After Brett's “passing”, Claudia was the one who took to the news the hardest.

Even though Phillip also grieved Brett’s death, the first thing he did was offer advice to Claudia.

Seeing as Claudia was still young, he encouraged her to make a new life for herself now that Brett had passed.

He tirelessly advised her to leave the family and find a good man to marry. He wanted nothing more than for her to get over the devastating loss.

Claudia understood that Phillip was only looking out for her but she had turned down the suggestion without any hesitation at the time.

She could not possibly move on from Brett and would not leave his family where his only remnants could be found. She was fully prepared to become a widow for the rest of her life.

That was until she found out that Brett had been lying to her since the beginning.

The past five years were nothing but a mirage, there was no love to speak of!

She no longer saw any reason to stick around.

Phillip was not aware of all the underlying nuances. Regardless, he was glad to see Claudia having a breakthrough.

He helped her up to her feet and there were tears in his eyes.

“Claudia, you finally figured it out. You are a sweet child and I have watched you grow into a woman. I want you to live a good life, since the world is for the living and not for the dead.

“Listen, I will give you half of the family’s share, that should be enough for you to start a new, easy life. My child, don’t come back to us again and forget about Brett, make sure you take care of yourself.”

Tears swirled in Claudia’s eyes when she heard this.

Her parents never loved her but they adored Fione more than anything else.

Her ex-fiancé, Arthur never loved her either and was fixated on Fione.

Even Brett, who she thought loved her had betrayed her and was in love with Fione the entire time.

Ever since she was a child, Phillip was the only one who truly, sincerely cared for her.

She nodded, “I will. I’ll do it for you, Grandpa, I will make a new life for myself.”

Everyone adored Fione and nobody cared for Claudia.

In that case, the only thing left to do was to love herself and cut off all these horrible people who had nothing of value to offer to her!

The next day, she woke up at the break of dawn and approached an organization.

“Hello, I’d like to buy an island isolated from the rest of the world, do you have anything like that?”

After she briefly explained her intention, the agent presented her with a booklet and proceeded to elaborate on the list of options for her. She was starstruck by the mass of islands that came in different sizes and eventually, she picked one of them at random and settled the payment with a lump sum.

“Miss Hepburn, the arrangements will be sorted out within a month and after that, you can begin to assume your residency.”

With that, the agent walked her out with a beaming smile before briefing her on some particulars.

Claudia nodded, “Alright, got it.”

When she got home, she started to pack.

She never had much belongings to bring with her when she married into the Maxwells because her family never paid much attention to her needs. Although she shared a large bedroom with Brett, most of the items were gifted by him.

There were a lot of picture frames hung on the wall and some ornaments that came in pairs set on the cabinet. In the past, the sight of these memorabilia would fill her with joy but it was now replaced by the irony of how Brett’s love was nothing but lies.

She proceeded to stuff all of them into a cardboard box. It did not take long before the box was filled to the brim with the countless sentimental pieces she shared with Brett.

Then, she walked out with the box and dumped all of its contents into a trash can without a second glance.

Right after she threw them away, she looked up just in time to see Brett approaching her.

He hardly even bothered to greet her until he happened to notice what she was doing.

A deep look came upon his eyes, then he frowned gravely.

Claudia pretended not to notice his look and prepared to turn away.

Brett managed to call out after her just in time.

“Why did you throw them away, Claudia? Aren’t those important memories you shared with my brother?”

Claudia stopped short and felt a swell of spite rising inside her. She turned to him and stated in an eerily calm voice, “It’s been long enough. I figured it’s time to move on.”

“Move on?”

Brett’s expression changed the moment he heard the statement. He reached forward and grabbed her hand tightly, “What do you mean by that?”

“Let go! You’re hurting me!”

Claudia frowned and shrugged his hand off when she felt the strength of his grip. She massaged her hands which had become slightly sore and red.

Brett realized he may have overreacted. He remembered he had to play the persona of his brother, Arthur Maxwell.

He tried to suppress the raging emotions inside him but still could not hold back the urge to ask, “You’re leaving?”

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?” Claudia's sharp look penetrated the depths of his soul.

At that moment, he had a lurking suspicion that Claudia knew.

He brushed off the suspicion as soon as it hatched.

It was impossible, Claudia loved him too much, and there was no way she would react so calmly if she found out about the truth.

With that in mind, he calmed down.

“Don't listen to what Grandpa has been telling you. Our family can take care of you. I promised Brett that I would take care of you too, I won’t let you leave.”

Claudia broke out into a sardonic laugh at his words.

She could not figure out what Brett wanted.

It did not make sense considering he would have gotten everything he wanted if she was out of the picture. He got to spend the rest of his life with Fione and did not have to worry about being constantly on guard to hide his secret from Claudia.

Why did he seem so unwilling to see her leave?

Brett felt something stir inside him when he noted the way Claudia reacted. Just as he was about to speak, the phone in his pocket started to ring.

The phone rang very suddenly and when Brett looked down to inspect the display, his expression softened instantly. When he answered the call, Fione's voice came through the speakers.

“Honey, is the soup ready? I’m hungry.”

Brett spoke to her gently, “I’ll bring it to you as soon as it’s done. Wait just a little longer, okay?”

They were standing close enough for Claudia to overhear Fione's sweet and tender voice.

“Oh you, you’re the reason I ended up here! We’ve been married for so long, so what got into you last night? You were doing it like a possessed man as if it was our first time.”

Claudia stiffened at Fione’s words and felt a mix of pain and sadness in her heart.

Come to think of it, it must be his first time with Fione…

She stood still without a word but her thoughts were already drifting to some time in the past.

Even though Brett had doted on her during the five years they had been together, he had always been very stoic when they were in bed. It seemed like he was doing it out of a sense of obligation.

At the time, she assumed that was just his personality. After all, he was never one to show his emotions outwardly.

It was only now that he started posturing as “Arthur” that she finally realized what his true nature was like. He was someone who would lose himself in passion when it was with his loved one.

When she snapped back to her senses, Brett hung up the call and went to the kitchen to make a pot of soup.

When she observed the way he dismissed the housemaids and insisted on making it by himself, she chuckled and walked away.

She never left the house over the next few days. She spent her days patiently waiting for her purchase of the island to be finalized so she could get out of this place.

At one point, Fione was discharged from the hospital and came knocking at her door.

“Arthur has a circuit race today, come and join us, Claudia! I know you are still grieving over Brett but staying at home is only going to make you more depressed.”

The two siblings of the Maxwells were the pride of the family.

Brett was known for being poised and capable, he had inherited the company and sat at its helm.

Arthur was the more adventurous of the two. He was an F1 racer.

The siblings had completely different personalities and trajectories in life. Although Claudia was hesitant to go at first, she became curious to see how Brett, who had never driven a sports car in his life, could possibly hold up on the circuit.

With that in mind, she went with Fione.

When they reached the circuit, Fione went off to look for Brett and left Claudia to wander around by herself. That was when she suddenly heard someone exclaiming nearby.

“Do you have a death wish? You’re going to mess with the brakes just to stay by Fione’s side?”

Claudia had a feeling she had heard that voice at some point. It was one of Brett’s close friends.

He was the same person who accidentally spilled Brett’s shocking secret the last time.

In a strange coincidence, she overheard their conversation again.

“I don’t even know how to drive a sports car! If I don’t tamper with the brakes, I’m going to give myself away.”

“This may work this one time, but it won’t work forever. Brett, I know you love Fione but you can’t forget that she is your brother’s wife and you have a wife as well. Claudia has been crying herself sick grieving for you to the point where I can barely recognize her anymore.

“Think about this, she’s a good woman and you two have been together for five years by this, I’m sure you at least have some feelings for her. Why don’t you cherish what you have and move on from Fione?”

His pleas were met with deafening silence.

After a while, Brett finally spoke, “Just let me have this for three more years. Just three years for me to fulfill my wish, then I will return to Claudia.”

Claudia chuckled to herself.

'Don’t bother coming back, Brett. I’ll excuse myself.'

From now on, you can be “Arthur” for as long as you want.

She smiled to herself and walked back to the seating area to join the audience.

Shortly after they assumed their seats, there was a round of applause and cheers welcoming Brett and his team into the circuit.

When Brett finally showed up, the crowd’s enthusiasm reached its peak.

Fione sat down next to Claudia and smiled with pride. She fixed her eyes in front of her but addressed Claudia as she spoke.

“You can’t stay depressed forever just because Brett is gone, you should try coming out sometime, Claudia.

“Life works out in strange ways. Both of our husbands were on the same cruise ship but somehow it was Brett who died and Arthur who survived the disaster.

“I know you must be grieving a lot these days but you have to accept that it’s just how life works sometimes. You’ve always been less fortunate than I am so all that’s left to do is to press on.”

Claudia could feel her breath quickening, even her face had turned white.

Just as she was about to say something, she heard a thunderous crash followed by a sharp shriek.

“Arthur!”

Claudia looked up and witnessed what had happened. Brett had gotten into an accident.

His car crashed into the guardrail at the very first turn in the first lap!

The medical staff hurried to the rescue. It took them a while to extract Brett who was covered in blood. He was rushed to the hospital after that.

The race had to be suspended following the devastating accident.

A group of people who were concerned about his safety followed the ambulance to the hospital, including Fione who was crying hysterically and no longer had the strength to brag.

Claudia was the only one who remained eerily stoic the entire time.

She could still hear the conversation she overheard echoing in her ears. She was aware Brett was the one who staged the accident.

This was exactly what he wanted.

He would put himself in danger just to stay with Fione.

For a brief moment, she could not decide whether to be exasperated by his utter devotion toward Fione or to feel sorry for herself.

A few days later, she suddenly received a call from the hospital.

“Miss Hepburn, your rental period for the hospital storage unit is about to end, please come to the hospital to collect your item.”

Her item…

Claudia's eyes turned red upon hearing this.

They were referring to her aborted fetus.

She suddenly felt like she was reliving the sharp pain on the day of the abortion. After struggling to contain her emotions, she answered, “Alright, I'll be there right away.”

After hanging up, she rushed to the hospital as fast as she could.

She was headed to the counter when she bumped into Brett near the in-patient department.

The doctor stood by his bedside and expressed with a deep sigh and a lamentable look in his eyes.

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Maxwell, but the accident had caused serious damage to your left wrist. I'm afraid you will not be able to race anymore in the future.”

Fione was lying next to him in bed and was completely beside herself when she heard the terrible news.

Brett gently consoled her, “Don't cry, my dear. It hurts me to see you cry.

“Racing has always had its risks, I know you have always been nervous when I’m on the track and I have been thinking about quitting for a while now.

“If you think about it, this accident is a blessing in disguise since I can retire now. You have always said that I neglected you for my career but now that I’m retiring, I’ll be able to focus on taking care of you, isn’t that right?

“Besides, it’s going to be our wedding anniversary very soon. Let's throw a nice party and celebrate it properly, okay?”

He was not very subtle about his attempts at comforting Fione. At last, she broke into a smile and wiped her tears before hooking her pinky finger around his as if she were a child.

“Alright, that’s a promise.”

Claudia felt another throb in her heart and could not bear to watch their interaction anymore.

Just as she looked away and continued heading to the storage section, she heard Fione calling out from behind.

She turned around and saw Fione chasing after her and catching her breath.

“Claudia! I didn’t know you were here too, why didn’t you come to say hi?”

Without waiting for Claudia to respond, she went on.

“Arthur is going to need some time to rest and cannot receive visitors for now. You don’t have to worry, I’ll take care of him so you can head back.

“Also, he mentioned it’s going to be the fifth anniversary of our marriage in two weeks so he’s going to throw a party on that night. You have to come join us, there’s going to be lots of presents!”

Claudia noted the provocative look in her eyes and did not respond.

It just so happened that the party was going to take place on the same day she would be leaving the family.

After a brief pause, she smiled and nodded, “Sure, I’ll bring a nice, big present for the two of you.”

After extracting the answer she was looking for, Fione walked away contentedly.

Claudia stared at her departing figure, then reached for her phone to make a call before finally heading to the hospital storage section.

After waiting briefly, the hospital staff who contacted her previously came up to her to attend to her.

Then, she carefully wrapped the remnants of the fetus that had just been taken out of the cold storage and handed it over to someone she had contacted.

“I need you to deliver this to Arthur in person during the party two weeks later,” she instructed with a gleam in his eyes.

“This is the grand present I have prepared for him.”