Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 45: A Rare Request from Claire

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: A Rare Request from Claire
She said coldly, "Nathan Quinn marrying you is his karmic retribution for destroying the world in his past life; I don’t care for men with such taste. As for what I am, it’s none of your business. But don’t forget, President Hale is the rightful half on Tristan Lockwood’s marriage certificate! That Jade Sutton of yours is the real home-wrecking vixen!"
Kiara Vance’s troublemaking mouth was no match for a professional lawyer like Tina Hayes.
Not to mention, she just got humiliated with a slap.
As she raised her hand, about to hit back, an arm from behind grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
Nathan Quinn pulled Kiara behind him and said to Claire, "Sister-in-law, I’m really sorry about that, please don’t take it to heart."
When he spoke, he only looked at Claire, not even giving Tina Hayes a glance.
Tina Hayes stood silently to the side, her lips pressed tightly together.
Jenson Jennings walked up to Claire, crouched down slightly, and said, "Claire, I’ll carry you back to your ward."
Claire, still running a low fever and exhausted from using the crutches, leaned limply onto Jenson’s back.
Tristan Lockwood came out of Jade Sutton’s hospital room just in time to see Jenson carrying Claire, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Outside of Jade Sutton’s room, Nathan Quinn was looking at Kiara with a furrowed brow and a face full of reproach.
Seeing him come out, Nathan immediately said, "Old Locke, she just offended sister-in-law again, shouldn’t you go see how your sister-in-law is doing?"
"What do you mean I offended that tramp?!" Kiara was furious, feeling that Nathan Quinn was siding with those two little tramps, "Nathan Quinn, you’re my fiancé now! If you keep speaking for those two, our engagement is over!"
Nathan’s expression darkened, "Are you serious? Do you dare to go back right now and tell your parents you want to break off the engagement with me?"
Kiara was momentarily stunned, then sneered, "Hmph, you want me to break it off myself to clear your name? Let me tell you, Nathan Quinn, there’s no such easy way out! My parents helped your family in its time of need, you must marry me!"
"Everyone quiet down."
Tristan Lockwood gave Kiara a cold look.
"This is a hospital, not a place for your tantrums. If you want to throw a fit, do it in your father’s office."
Kiara went silent, unwillingly glaring at him.
Tristan thought for a bit before continuing, "You helped Jade find me when she came to Riverbend, and now you’re Nathan’s fiancée. For these two reasons, I won’t hold past events against you. But from now on, if you keep doing mindless things, no one will be able to protect you."
With that, he walked away.
Kiara, having been chastised, was full of defiance, wanting to catch up and argue.
Nathan Quinn blocked her with his hand and lazily glanced at her, "Are you too dense to understand what Old Locke meant?"
Kiara was taken aback, "What?"
Nathan curled his lips, "Claire is Old Locke’s legitimate wife; offending Claire is to offend the Lockwood Family. Can your Vance Family handle the pressure from the Lockwood Family?"
Kiara’s face turned pale, "That’s just for now; one day, Tristan Lockwood will marry Jade Sutton!"
Nathan looked at her meaningfully and said:
"Who can say for sure what the future holds?"
...
After Tristan Lockwood took over, wearing a white coat, he headed toward Claire’s hospital room.
The door to the room was open, and as he arrived, he saw Jenson feeding Claire a piece of apple.
"Your foot is sprained, not your hand, can’t even eat an apple by yourself?"
Tristan walked to the bedside, looking at her with bland indifference.
Jenson handed him the fruit plate, "Tristan, your turn?"
"Jenson, I want another piece."
Claire faintly smiled at Jenson.
Jenson raised an eyebrow, teasingly looking at Tristan, "Claire rarely makes requests, and I can’t bear to refuse."
Tristan, not in the best mood, stared at Claire, "What are you trying to pull this time?"
"I just want to eat some fruit, is that considered pulling something?" Claire feigned innocence, "Then what would you call deliberately deceiving and inciting others to harm, huh?"
Tristan’s face turned dark.
Claire curled her lips without much emotion, "If you’re unaware, let me enlighten you: that’s called a crime. When prosecuted, you might end up in jail."
Tristan was about to say something when Kiara’s voice came from the door, "Jade is awake."
As she said that, she contemptuously glanced at the rest.
Tristan shot Claire a cold look, then left.
Tina Hayes was clearly unhappy, seeing how Tristan seemed to run off as if reincarnated just because that certain "Jade" was awake, "Is Tristan Lockwood sick in the head? Not caring about his own wife, but going to care for that manipulative green tea!"
"What manipulative green tea?"
Nathan had just walked in and overheard, paused, then looked at Claire and said:
"Jade Sutton’s depression is quite severe, worse than Old Locke was back in the day. She accompanied him through it all back then; he can’t just forget that and not help her, right?"
Tina snorted coldly, "From how you sound, you seem to know a lot inside. Don’t tell me you personally witnessed those events back then?"
Nathan hesitated, "Not really."
"Then you talk like it’s true. That Jade Sutton has the face of a white lotus; tricking brainless men like you is a piece of cake!"
Tina rolled her eyes and continued:
"Everything needs evidence. She claims to be Tristan Lockwood’s savior, and you just believe it? If I said I was Qin Shihuang, would you believe me?"
Nathan didn’t expect, after a long time of not seeing her, that Tina’s words were so sharp, always stabbing people to the core.
He couldn’t help but retort, "Why isn’t there evidence! Old Locke wrote over three hundred letters back then, all in Jade’s possession!"
As soon as he spoke, a sharp gaze shot at him.
Claire stared at him with piercing eyes.
"Jade Sutton has letters from Tristan Lockwood?"
Nathan said, "Yeah, Old Locke didn’t talk to anyone during those years, so he probably wrote everything in those letters. How could Jade not be important to him? If I met such a deeply genuine girl, even if lost contact for ten years, I’d never forget her in a lifetime."
"Even if Tristan Lockwood can’t forget that woman, he’s married to President Hale now, having one beside him and thinking of another—doesn’t that count as morally corrupted infidelity? What’s with finding high-sounding excuses?"
"You have to ask President Hale how she forced Old Locke into marrying her back then."
Once Nathan finished speaking, silence filled the air.
Jenson coughed awkwardly a couple of times, "Do you have no filter when you talk?"
Nathan realized he said something wrong and was somewhat regretful.
He looked at Claire again, her expression calm, unreadable.
"Sister-in-law, sorry, I..."
"Get out."
It was Tina Hayes who walked up to him that spoke.
Tina’s face was icy cold, making Nathan feel particularly unsettled.
Hands in pockets, he stood there unmoving, "Tina Hayes, why are you always against me? Did I provoke you?"
"Hmph, speaking up for that white lotus mistress in President Hale’s ward and slandering President Hale as unscrupulous, do you have the nerve to stand here?"