Chapter 34: How Could This Be Claire?
“Claire’s masterpiece—what a dilemma! Where should I start?” Jacob mused, his voice dripping with excitement.
“Don’t worry, darling, I’ll find the best tool for you. After all, how could I not honor this exquisite scar on your body?”
“By the way, I feel like I know your face. It’s as if we’re fated to meet again from a past life,” he continued, lost in his own thoughts.
Jacob continued observing the other tools, comparing them one by one. He was in no hurry, carefully examining each one. After comparing dozens of tools, he finally found one that he considered to be the most perfect.
Frederick arrived just in time to see Jacob holding a tool poised over Claire’s injuries. Her abdomen was a gruesome sight, and Jacob was about to violate her further, having already pulled down her underwear halfway. The floor was a horrifying mess of bloodied instruments.
Frederick was stunned to see Claire lying there, unresponsive, as if she were a porcelain doll, devoid of any fight or resistance. How could this possibly be Claire?
Chapter 34: How Could This Be Claire?
“General… Frederick…?”
Jacob was taken aback, realizing the woman on the floor had a connection to Frederick. He dropped the tool in shock. Frederick snapped back to reality and charged at Jacob, kicking him to the ground. He drew his gun, ready to end Jacob’s life.
“Frederick, Jacob is a well-known figure in the business world. If you… and Claire’s injuries are critical,” Richard interjected, alarmed by Frederick’s intentions.
Jacob was a notorious pervert, but he was also a shrewd businessman, ranking among the top in Kingstown. This was why no one had dared to take him down all these years. Frederick had just been promoted to general and was in the midst of a presidential race, with Mr. Arthur Hawthorne relentlessly pursuing him. If Jacob were to die at Frederick’s hands, the consequences would be dire.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Frederick hesitated.
“Jacob, you’re spared this time. But if you ever lay a hand on her again, I will ensure you meet a fate worse than death.”
He holstered his gun, took off his jacket, and draped it over Claire’s body before carrying her away. Throughout this ordeal, Claire remained unresponsive, slipping into unconsciousness from blood loss by the time they reached the hospital.
Chapter 34: How Could This Be Claire?
Once there, doctors examined Claire and confirmed she had not been violated; she remained a virgin. Aside from the severe abdominal injury, there were no other wounds. Frederick stood by, fixated on the doctors as they treated her, his expression blank. Even after Richard had arranged everything and left the room, Frederick remained rooted in place, staring at Claire’s pale face.
It was a face he recognized, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that the woman before him was not the Claire he knew. How could someone so proud and fierce endure such torment without a fight? The deep gash on her abdomen had been stitched up, yet she had lain there silently while Jacob abused her. Frederick struggled to reconcile the woman he knew with the broken figure before him.
Frederick stood by Claire’s bedside throughout the night, memories of her flooding his mind. The proud Prescott family princess he once knew clashed with the fragile, broken figure she had become, each thought piercing his heart like a needle.
Outside the room, Richard kept vigil, exhausted from the night’s events. As dawn approached, he leaned against a hospital bench and fell asleep.
At six in the morning, a figure emerged from around the corner of the hospital corridor. Seeing Richard asleep, the person tiptoed closer. Upon reaching the door to Claire’s room, she peered through the glass and saw Frederick standing there, fixated on the unconscious Claire. Her fingers were clenched tightly, nails digging into her palm.
This figure was none other than Caroline, who had been rushed to the hospital the previous night after a near assault by thugs.