As though stung by Claire's words, Carsten felt his pupils constrict sharply, and he released her at once.

The air in the dressing room turned suffocating, thick and heavy, as though it stole the breath from their lungs.

Claire paid him no further attention. She turned calmly and sat before the vanity, lifting her gaze to the mirror as she adjusted her makeup with deliberate, unhurried precision.

Carsten remained where he stood behind her, silent, his gaze locked onto her reflection.

After a long, heavy pause, he let out a quiet breath. "Claire… I know I've wronged you. I made so many promises…" His voice faltered. "And I failed every one of them."

He hesitated, then raised his eyes to meet hers through the mirror. "Just give me a little more time. Wait for me. I swear—within six months, I'll settle the Dale family's financial troubles. When that day comes, I'll honor every promise I ever made you. I'll make our relationship public… and I'll marry you."

Claire's hands never wavered as she worked, though a faint crease appeared between her brows.

Promises like these—she had heard them more times than she could remember.

From the very beginning of their secret relationship, he had sworn he would go public soon.

She had waited three months. Then six. Then a year. Until three long years had slipped silently by.

And now, when she was on the verge of marrying someone else, he was still making these empty promises.

The compact snapped shut with a sharp click. Claire lifted her chin, her gaze locking onto his in the mirror. "And Daisy Kirby?" she asked coolly. "In six months… will you truly stop worrying about her?"

The name lingered in the air like the edge of a blade. Silence descended, broken only by the faint rhythm of their breathing.

Daisy—Carsten's former lover. Years ago, she had left him behind to study abroad. When she returned, she sought to rekindle what they had once shared.

By then, Carsten had been with Claire for less than a month.

He had rejected Daisy.

That same night, Daisy—driving under the influence—was involved in a car accident that left her confined to a wheelchair for life.

Carsten bore the weight of that night as though it were a life sentence. He blamed himself for everything she endured, and for three long years, he had cared for her without complaint.

Because he feared upsetting Daisy, he never dared acknowledge his relationship with Claire publicly.

Because Daisy's condition was fragile, whether it was an anniversary or a carefully planned date Claire had poured her heart into, he would abandon everything—abandon Claire—without hesitation, rushing to Daisy the moment she called.

For three years, Daisy had been the unbridgeable chasm between Claire and Carsten. No matter how hard Claire tried, she could never cross it.

And now… she no longer wished to.

After a long silence, Claire turned and walked toward the door, brushing past Carsten without a single glance.

Just as her fingers closed around the doorknob, Carsten stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

He began, "I promise—just six more months. I'll care for her only six more months. After that… once you've divorced Logan and returned to the Dale family, I swear I won't concern myself with her ever again."

The warmth of his body pressed against her back. Claire closed her eyes, her voice carrying a quiet, bitter calm. "The last time she had a nosebleed, you left me burning with a fever and told me to drive myself to the hospital—you said it would be the last. And before that, on our dating anniversary, you left me alone in the private room for the entire night, surrounded by flowers and gifts you never even looked at. You told me then that you would never care about her again, too."

Her gaze lowered as she pried his fingers from her waist, one by one. "Carsten… you were the one who agreed to this marriage with Logan on my behalf. And don't forget—starting today, the world knows I am a woman with a fiancé."

She shrugged him off completely. "Show me some respect."

Pain flickered across Carsten's face. "Claire… what do you mean—"

Before he could finish, his phone rang. It was his exclusive ringtone for business calls. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

They stood so close that the name "Logan" flashed unmistakably across the screen before Claire's eyes.

Carsten frowned, hesitated, then put it on speaker.

Afraid Claire might seize the chance to escape, he locked the door without hesitation and braced himself against it. "Mr. Carter," he greeted.

A lazy, arrogant voice drifted through the line. "How are the preparations for my engagement ceremony?"

Carsten's expression darkened. "The ceremony begins in ten minutes. Everything is in place. I'll have my assistant send you photos and videos afterward."

"Good." Logan chuckled softly. "I trust the Dale family won't neglect my soon-to-be fiancée's feelings—or cut corners—simply because I'm not there."

"We wouldn't dare, Mr. Carter. You have my word."

"I've prepared a gift for her. It will arrive shortly. Make sure she receives it."

"Understood."

Claire frowned as she listened. Perhaps it was her imagination—but Logan's voice sounded strangely familiar, as though she had heard it somewhere before.

After Carsten ended the call, he was about to speak when a knock sounded at the door.

Danny's voice came from outside. "Claire, you're only fixing your makeup. Why is the door locked? Open up!"

Claire shot Carsten a cold look. "Move."

He paused, then silently stepped aside, retreating into a dim corner of the room.

An unspoken rule they had followed for three years: to avoid suspicion, no one could ever see them alone together.

Watching him disappear into the shadows with practiced ease, Claire felt a rush of conflicting emotions—bitter amusement laced with sharp irony.

For three years, her love had existed like a stolen secret.

She inhaled deeply, opened the door, and smiled at Danny. "What is it? Are your parents getting impatient?"

"No." Danny hesitated, lowering his voice. "Earlier in the car… didn't I tell you to contact your boyfriend? To have him take you away? Where is he?"

"He's not coming." Claire's gaze drifted briefly toward the shadowed corner, a faint, bitter smile curving her lips. "We broke up."

"Broke up?" Danny froze, disbelief flashing across his face. "When did that happen? I thought you were crazy about him. You even went so far as to—"

"How's your leg?" Claire interrupted calmly, her gaze dropping to his knees. "It's not too serious, is it?"

Earlier, when the bodyguard named Jackson had forced him to the ground, Danny's knees had taken the worst of the impact.

"It's nothing," Danny said dismissively. His injury was the last thing on his mind.

He tightened his grip around Claire's arm. "That boyfriend of yours… don't tell me he dumped you because he heard about your engagement to Logan, got scared, and ran off?"

Claire hesitated for a brief moment before nodding faintly. "Something along those lines."

"Damn it!" Danny swore under his breath. "What a cowardly piece of trash! Three whole years with you, too spineless to show his face to your family or friends—and now that my family arranged this engagement, he doesn't even have the nerve to come and fight for you? He—"

"Claire." Ivy appeared beside them, her hand closing firmly around Claire's. "Come with me. The ceremony is about to start."

Claire turned her head, casting one final glance toward the dressing room.

It remained eerily silent. Carsten clearly had no intention of stepping out.

At last, the last trace of expectation in her heart dissolved into quiet resignation. She straightened her back and followed Ivy into the banquet hall.

The hall was dazzlingly luxurious, filled with the fragrance of expensive perfume and the soft chime of crystal glasses clinking together.

Nearly every influential figure in Fiklens was present, gathered to witness what they considered a grand joke—an engagement ceremony without the fiance present.

Under layers of thinly veiled scrutiny and barely concealed disdain, Claire maintained a flawless smile, mechanically completing an engagement ceremony whose male lead was conspicuously absent.

Once it ended, Harold and Ivy flanked her on either side, guiding her through the crowd like an exquisitely dressed puppet, forcing her into polite smiles and empty pleasantries.

By the time the last guest departed, night had already fallen deep and heavy.

After changing her clothes, Claire stepped out through the restaurant's main entrance—only to have a sleek black luxury car pull up sharply in front of her.

The window slid down, revealing Carsten's striking, angular features. "Get in," he said flatly.

Without bothering to look at him, Claire turned and headed toward Danny's car.

Danny glanced at her curiously once she got in. "Did you and Carsten have a fight? You always used to ride with him."

In the past, Claire had never chosen his car whenever Carsten was driving. It was a habit he had long since accepted.

"No." Claire turned toward him, a soft smile touching her lips. "I just suddenly realized today how good you are."

Danny stiffened. A faint, awkward blush crept onto his face as he coughed and looked away. "So you finally noticed my good qualities? But don't get any funny ideas—I don't date people I'm too familiar with."

Claire chuckled quietly, tilting her head as she studied his sharp profile. "Danny, just hypothetically speaking—if we were together, but I had to constantly consider my ex-boyfriend's feelings, to the point where I couldn't make our relationship public… would you accept that?"

Danny rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "If you cared that much about your ex, why would you even be with me? And keeping things secret? That kind of humiliation? I couldn't tolerate it. Not a chance."

Claire smiled, though a trace of desolation flickered in her eyes.

The humiliation Danny claimed he could never endure… she had borne it quietly for three entire years.

Back at the restaurant entrance, Carsten sat motionless in his car, staring in the direction Claire had disappeared, his expression unreadable.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he only snapped back to reality when the cigarette between his fingers burned down to his skin.

...

When Claire returned to the Dale residence, a servant hurried forward, presenting her with an elaborately wrapped box and informing her that it had been sent by Logan.

The moment it settled into her hands, she noticed its unexpected weight, solid and unyielding.

Inside her bedroom, she set the box aside without ceremony, leaving it untouched on a storage shelf before washing up and slipping beneath the covers.

Logan's gift held no appeal for her—not even enough to spark curiosity.

Morning arrived with the shrill ring of her phone, tearing her from an uneasy sleep.

"Claire." Addison Blake's voice came through the line, careful and subdued. "Are you… managing alright?"

Addison, Claire's bestie, was among the very few who knew the truth about Claire and Carsten.

"I'm fine," Claire answered softly, eyes fixed on the ceiling above her. "It doesn't hurt the way I thought it would."

There had been a time when she believed losing Carsten would destroy her completely.

But now that the end had truly come, all she felt was a hollow stillness—an absence where pain should have been.

"You're lying to yourself," Addison said bluntly. "I took today off just for you. Get up—we're going shopping. I'm paying for everything."

Claire sat up, swinging her legs off the bed as she turned on the speakerphone. "Then I'll make sure to take full advantage," she replied with a faint laugh.

After washing up, she made her way downstairs.

The Dale family was already gathered in the dining room, the breakfast table neatly arranged and waiting.

The moment Ivy spotted her, she beckoned warmly. "I was about to send someone upstairs. Come, eat while it's still warm."

Claire had scarcely settled into her chair when Carsten, seated across from her, wordlessly pushed a plate of fried eggs in her direction—the kind she used to like best.

"Well, look at that," Danny said lazily, arching a brow. "Carsten suddenly remembers how to be considerate. Let me guess—the Carters wired money into your company this morning, right after the engagement ceremony?"

Ivy shot him a sharp glance. "Claire has been part of this family for years. She has already become a real Dale to us. Is it so strange for your brother to show concern?"

Danny scoffed, unimpressed, "I just don't recall him ever being this thoughtful before. Funny how it starts the moment she's engaged to someone else."

Without a word, Claire nudged the plate back across the table. "Thanks. But no need," she said evenly. "I don't eat this anymore."

Danny's barbed remarks hadn't drawn so much as a flicker from Carsten.

But Claire's simple refusal wiped the color from Carsten's face in an instant.

"Claire," Ivy said gently, clearly attempting to smooth things over. "Logan called earlier. He wanted to know whether you liked the gift he sent last night."

Claire's lashes lowered, her expression unreadable. "I haven't opened it. It's still in my room."

Harold's brows knitted together at once. "You didn't even open it? That was a gift Mr. Carter personally prepared for you."

Without hesitation, Ivy motioned for a maid to go upstairs and retrieve the box.

After breakfast, with Ivy insisting, Claire finally opened the gift in front of everyone.

The instant the lid was lifted, the atmosphere in the room shifted, and every face went unmistakably pale.

Inside the small box lay a carefully arranged collection—a provocative maid costume, delicate lingerie, and various intimate accessories clearly meant for couples.

Placed prominently at the very center was a thick volume boldly titled "A Guide to Marital Bliss and Intimacy."

The moment Claire registered what lay inside, her heartbeat stalled, and her body stiffened as though frozen in place.

"What the hell is this?" Danny exploded, his voice sharp with fury. "What exactly is Logan trying to pull here? He got engaged to Claire just last night, and this is what he sends her? And he even had the audacity to call and ask whether she liked it?"

"Hurry—remove it! Take it away at once!" Turning her head aside in discomfort, Ivy urgently motioned for a servant to remove the box.

Harold's face hardened instantly. The gift went far beyond humiliating Claire—it was a blatant trampling of the Dale family's pride.

Yet the Dale family was mired in crisis, utterly dependent on the Carters for survival.

Even under such degradation, they were left with no choice but silent endurance.

The longer Danny dwelled on it, the more his anger boiled over. He turned sharply, fixing Carsten with a glare full of accusation. "So this is the man you handpicked, out of all possibilities, to be Claire's husband?"

All color drained from Carsten's face. After a prolonged silence, he slowly lifted his gaze to Claire, his voice rough and strained. "Claire… I'm sorry you're being subjected to this. Once—"

"I'm fine," Claire said softly, forcing down her disappointment as she lifted her eyes to his chiseled features with a faint smile. "Logan and I are officially engaged. Sex life is inevitable anyway."

Ignoring Carsten's smoldering stare, she hurried after the servant, seized the box, and hugged it tightly to herself, saying, "What he sent is actually rather useful. I'm sure I'll need them eventually."

She turned deliberately toward Carsten, her gaze openly challenging. "I don't have Logan's phone number. Could you pass a message to him on my behalf? Tell him I'm very pleased with the gift—and grateful for his consideration."

Clutching the box to her chest, she turned and ascended the stairs.

Ivy's voice followed her, heavy with a quiet sigh. "Claire… it's admirable that you're able to see things so clearly…"

Relief was evident in Harold's tone. "Claire has always been a level-headed child…"

Danny's expression darkened with displeasure. "You pushed Claire into marrying that man. What choice did you leave her but to accept it?"

Ivy interrupted him sharply, "We never forced Claire into it. She consented to it of her own will…"

As the family's voices echoed behind her, Claire ascended the stairs slowly, step by step.

Even after entering her room, she heard no movement or voice from Carsten below.

A soft, self-derisive laugh escaped her lips. She stepped fully inside and stared vacantly at the contents of the box.

Absent from the engagement ceremony itself. And sending a gift like this—his disdain and mockery were unmistakable.

Yet it was the Carter family who had initiated this marriage arrangement. And Logan himself had personally requested her hand.

She could not comprehend what Logan truly wanted from her.

...

"If you could understand a psychopath's mind, you'd be one yourself," Addison sighed. She looped her arm through Claire's as they walked through the crowded mall in central Fiklens. "I heard Logan is seriously messed up—he…"

She abruptly stopped, suddenly recalling that Claire was now Logan's fiancée. She swallowed the rest of what she was about to say. "Forget it. I don't want to upset you."

Claire turned her head, her gaze calm and unwavering. "You mean the rumors? The ones saying Logan fell in love with his sister-in-law, arranged the car accident that killed his brother, and that his sister-in-law later jumped to her death?"

Addison froze in shock. "You… you knew all along?"

A faint smile curved Claire's lips. She pulled Addison into a nearby high-end jewelry store and said evenly, "Danny's already told me all about it—many times."

She had heard it so frequently that it had lost all impact.

Addison hurried to her side, confusion written all over her face. "If you knew all that, then why would you still…"

Claire gestured for a sales assistant to bring over a newly released ring. She slid it onto her finger, studying its reflection with measured attention. "Because he was the one who arranged this marriage."

Addison instantly understood that the "he" she meant was Carsten.

She knitted her brows, confusion deepening across her face. "Didn't you say you no longer have feelings for him? Then why are you still doing exactly what he tells you to do?"

"It's exactly because I no longer care about him that I accepted." Claire removed the ring from her finger and passed it calmly back to the sales assistant. "After my parents died, Harold and Ivy took me in. They were the ones who raised me for twelve full years."

She raised her eyes and fixed Addison with a solemn, steady look. "By marrying Logan, I return the Dale family's kindness, gain a legitimate reason to leave their home, and finally cut ties with Carsten—all in one move. Isn't that the ideal solution?"

Addison's brows furrowed deeply. "But you're marrying a lunatic. For the rest of your life."

"I won't be tied to him that long." Claire smiled faintly, took a different ring from the assistant, and slipped it onto her finger. "I'll make sure he grows to hate me."

A man like Logan would never endure a prolonged marriage with a woman he loathed.

The corner of Addison's mouth twitched involuntarily. "Seems like you might be even more unhinged than he is."

Claire found herself amused by Addison's reaction. She was just about to respond when a female voice called out from the store's entrance, "Claire?"

Claire froze the instant she heard the voice. She slowly turned toward the source of the sound.

Wearing white, Daisy sat in a wheelchair as Carsten gently pushed her into the jewelry store.

The moment Claire turned her face, Daisy's face brightened with delight. "So it really is you!" said Daisy.

Her gaze shifted to Claire's finger, immediately catching sight of the diamond ring. "Claire, I heard you became engaged last night. Are you picking out your wedding ring? But… doesn't that one seem a little… too small? And how could you choose a wedding ring with only a friend by your side? Why isn't Mr. Carter here with you?"