Chapter 10

Before Curtis could finish his sentence, Claire yanked her hand free. "I'm going to find Ash. Don't make this harder than it already is. Also, once you're discharged, move back home. And find time soon to finalize the divorce." Leaving those words behind, she turned and ran. She raced downstairs, flagging a cab in a panic, her breath catching as she frantically dialed Ashton's number over and over again. Every time, the mechanical voice was the same. "The number you've dialed is currently unavailable…" Still, she clung to a sliver of hope. Perhaps his phone had died, therefore he couldn't answer her call. Once she got home, she would finally see her lover, she thought. Claire continuously urged the cab driver to drive faster. At last, she arrived home, only to open the door and step into an eerily clean, empty apartment. She froze. The throw pillow Ashton used on the couch was gone, and so was the ceramic mug he always left on the table. Even the glass case where he kept his lit