Chapter 9
They did not make it to the sitting room before Claire spoke again.
“Daniel.”
One word.
Sharp.
Possessive.
He stopped, but did not turn fully.
Hannah felt the pause in his body.
Claire stood beneath the grand staircase, red satin glowing under chandelier light, one hand clenched at her side.
Her eyes were wet now, but not soft.
“Tell them,” she said.
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“What?”
“Tell them how long you lied to me.”
The ballroom held its breath.
Hannah’s heart beat hard enough to hurt.
This was exactly what she feared.
The story becoming entertainment.
Dates.
Whispers.
Servant corridors.
Late-night rooms.
A pregnancy turned into gossip before the child was even born.
Daniel’s voice was controlled.
“No.”
Claire laughed through tears.
“Of course. Protect her dignity after destroying mine.”
Daniel turned then.
His expression was merciless.
“You destroyed your dignity holding scissors over a pregnant woman.”
Claire recoiled as if struck.
The guests did not move.
Some looked ashamed for having watched so long without intervening.
Others looked fascinated despite themselves.
Daniel seemed to hate them all.
Hannah whispered, “Please.”
He looked back at her.
The anger quieted instantly.
“Almost there.”
But Claire was not finished.
“You think people won’t ask questions? You think Providence won’t talk?”
Daniel looked at the forty guests.
“Let them.”
A chill moved through the room.
Daniel Carver did not say let them casually.
It sounded like permission and warning in one breath.
Claire’s hand trembled.
“You would choose her in front of all of them?”
Daniel’s gaze dropped briefly to Hannah’s belly, then returned to Claire.
“I already did.”
Hannah closed her eyes.
Not from triumph.
From terror.
Because being chosen by Daniel Carver in public meant the world would never leave her alone again.
The doctor touched her arm gently.
“We need to continue.”
Daniel nodded.
But before they moved, he looked once at the severed hair and scissors on the floor.
“Leave them there,” he told security.
Claire’s eyes widened.
“For what?”
Daniel did not answer.
He did not need to reveal next steps.
Evidence could wait.
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The room understood.
Read Chapter 10 👉 Because the hair and scissors stayed on the marble, and Claire realized the humiliation she staged might become the proof that ended her power.
