He Never Loved Me, Until I Left Chapter 04

He Never Loved Me, Until I Left Chapter 04

Richard stared at the email lying quietly in his inbox on his computer screen. The subject line indicated it was a document forwarded by HR, and a strange sense of unease crept into his heart. 

Just as he gripped the mouse, ready to open the email, “Richard!” The office door was flung open, and Chloe rushed in, carrying a tablet. 

“Richard, I really can’t figure out this third–quarter market data summary. Can you help me?” Chloe walked to his side, habitually leaning against the edge of the desk, and handed him the screen, pouting and whining, “Those cross–comparison formulas are too complicated. I’ve been working on them all morning 

and still can’t understand them.” 

Richard took the tablet and glanced at it, his previously calm brows instantly furrowing. This was just a basic quarterly summary table, not even involving complex logical calculations; it could be şolved in ten minutes using basic Excel functions. 

Looking at the table riddled with errors and the chaotic layout, a feeling of disbelief washed over him. 

He blurted out, almost without thinking, “You can’t ven do such a simple table? If Claire were here, she 

would never have made it like this.” 

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a second. 

Chloe’s smile vanished instantly, her face turning pale. She burst into tears, feeling wronged. “Richard… what do you mean? Are you deliberately humiliating me? Since you think Claire can do everything better than me, then go ask her to make your table!” 

Seeing Chloe’s tearful face, Richard instantly snapped back to reality, realizing how hurtful his words had been. He quickly stood up to comfort his assistant. 

With Richard’s gentle apologies and promises, Chloe finally smiled through her tears. 

But as he typed formulas on the keyboard, Richard’s thoughts drifted uncontrollably. 

“If Claire were here…” This sentence was like a stone, shattering his long–buried memories. 

He remembered six years ago, when Claire had just joined the New York branch as a newcomer. She was intelligent, decisive, and exceptionally capable. Even the most challenging projects could be easily solved in her hands. Back then, he genuinely admired this hardworking girl. 

If things had remained purely professional, perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out this way. 

The turning point came at a crucial Wall Street client signing party. 

That day, in his quest to secure the deal, Richard drank himself into a stupor, barely able to stand. Claire offered to take care of him, carrying him back to a Manhattan hotel while he was completely unconscious. 

When Richard woke up the next morning, his head throbbing, he found himself and Claire lying naked in the same bed. 

In that instant, all his admiration and trust crumbled in shock. To him, this wasn’t an accident at all, but a carefully orchestrated trap, a despicable scheme to bind him to her! 

Because of that encounter, and her subsequent unexpected pregnancy, he was forced, under the pressure of responsibility, to secretly marry this ” scheming” woman. 

From then on, Claire’s image in his mind completely transformed into that of a ruthless and vicious woman. Therefore, over the years, he couldn’t help but feel disgusted by her, even extending this disgust to their innocent child, Leo. 

Richard stopped typing and looked at Chloe, who was smiling sweetly beside him. Chloe was innocent and gentle, completely different from Claire, a cunning woman. 

But why, when he saw Claire’s glaring name again, did he not feel the expected relief, but instead felt a lingering unease?