Chapter 103: Being With Him Forever
Claire returned to the browser's homepage and searched again. The situation was escalating rapidly, and the story had already reached the third spot on the trending list. If it hit number one, things would blow up completely. She knew that if she had seen the news, Frederick undoubtedly had as well. He was probably already aware and strategizing on how to handle it.
To the average person, this was just another piece of gossip, nothing worth paying attention to. But Frederick wasn’t an ordinary man. He was a high-ranking government official, a newly promoted general, and a presidential candidate. Negative press like this could ruin him. This was a particularly sensitive time in his campaign. He couldn’t simply suppress the story by force; doing so would only fuel public resentment. People would think government officials were untrustworthy, using their power to distort the truth at will.
Claire carefully examined the origins of the news and assessed how far it had spread. In the end, she decided to respond by posting a video directly under the original article.
“Hello, everyone. First, I want to apologize. My personal matters have taken up so much public attention and caused negative repercussions. I’m truly sorry. Second, I want to clarify things. The situation is not what the video made it seem. My partner, Mr. Hawthorne, and I never had a fight or any conflict. We’ve always been in love. A few days ago, I was being impulsive. I felt our lives had become too mundane. Like many women, I feared our feelings might fade with time. I thought we needed excitement, so I planned an adventure, a little game of escape. I left Mr. Hawthorne a note and headed to the least likely place he’d expect: Kingstown’s slums.
As for the video showing Mr. Hawthorne with a switch in hand, he wasn’t trying to hit me. He was protecting me by grabbing it from someone who meant to harm me. If he hadn’t acted quickly, that switch would have landed on me. So, I’m here to emphasize again: Mr. Hawthorne is a good man. He has always loved me and been patient with me. Things are not how they appear, so I hope everyone will stop spreading false rumors about him. Thank you!”
After that, Claire gave the camera a deep bow and uploaded the video online. Once the video was live, the story skyrocketed to the top of the trending list. Public opinion began to shift almost immediately.
User A commented: [See? Maybe the whole thing wasn’t what we thought.] User B wrote: [Exactly! The world isn’t as dark as people make it out to be.] User C added: [This restores some faith in the government.] User D chimed in: [Young lady, all couples fight now and then. It’s nothing to worry about. A lifetime together is full of ups and downs. Relax, and I wish you two a happy marriage.]
The majority of the public now sided with Frederick. Some even offered Claire kind words of encouragement, saying marriage life was like that and there was no need to dwell on it. Claire saw the phrase “a lifetime together” and felt a sharp sting in her chest. Her eyes brimmed with tears. She had once dreamed of a lifetime with Frederick. However, things had changed. She had decided to let it go. She felt that perhaps fate had long decided they weren’t meant to be. She thought, “How else could one explain Anna’s mysterious death? Or the message on Anna’s phone summoning her to the Red Sun Bar?” Thinking about it still left Claire unsettled. She took a deep breath, set her phone aside, and waited for Frederick to see the video and come to her.
At the Kingstown Security Department, Frederick paced anxiously in his office. Richard suddenly burst through the door.
“General Hawthorne, it’s resolved! Everything is under control. Ms. Prescott released a video to explain the situation,” Richard said, visibly relieved.
Frederick frowned. “Claire?”