and his face grew cold as he said, "You’re eager to draw the line with me."
Claire paused, looking at him: "The ones who wanted to draw the line first were the Lockwood Family, weren’t they?"
Hearing this, he grew even more irritated, "What do you mean by the Lockwood Family, have Grandpa and Grandma not been good enough to you? When it comes to divorcing me, you talk about them with that tone of resentment?"
Claire lowered her eyes and said softly, "My attitude was wrong, I’m sorry."
The calmer she was, the more uncomfortable Tristan Lockwood felt inside. His concern for her seemed totally insignificant to her.
He said coldly, "This house was a gift from the old man to you, you stay, I’ll leave."
"It’s unnecessary," Claire raised her eyebrows, looking at him, "Grandpa bought this house for me initially because I was to marry you. Now that we’re divorcing, I should return it."
After saying this, she pushed her suitcase towards the door.
As she passed by his shoulder, Tristan Lockwood suddenly reached out, grabbing her wrist.
Claire’s body stiffened, her gaze swept over the hand gripping her, and she raised her eyes to ask him, "What do you mean by this?"
Tristan Lockwood pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
But his grip on her did tighten.
Claire lowered her eyes and, after a long silence, suddenly said, "Tristan Lockwood, can’t you stop toying with me?"
His eyes deepened: "How am I toying with you?"
"You have no feelings for me, so why the need to deliberately act as if you care? Is it out of pity, thinking I’m pathetic? Or are you trying to stir the pot, wanting me to revolve around you, with you as the center, to be manipulated like a circus monkey again?"
Her tone was filled with sarcasm, inevitably displeasing Tristan Lockwood, who said, "Didn’t you revolve around me before for money? What’s there to feel wronged about now?"
Her heart was full, waves of fine bitterness began surging.
Claire blinked vigorously, saying with exhaustion, "You’re right, I used you before, but I won’t anymore. Can you let me go?"
As she spoke, she felt Tristan Lockwood’s icy aura, almost crushing the bones in her wrist.
"There’s one thing I asked you when we got married," his voice was unnaturally calm, with a hint of chill. "I asked if it was because you liked me that you married me."
Claire’s body stiffened, biting her lip, not looking at him.
"Your answer was, you’ve never liked me. You didn’t before, you don’t now, and you won’t in the future."