Chapter 69: Painful Breakup

CLAIRE

"H-Heiji…"

The words I heard on the phone seemed to have a strange ability to make me feel a deep sense of pain. It felt like an unseen force had touched my heart and crushed it brutally under its weight. I put a shaking hand on my chest and tried hard to stop the tears threatening to come out. When I realized that Ryker's feelings for me were gone for good, I felt unbearable pain because I could no longer hold on to hope. The soft creak of the door reached my ears and drew my attention to the room where Ryker and Alice were sitting. But it wasn't the usual sound of a man's voice that caught my attention. Instead, the soft rhythm of a woman's voice filled the air. In time, I could feel Heiji's hand lightly touching my shoulders.

"Claire… I will take you home."

I didn't say no to what Heiji said. I, too, longed to leave that terrible place. As Heiji and I strolled to the parking lot, his strong arm comforted me and helped me keep my balance. As soon as I got into the car, I was