After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 2: Sick to My Stomach

Claire Mercer summoned every ounce of her strength to fight back the nausea churning in her stomach.

She desperately wanted to rip away Gavin Sinclair’s mask.

To tear open his heart and see if it was red or black inside.

She’d love to see just how long this hypocrite planned to keep up his act in front of her.

Gavin Sinclair didn’t notice anything unusual about Claire Mercer.

Just as he always did, he reminded her with gentle care.

"You don’t look well. Get some rest after you eat breakfast."

"I’m going to the room next door to see a friend."

Claire Mercer scoffed inwardly.

’A friend?’

’The kind of friend you can tumble in the sheets with?’

She gave a faint "uh-huh," then ignored him and pulled out her phone to order breakfast.

While waiting for her food, she overheard two young nurses whispering to each other.

"Do you know who’s in the room next door?"

"Who?"

"The wife of Sinclair, Rhonia’s wealthiest man! You should have seen how much he dotes on her. He was freaking out over a tiny little cut. He’s barely left her side since yesterday afternoon."

"Didn’t Supervisor Lawton say yesterday that her cut would’ve healed on its own if she’d come in two minutes later? She needs to be hospitalized for something that small?"

"Well, it was Sinclair who insisted on having Mrs. Sinclair hospitalized. He said she was traumatized at the scene of the accident, plus it seems she has some other condition and is emotionally unstable. You have to be careful with that, right?"

"Talk about doting!"

"Tell me about it. Too bad we aren’t that lucky..."

"..."

Hearing the nurses’ gossip, Claire Mercer gave a derisive snort.

’If Sinclair’s wife is next door, then who am I?’

"You heard that?" Gavin Sinclair was suddenly in a wheelchair, looking at her from the doorway.

"Yeah," Claire Mercer replied.

’It’s not like I’m deaf.’

Seeing her cold, indifferent attitude, he figured she was angry.

Gavin Sinclair wheeled himself into the room and began to explain earnestly to Claire Mercer.

"Don’t listen to that nonsense from the nurses. Scarlett and I were college classmates."

’And an ex-girlfriend, wasn’t she?’

Claire Mercer added silently.

She’d heard a few things about Gavin Sinclair’s romantic history.

"When I got into that car accident years ago, she was in the car with me. She even saved me."

"But she was terrified by it and left traumatized. She’s been in treatment overseas for the last two years."

"She just got back from overseas a few days ago, and then, wouldn’t you know it, she got into another car accident yesterday."

Claire Mercer grumbled to herself again:

’No wonder he’s been running off so much lately.’

’Turns out the ex-girlfriend he’d buried deep in his heart was back.’

’Couldn’t resist rekindling an old flame, could he?’

"I’m worried she’ll be scared into a relapse, so that’s why I’m taking extra care of her." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

After Gavin Sinclair finished explaining, he waited for her response.

Claire Mercer just said, "Oh."

"You don’t have to explain anything to me."

She pretended to look out the window, keeping her head turned away from him.

As if she didn’t care about the nurses’ conversation.

And cared even less about his explanation.

’After all, every single word he’d just spoken was a lie.’

Gavin Sinclair sensed that she was acting strangely today.

He just assumed the nurses’ gossip had upset her.

He asked, "Are you upset?"

’Should I be happy?’

Claire Mercer shot back in her mind.

"Shouldn’t you have clarified your relationship with your college classmate to those two nurses?"

"Why not explain your relationship to the nurses? Instead, you let others mistake you two for husband and wife."

’How ridiculous.’

’Coming here to feed me a pack of lies.’

Gavin Sinclair wasn’t annoyed. In fact, he smiled.

"Look at you, getting jealous. You little jealous thing."

’Little jealous thing?’

Hearing those three words, Claire Mercer felt the bile rise in her throat.

Last night, after they’d been all over each other in the hospital room, he had also called Scarlett Jewel a "little jealous thing"...

And now he was using the same three words on her.

She was overcome with nausea once more.

But Gavin Sinclair acted as if nothing was amiss and continued.

"Claire, why don’t you and Scarlett swap rooms?"

He had expected Claire Mercer to obediently do as he said and give the room to Scarlett Jewel.

But, to his surprise, Claire Mercer’s usual docile obedience was gone. She stared at him with cold eyes and asked...

"Why should I swap rooms with her?"

Gavin Sinclair was slightly stunned by her abnormal attitude.

Then he figured she was just jealous, so he paid it no mind and said with a smile...

"This room number is Scarlett’s lucky number. She’ll recover faster if she stays in this room."

"After all, she saved me once, and I want her to get better soon."

Hearing this, Claire Mercer couldn’t help but sneer.

’First, she steals my husband.’

’Now we’re in the hospital, and she’s trying to steal my room, too.’

The thought of them doing *that kind of thing* on the bed next door last night made her sick to her stomach.

’And now he wants me to move into the room they defiled last night...’

’That Scarlett Jewel... she’s clearly doing this just to torment me.’

"I’m not switching."

’Switching rooms is just an excuse. The real goal is to humiliate me.’

Gavin Sinclair was stunned for a few seconds, his thick brows knitting slightly.

For the first time, Claire Mercer had defied him.

For the past two years, she had always been completely obedient.

The image of her as docile, gentle, and easy to manipulate was deeply ingrained in his mind.

But even if she was jealous now, she couldn’t forget her place.

He narrowed his eyes at Claire Mercer, displeased. The warmth was gone from his voice, replaced by an icy edge.

"Claire, since when did you become so unreasonable?"

"It’s just switching rooms, it’s not a big deal."

"Besides, Scarlett saved my life..."

Claire Mercer shot him a look of displeasure.

"She saved *you*, not me."

"Besides, this is the first I’ve ever heard of needing a lucky number to stay in a hospital room."

And at that very moment, Scarlett Jewel appeared at the doorway.

She was wearing a hospital gown, her face pale.

She looked so frail and weak, as if she had a terminal illness.

She looked at Gavin and spoke in a strained, delicate voice, though she tried to sound nonchalant.

"Gavin, I’m fine. Don’t pressure your wife."

"I’m tough. It doesn’t matter where I stay."

"I’m not like your wife, who’s been precious and coddled her whole life. You shouldn’t force her."

Claire Mercer followed the sound with her gaze.

When she saw Scarlett Jewel’s face clearly, it all clicked into place.

She was the driver who had run her off the road yesterday, causing the accident.

’So, the accident yesterday... she did it on purpose.’

’And their affair in the room next door last night, that must have been on purpose too, right?’

’This Scarlett Jewel... she’s so calculating.’

Gavin Sinclair heard Scarlett Jewel’s words and compared her attitude to Claire’s.

Scarlett’s "reasonableness" instantly made Claire seem cold and unfeeling by comparison.

His displeased gaze fell upon Claire Mercer, carrying an order that tolerated no argument.

"Pack your things now..."

Claire Mercer stared coldly at Gavin Sinclair, cutting him off.

"And what if I say no?"

Hearing this, Gavin Sinclair’s eyes narrowed again, his face a mask of disbelief.

"Claire Mercer, you dare defy me?"