Chapter 302: You Sleep With Him

Claire’s hands shook as she twisted the doorknob. She turned it again and again, struggling to open the door, her mind racing with images of what was to come. The moment the door finally creaked open, she was struck by the silence. The living room lights were on, as usual, but the room was empty.

Of course, the staff would have retired to their rooms by now, and Frederick would have finished his meal—either retreating to his room to rest or heading to his study to attend to business. As Claire walked back from town, she couldn’t stop thinking about what excuse to give Frederick. She had imagined dozens of scenarios—getting lost, being delayed, trapped in some unfortunate situation—but none felt convincing enough. She knew better than to lie to Frederick; with his resources, any story she concocted would be uncovered eventually.

So when she stepped inside and saw that Frederick wasn’t around, Claire breathed a quiet sigh of relief. But she knew the moment would come—she would have to face him sooner or later. And she had no idea what to say when that moment arrived.

Looking at her disheveled appearance, she decided to head upstairs to her room. A shower, a change of clothes—she needed to regain some semblance of normalcy. The past few days at the bottom of the cliff had been rough. It was a relief just to eat and sleep, and changing clothes hadn’t exactly been a priority.

Claire grabbed a change of clothes and headed straight for the bathroom. It had been far too long since she’d had a proper shower. As she soaked, she scrubbed herself clean, taking her time to relax in the warm water. But just as she finished scrubbing the soap from her body, the bathroom door suddenly slammed open with a loud bang.

Claire’s heart leaped into her chest. She couldn’t even react before Frederick was standing there, staring at her, cold and silent. She froze, feeling cold, her throat tightening as if she couldn’t breathe. She could barely form a word, even though she was fully aware of his piercing gaze.

“Y–you’re back…” she managed to say after what felt like an eternity.

“Yes,” Frederick replied coolly, without elaboration.

He didn’t move an inch, his gaze locked onto her with an intensity that made Claire shiver, even from across the room. The silence stretched uncomfortably, and Claire tried to fill the void. “Did you eat?”

“I did,” he answered simply, his eyes still fixed on her.

The tension was suffocating, and Claire felt herself struggling to find something else to say. Normally, she wouldn’t care about Frederick’s work or when he finished for the day, but now, the weight of the moment pressed down on her.

“It’s late… You should rest. You’ll need to work tomorrow,” she said, trying to break the ice.

Frederick finally shifted, a mocking smile curling on his lips. “And you don’t think you owe me an explanation?”

The words hit her like a slap, and she froze. She knew exactly what he meant, but she had no idea how to explain herself. She stood there, stammering, but nothing coherent came out.

“I’m curious,” Frederick continued, stepping closer. “Aren’t you and Antony supposed to be running off together? What are you doing back so soon?”

Claire’s heart stopped. What? She staggered back, almost tripping as she hit the edge of the bed, and collapsed onto it, her body trembling. “Frederick thinks I was running away with Antony?” she thought.

Her mind raced, trying to process his accusation. How could he believe that? Just because she’d disappeared for a few days with Antony? But they hadn’t run away—they had been pushed off a cliff by Caroline!

Frederick’s eyes narrowed as he leaned in, his voice growing colder. “I’ve had my people block every exit from Kingstown—railways, roads, waterways. No one could leave. So tell me, why are you back?”

Claire immediately denied it. “No, that’s not true!” She had never planned to run away with Antony. They were just trying to survive. She didn’t need to explain all of this to Frederick. She just didn’t want Antony to be dragged into it.

“No?” Frederick scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. “You and Antony disappear for days, and now you expect me to believe it wasn’t some plan to run off together?”

He let out a sharp laugh, but there was no humor in it—only rage.

“I don’t care whether you believe me or not. I swear to you, Frederick, I never had any intention of running away with Antony!” Claire shot back, her voice firm, even though her heart was racing.

Frederick’s eyes flashed with fury. “Then what were you two doing all this time? What was it? And just because you didn’t plan it, does that mean you didn’t end up in bed with him? Was that your idea of surviving?”

As he spoke, his mind seemed to picture something he couldn’t stand, and he suddenly lunged forward, tearing at Claire’s clothes.