No Divorce? The Billionaire's Love Chase! novel Chapter 297

They stared at each other at close range. York's lips were sealed, not a single word escaping them.

Bored, Claudia closed her eyes to rest. They drove the rest of the way home in silence.

Once inside, they still didn't speak, each going about their own evening routine. When York came out of the bathroom, he found Claudia already in bed, ready to sleep.

He walked sullenly to the bedside. "If I didn't come talk to you first, were you planning to give me the silent treatment forever?"

Sitting up in bed, Claudia looked at him and nodded earnestly.

"Claudia, this is emotional abuse!" he said, his temper flaring.

His words made her face instantly turn cold. She knelt on the bed, looking up at him. "So me not speaking is emotional abuse? Then what do you call it when you cheat, run off to Ann in the middle of the night, leave me all alone at home, and don't even care that I've collapsed?"

They stared at each other in silence.

York wanted to punch himself.

She remembered every single wound he had inflicted on her. He shouldn't be pushing her so hard, so soon.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand, refusing to let go as he changed the subject. "I'm going to Maronia for a business trip tomorrow. I expect to be back in about two weeks."

His dodging of the topic left her at a loss for words. She tried to pull her hand away. "You don't need to report your business trips to me."

He tightened his grip, pulling her into an embrace she couldn't escape. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, his voice muffled. "You're my wife. Who else would I tell?"

The pressure was too tight; she felt a wave of nausea.

She struggled to break free. "If you have any energy left, go see Ann. You two can talk until the end of time. I'm exhausted and need to sleep."

He stared at her for a long moment before abruptly getting up and leaving. The moment the door clicked shut, Claudia jumped out of bed, barefoot, and locked it from the inside.

The next morning, while York was on a call in his study, Claudia slipped out of the house early.

Around nine, York walked into her office. He placed a morning coffee and pastry on her desk. "I'm boarding in a bit. Call me if you need anything."

"Your other mother-in-law is still lying in a hospital bed," she reminded him. "Aren't you going to see her before you go?"

The color drained from York's face. Claudia decided to shut her mouth.

He stared at her, his feet moving toward her as if of their own accord. He pulled her into a sudden, tight hug. "Claudia, stop saying things just to hurt me. You're the only one I have."

A knock on the door from his assistant, Mark, broke the moment. York released her, his eyes filled with reluctance. In all the years they had known each other, they had been apart countless times, but he had never felt this unwilling to leave.