Chapter 10: The Desperation
Harrison showed up at Claire’s penthouse again at 10:40 p.m. three days later.
This time, he didn’t bring a locksmith. He didn’t bring his mother. He came alone.
He stood outside her door and rang the bell repeatedly until Claire finally answered through the intercom.
“Harrison, go home.”
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me,” he said. His voice sounded rough, like he hadn’t slept in days. “Please, Claire. Just five minutes. Face to face.”
Claire was quiet for several seconds.
Then she sighed.
She opened the door but didn’t step aside to let him in.
Harrison looked worse than she had ever seen him. His suit was wrinkled, his eyes were bloodshot, and there was a desperation in his face that made him look almost unrecognizable.
“You’ve won,” he said quietly. “Is that what you want to hear? You’ve destroyed us. The board is talking about removing me. My mother can’t show her face anywhere. The company is in trouble. You got what you wanted.”
Claire looked at him without emotion.
“I didn’t want to destroy you, Harrison. I wanted you to stop destroying me.”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“I made mistakes. I know that. My mother… she pushed me. She always pushed me to ask you for more. But we can still fix this. We can work something out. Just… give me something to work with.”
Claire studied him for a long moment.
Then she spoke.
“I already gave you five years of my life and several million dollars. That was more than enough.”
Harrison’s face twisted.
“You’re really going to do this? After everything we had?”
Claire’s voice was calm but firm.
“We never had anything real, Harrison. You had my money. And I had the illusion that I was loved. Now the illusion is gone. And so is the money.”
She stepped back.
“Go home. And don’t come back here again.”
She closed the door before he could respond.
On the other side, Harrison stood in the hallway for a long time, staring at the closed door.
For the first time since the divorce, he truly understood.
May you like
Claire wasn’t coming back.
And she wasn’t going to save him.
