Love Against All Odds by Shirley Hugh

Chapter 17 

Both of them had drunk, so Gavin called the driver to pick them up. He was still somewhat upset, his brow furrowing lightly. 

Claire didn’t notice Gavin’s uneasiness as she was lost in thoughts about Jeffrey. He gazed lazily out of the window, leaning back in the back seat with his legs crossed. 

The night was alluring, yet the atmosphere inside the car was quiet. 

Claire’s phone started buzzing in her bag. She took it out awkwardly and found that it was a message from the university’s WhatsApp group chat. It was from a group chat treated for a certain campus activity. 

And of course, Jeffrey was in the group chat as well. 

His profile picture never changed and was always a photo of him and Claire. How ironic it was! 

Claire tried not to dwell on it as she quickly tapped on the message. It turned out that someone in the group chat had sent a picture, which piqued the interest of everyone in the group chat. 

Claire swiftly clicked and found that it was a picture of her and Jeffrey. After checking it. Claire realized that the sender was Jeffrey. She couldn’t resist clicking on the sender’s profile picture and confirmed that it was indeed Jeffrey. 

She forced herself not to look at the messages about Jeffrey, but she still saw them. 

[Has Jeffrey returned?] 

[Wow! Jeffrey, where have you been all these years?] 

[He gives us such a big surprise as soon as he returns. Hey Claire, come out and see your husband.] 

The gossiping of the crowd made Claire feel a little sad. When Jeffrey proposed to her, the whole school knew. At that time, they received many blessings. 

Noticing the change in Claire’s expression, Gavin squeezed her hand in concern, casting a caring look at her. Claire lifted her head and smiled at him. 

I’m fine. I’m just feeling a bit chilly from the night breeze. 

Gavin glanced at the closed car window, choosing not to say anything more. He didn’t want to expose Claire’s feeble lie. He didn’t want to confirm his thought that Claire still cared about Jeffrey. 

But he knew since yesterday that Jeffrey had returned to the country, and all of Claire’s unusual actions were because of that 

man 

Thinking about this, Gavin’s brow furrowed even more tightly. But he’s not blaming Chaire for it. Even with all his power, he couldn’t erase the memories Claire and Jeffrey shared. 

That night, Claire passed and turned. She pulled out her phone and looked at the chat records in the group, feeling almost overwhelmed by sadness. 

[Where’s Claire? Jeffrey, tell us. Did you bully Claire?] 

[How could that be? Jeffrey would never bully his sweetheart.] 

[Quickly call Claire out to say something.] 

Several people chatted happily in the group, and Claire repeatedly clicked on Jeffrey’s profile picture. She looked at the somewhat naive–looking couple in the photo, determined to delete Jeffrey from her contacts. 

But at that moment, Jeffrey sent Claire a message, and not being able to hold back her curiosity, she opened it. 

[Hey Claire, I’m back.] 

[Are you doing well?] Another message came in. Tears welled up in Claire’s eyes. 

She had initially wanted to reply. “Doing well? Doing well, my ass! Do you know how scared I was when you suddenly disappeared?” But she thought it was too rude, Jeffrey didn’t like it when girls used foul language. 

“But who cares?” she thought. Tm not Jeffrey’s girlfriend anymore. He has no right to judge the language I use! 

After thinking for a while, Claire deleted the content in the chat box and replaced it with, I’m doing great without you. I feel like dancing in circles with joy. Men are all bastards.] 

But then Claire had second thoughts. She couldn’t make the atmosphere too casual. Otherwise, Jeffrey might brush it off as if nothing had happened. 

Claire suddenly slapped her thigh as if she had just realized something. She was married, so she and Jeffrey were no longer relevant to each other. 

I’m not doing well. After you left, I felt like my whole world collapsed.] 

In the end, Claire sent this sentence. She didn’t want to hide anything. Jeffrey was indeed her whole world then. 

[Sorry.] 

Claire didn’t know what was going through his mind when he sent this. Did he just dismiss her with it? She wasn’t a beggar. 

She didn’t continue to reply. She lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Before long, her craving for a smoke hit, and she sneaked out of the room. 

Gavin was already asleep, and she wondered why he didn’t sleep in their room but on the couch instead. She thought for a moment and covered Gavin with a thin blanket. This was something a wife should do, right? 

Claire walked to the balcony, just a few steps away from Gavin. She closed the window. The night air was chilly, and Gavin still had to fight the lawsuit for Sirena. Claire couldn’t afford to let him catch a cold at this point. 

She quietly took the cigarette box and lighter and walked to the kitchen. The cigarettes were an excuse for her to go out tonight; she had hidden them in the flowerpot on the balcony when she returned. 

She thought that she was so smart to think of this move. 

The cigarette numbed her nerves, and Claire thought that cigarettes were amazing. Besides, she had formed the habit of smoking a cigarette after a meal, which made her feel so good. 

She felt light as a feather. Am I wandering in Heaven?‘ she asked herself. She didn’t know what she was thinking right now, but her mind was filled with various strange thoughts. 

The kitchen door suddenly creaked open, and a powerful oppressive force hit her as a cold chill invaded her b*dy. A warm. and strong palm covered her waist and abdomen while the other took the cigarette from her hand. 

“You smoke?” Gavin furrowed his brow 

Claire remained calm, somewhat surprised. She didn’t explain. She merely nodded her head and took out another cigarette, lighting it in front of Gavin. 

Gavin stared at Claire. His sharp eyes seemed to glow at night, making Claire feel a sudden sense of unease as if she had committed a grave sin. 

It was often said that as people got older, the color of their pupils would become lighter, but Gavin was different. His pupils were dark and shining as if they could see through a person’s soul. 

Claire locked eyes with him, but Gavin suddenly lowered his head and took a drag on Claire’s cigarette. It was a ladies” cigarette with a mild flavor. He then stubbed it out before tossing it in the trash. 

“How did you start?” Gavin knew his tone was terrible. 

Claire pursed her l*ps and remained silent. The night always gave people the courage to face the darkness. Her cold eyes. wandered. 

“Because of the person tonight? Gavin hesitated but asked nonetheless. 

Claire smiled. “I don’t know him. He just looked like someone I knew before.” 

“A 

person who can affect you must be important to you,” Gavin revealed, but Claire didn’t respond. 

She narrowed her eyes at Gavin, a subtle crease forming between her brows as she processed his words. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper as if speaking louder would make her feelings more real. “Gavin, do you have any wine? I want to drink,” There was a tremor of vulnerability in her question, a silent plea for both the comfort of the alcohol and the solace of his 

company. 

Gavin’s brow furrowed, but he relented and slowly took a bottle of brandy from the cabinet, handing it to Claire. 

Claire poured the brandy into a stemmed glass, bringing it to her l*ps. As the brandy entered her mouth, the spicy and stimulating taste reverberated, causing her to choke back tears. 

“Don’t dwell on the person who makes you sad. Cavin’s voice was a gentle caress, his gaze softened with empathy. His eyes held a depth of understanding that only someone who had also known pain could offer. “Don’t drink too much, and remember to sleep early.” 

“Goodnight” Gavin planted a k*ss on Claire’s forehead and then turned to leave