Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 220

Chapter 220: Claire Jacobs
Four months later

Claire paced around Emma’s office, phone clutched in her hand, and eyes wide with worry.

“I swear, Em, she sounded breathless. She didn’t even finish her sentence before the call cut off!” Claire said, rushing to grab her bag.

Emma, already slipping on her flats, tried to calm her. “Okay, let’s not panic. We’ll get there and see what’s wrong. Margaret’s strong, remember?”

Claire nodded quickly, but her hands trembled a little as she grabbed her car keys. They hurried out the door, hearts racing.

The drive to Alex’s was quiet, filled only with the hum of the engine and the pounding of concern in their chests. When they finally pulled into the driveway, Claire didn’t even wait for the car to stop properly before she jumped out and ran to the front door.

“Maggie!” she called as she pushed the door open.

But what she saw made her stop in her tracks.

Soft lights filled the spacious living room. There were rose petals on the floor, fairy lights hanging across the walls, and in the center stood Chris, in a black suit, holding a ring box.

Claire gasped, hand flying to her mouth as she couldn’t seem to grasp what was going on.

Margaret appeared behind them, grinning from ear to ear and very much not sick. Chris, Emma, Alex, Ivy and Fiona had all planned to trick Claire this way so that she wouldn’t anticipate the proposal at all.

“What—” Claire turned around, completely confused and then when she saw the sheepish smile on Emma’s face, she knew Emma knew about it too.

Chris took a step forward, smiling. “Surprise.”

She blinked back tears already threatening to fall as she watched her man, still holding on to the ring box.

“I thought Margaret was— I thought something was wrong!”

Chris chuckled. “You’re right, my love. Something was wrong. I hadn’t asked you the most important question of my life yet and I desperately needed to.”

Claire stared at him, stunned, as their closest loved ones came into view—Alex, Fiona and little Liam, Ivy with a soft smile. All of them clapping and smiling.

Chris dropped to one knee and opened the box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring, with a heart shape.

“Claire Sterling, you’ve been my strength, my peace, and my reason to keep loving. Will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?”

Tears streamed down Claire’s face as she covered her mouth with both hands. Then she nodded rapidly, crying and laughing at once.

“Yes! Yes, of course, I will!”

Why wouldn’t she when this man was everything she never knew she wanted and more?

Christopher not only broke the walls she had set up around her but had showed her that her past could never define her. He loved her before he knew her and loved her more even after he knew her. What more could she ask for?

She thought as she watched Chris slip the ring to her fingers, a bright smile on his face.

Cheers erupted all around the room. Fiona hugged Liam. Emma clapped with Alex by her side, and even Ivy couldn’t help but smile warmly.

Claire pulled Chris up and hugged him tightly. “Thank you… for not giving up on me when I pushed you away, saying things I obviously knew I didn’t mean. Thank you, baby for loving me even after everything about my past came out. Thank you for standing by me and trusting me.”

Chris held her close and whispered, “If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t change a thing. I want you—everything that makes you you. Though I might want to change the part where that idiot caused you pain.”

Meanwhile, Ivy stood near the edge of the crowd, her eyes fixed on the happy couple. A soft ache crept into her chest.

Would I ever get this happy again? she wondered. What could’ve been… if things with Hunter had gone differently?

If Hunter had stayed back and tried to work things out with her, would they have been here together? Would he have thought about marrying her one day? Would maybe they would’ve been married by now.

She chuckled and blinked away the thoughts, reminding herself to be happy for Claire. And she was. Truly. Hunter had left so she shouldn’t be thinking about him. She told herself.

Nearby, Fiona leaned closer to Alex and whispered with a grin, “So… when are you going to surprise Emma and have her walk down the aisle for real?”

Over the months, Fiona had gotten to hear about everything that had happened in the family and how Alex and Emma had gotten married.

Alex chuckled, glancing lovingly at his wife across the room. “Actually… we’re planning something. In two months—it’ll be our one-year anniversary, when we’re supposed to end the contract. We want to hold a proper wedding then. Just us, our family, and love.”

Fiona cooed. “That’s beautiful. She deserves it.”

Then she looked at Margaret, who was crouched down beside Liam, laughing as he showed her something on his toy truck. Her smile softened.

“I’m glad Liam has her… and she has him,” Fiona said quietly. “I know about Jake now. About how much he meant to everyone even after all he did. I commend you all for forgiving him and thinking only about the good times. Seeing Liam and Margaret, it’s like Liam is filling that empty space in her heart.”

Alex nodded, a lump in his throat. “Thank you for coming into our lives, Fiona. You brought joy we didn’t even know we were missing.”

Fiona gave a small smile. “And I gained a whole family.”

Back in the center of the room, Claire rested her forehead against Chris’s.

“I love you, Christopher Jacobs,” she whispered.

Chris grinned. “That’s good. Because I plan to love you every single day for the rest of my life, soon to be Mrs Jacobs,” he said with a wink and Claire chuckled.

“Claire Jacobs. I think it suits me perfectly,” she said and Chris nodded.

“Of course it does.”

The music played softly in the background. There was laughter, dancing, and the warmth of family all around.

And in that moment, everything felt exactly how it was meant to be.