Chapter 44: It Has Nothing to Do with Love
Chapter 44: It Has Nothing to Do with Love
Scott said faintly, but one could easily detect a note of sarcasm in his words.
Ben turned livid upon hearing the word "miserable". Seething with anger, he cast a glance at Claudia Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
and grabbed her tiny wrist with his strong hand. He jerked her up and threw her into his arms.
Now that Ben was pressing her against his chest, Claudia was astonished. Before she could do
anything, she heard Ben saying coldly above her head, “If it’s miserable to be my woman, I wonder
who will make her happy?”
Scott snorted and turned to look at Claudia with his deep and watery eyes.
“What do you think, Mr. Crawford?”
His nonchalant air irritated Ben, who pulled a long face and asked with a threatening voice, “What do
you mean by bringing this up all of a sudden, Mr. Palmer?”
“Nothing. I just feel sorry for Claudia!” Scott replied in a soft tone, as if he was having a chat with an old
friend that he hadn’t met for years.
The next second, Scott’s eyes moved to Claudia and he sighed meaningfully, “What can you expect
from a man who doesn’t love his wife at all?”
Claudia was amazed. For a moment, she felt that she was stabbed to the heart and got butterflies in
her stomach.
Ben drew Claudia closer to him, which brought her back to her senses, and growled, “Don’t worry, Mr.
Palmer. I’ll take care of my wife, and it has nothing to do with love.”
Which meant, Ben was just doing his duty as Claudia’s husband.
That was all.
Could Claudia understand Ben’s words in this way?
Suddenly, Claudia had an urge to throw back her head and laugh, but she held it back. How could she
burst into laughter when she was devastated?
The storm was still raging when Ben and Claudia walked out of the restaurant. It was impossible for
them to go back to town now, because the road closed, and the sea-crossing bridge was almost
submerged by rising seawater. The news was constantly reported on TV.
Claudia sat on the passenger seat of Ben’s Rolls-Royce, looking uneasy and worried.
Although Scott said those words to provoke Ben, what he said did make sense.
Ben didn’t love her.
This was an established fact.
So naturally, he wouldn’t care about her feelings. But why did he come to the suburbs when it was
pouring down outside?
Claudia didn’t dare flatter herself, but these thoughts lingered in her mind.
Suddenly, the phone rang abruptly in the tight space.
The moment Ben took out his phone, Claudia caught a glimpse of the caller ID out of the corner of her
eye, and it was Hanna.
Ben answered the phone, his voice low and a little hoarse, “Yes?”
“Have you got Claudia? Is she OK? Is she caught in the rain?”
Since it was extremely quiet in the car, Claudia could hear clearly what Hanna was saying on the
phone. Suddenly, she realized something.
It turned out that Ben didn’t come to the suburbs to pick her up voluntarily, but Hanna asked him to do
so.
A man actually needed some other woman to remind him to take care of his own wife. How ridiculous!
But Claudia didn’t find it funny. She put her hand on her throbbing heart, gasping for breath, the lump in
her throat choking her.
“She’s fine.”
Ben replied briefly, hung up and threw a glance at Claudia. Since she had been in the rain for a while,
she was soaking wet right now. She had dried her hair with some fresh towels just now, but it was still
damp and stuck to her cheeks, making her look even paler.
It was unknown whether it was because of the cold or the light, Claudia looked messy and drawn.
Frowning, Ben searched on the navigation for a five-star hotel nearby and checked in.
The two walked to the elevator. Since both her and her heels were soaked, Claudia slipped accidentally
and stumbled forward towards Ben.
Ben reached out reflexively and took her into his arms. But the next second, Ben froze and frowned.
Claudia, gasping in amazement, struggled free from Ben subconsciously, but she caught the
impatience in his eyes, her heart missing a beat. The moment she got out of his arms, she moved to
one corner of the elevator, as if she was trying to keep her distance from him.
Ben’s frown deepened as Claudia moved away from him, but he said nothing. Soon, the elevator
reached the top floor, and he strode into the hallway.
The suite on the top floor was huge, and there were two bedrooms.
Claudia felt constrained and uneasy as she walked into the suite. She looked around the room with her
big bright eyes. Seeing Ben walking straight towards the outer room, she walked towards the inner
room.
Ben squinted at Claudia and knit his brows again. When had this woman become so self-aware?
It seemed that she was avoiding him.
Claudia left her bag in the bedroom and charged her phone before she went to the bathroom to take a
warm shower, but it failed to wash off the coldness in her heart.
Claudia’s heart was bleeding when she thought of what Hanna said on the phone. Her own husband
actually needed some other woman to remind him to pick her up...
She was nothing but a loser!
However, Claudia had loved Ben since childhood.
She had loved him for over ten years. Even if she was aware that Ben was forced to marry her at his
mother's will, she agreed without hesitation.
Just like a moth darted into the fire.
Claudia had never expected Ben to be madly in love with her. She only hoped that he could have some
feelings for her, yet that had become some extravagant hope.
But what cut Claudia deepest was herself.
She was clear about Hanna’s identity, which was the other woman, as well as Ben’s ex-girlfriend, but
she was unable to hate her, even if Hanna interfered in her marriage.
Because Hanna was too kind and outstanding!
She was perfect.
Each time Hanna turned up, Claudia was put to shame. The more remarkable Hanna was, the humbler
she looked. In brief, she was completely overshadowed by Hanna.
Clearly, Claudia was the legal wife, but she was more like the other woman in this marriage.
Eaten up with frustration, Claudia came out of the warm shower quickly. She put on the bathrobe and
dried her hair. When she went out of bathroom, the suite was already in total darkness.
Since Ben didn’t like light, he turned off all the lights when he slept, and that was why the room was
pitch dark.
Claudia didn't dare disturb Ben by turning on the light suddenly, so she could only grope blindly for her
own room in the dark and strange suite.
However, she touched something in the darkness. At first, it felt hard, and she turned away from it
because she thought it was a piece of furniture. Just as she moved away, she felt its warmth and
smooth texture. The next second, she realized what it was!
Surprised, Claudia turned around, but her slender arm was grabbed by the man. Suddenly, she was
pinned against the wall, while he propped himself against wall on one arm, his muscular body pressing
against hers, and she could barely move.
“What’s going on between you and Scott?”
Ben asked in a husky whisper.