Chapter 6093

Claire went upstairs and entered her room, feeling disheartened. Neither her father nor her mother seemed to notice her emotional state. She was accustomed to this indifference. Her parents appeared to lack empathy, and in this household, only Charlie showed any genuine concern for her feelings. Jacob and Elaine were preoccupied with planning their trip to the Maldives, completely oblivious to Claire's tear-stained, red eyes. Once in her room, Claire splashed cold water on her face to regain her composure and started strategizing how to leave Charlie while minimizing the impact on him. The first thing she needed to ascertain was Charlie's plans for his birthday, which coincided with the dragon raising its head on the second day of the second month. She grabbed her phone and sent Charlie a voice message via WeChat: “Husband, how do you plan to celebrate your birthday this year?” Charlie, feeling bored backstage during Tawanna's performance, received Claire’s message and replied promptly: “Wife, are you a fan of Stefanie Sun? Her farewell concert is happening in Eastcliff on the second day of the second month. I thought it would be nice for just the two of us to go there and enjoy a concert together. What do you think?” Claire was taken aback by this message, left staring at her phone for a long moment. Had she not encountered Stephen Thompson, she might have appreciated Charlie's thoughtful birthday surprise and felt genuinely touched by his desire to take her to the concert. However, now that she understood Stefanie was Charlie's fiancée, hearing about his plans sent a jolt of disappointment through her. Stefanie’s choice to hold a concert on Charlie’s birthday was certainly not without intention. At that moment, Claire felt a deep reluctance toward Charlie's arrangement. After taking some time to reflect, she realized this could actually be an excellent opportunity to leave Charlie. If they went to Eastcliff for Stefanie's concert, her parents could coordinate with Stephen Thompson to ensure their departure went unnoticed. Once her parents left, Claire would plot her escape from Charlie. They would evaporate from Charlie's life, leaving only a letter behind. Back in Aurous Hill, when Charlie returned and found the letter, he would understand everything. Claire was determined not to hide anything from him as she left. After all, she had concealed her own identity from him for many years, and she no longer wanted to keep secrets. She planned to confess in the letter that she knew his true identity and background, as well as the path of revenge he was pursuing. To avoid impacting him, she decided to part ways, allowing him to focus on his enemies without a burden. As for whether they would cross paths again in the future, after much contemplation, Claire reached a decision. In her letter, she would urge Charlie not to search for her anymore. Their marriage had become intertwined with far too many issues beyond love, including an arranged marriage, as well as immense gaps filled with secrets and lies. Since Charlie was the heir of the Wade family in Eastcliff rather than the orphan from Aurous Hill, their marriage certificate held no legal weight. Ending their marriage seemed to be the best outcome for both of them. The reasons for terminating the marriage stemmed from two main points that Claire had voiced to Charlie: a desire for honesty in the face of deceit, followed by a more pressing concern. Claire was acutely aware of the vast chasm separating her from Charlie. Once Charlie returned to the Wade family, maintaining their marriage would make her an object of envy for women everywhere. They would see her as extraordinarily lucky, an ordinary girl marrying into the elite class of the world.

Claire was a strong woman, and she had no intention of being labeled a wealthy wife or a real-life Cinderella. Rather than living as a mere extension of an affluent family, she yearned for a simple and peaceful life. Moreover, it was clear that Stefanie was a much better match for Charlie, having dedicated years to pursuing him. In terms of emotion and logic, Stefanie was a deserving person, and Claire respected that. Ending her marriage with Charlie and helping him find happiness with Stefanie felt like the right thing to do. So she replied to Charlie: “On February 2nd, let's go to Eastcliff for a two-person getaway and enjoy Ms. Sun's concert. Afterward, I may have to go on a business trip, so you can head home directly while I take a flight from Eastcliff to Fairmont.” Charlie asked, intrigued: “Why are you suddenly going to Fairmont for a business trip?” Claire paused for a moment and crafted a response: “A client introduced me to her best friend, who owns a large single-family villa in Fairmont that’s in need of decorating. She wants me to provide a design plan, and I’d like to inspect it in person.” After delivering her excuse, she felt uneasy and embarrassed. She was anxious about whether Charlie would see through her lie and ashamed that this was her first time deceiving him. However, she quickly remembered that Charlie often expressed his desire to travel to various places to showcase Feng Shui, perhaps sharing a similar mindset and motivation to her current fib. Reflecting on that made her sigh, realizing how twisted her marriage to Charlie had become, forcing her to create countless lies to stabilize her life. She thought about the times Charlie had needed to conduct his own business, finding it inconvenient for her to know, and how he would have to come up with various excuses for her own perceived convenience, all while feeling quite exhausted himself. Charlie held unyielding trust in Claire. When she told him she was going on a business trip, he accepted it without question, simply asking, “Wife, do you want me to accompany you? I won’t have anything to do then.” Claire replied, “There's no need for you to worry. I’ll be working and won’t be traveling much. Taking my husband along might make clients question my professionalism. It won’t take long; I just need to do a site inspection and measure the space, then I’ll return to Aurous Hill to complete the design plan. I can send it over online once it’s done.” Charlie didn’t think too hard about it and smiled, “Okay, after the concert, you can go to Fairmont, and I’ll head back to Aurous Hill.” Claire sighed in relief. With her plans set, she resolved to find time to visit Lama Temple and discuss the specific arrangements with Stephen Thompson. When the time came for her and Charlie to leave for Eastcliff, she would find an opportunity to ask Stephen Thompson to take her parents away. After separating from Charlie in Eastcliff, she intended for Stephen to discreetly help her leave China. Their family had little to lose; distant relatives like her grandfather had long passed away. As long as they remained together, it wouldn’t matter where they ended up. In recent years, they had relied heavily on Charlie’s support, and now it was time to think about what was best for him.