Darleen leaned back, shooting Peter a warning look.
Although she also felt her brother didn't deserve Claudia and wanted her to escape this painful relationship, he was still her brother.
A small, selfish part of her hoped they wouldn't divorce.
But letting things fester like this wasn't an option either.
"Claudia, no matter what you decide, I'll support you. Even if you divorce my brother, my grandparents and parents will never let that woman and her child into the Ferguson family."
Claudia gave Darleen a grateful look, then curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees.
York's heart-stabbing words echoed relentlessly in her mind, tormenting her to the point where she wished she could die.
Claudia said, "Peter, what if you lend me a billion dollars? I can get the divorce, and then I'll pay you back in installments."
Peter froze. "A billion dollars for a divorce?"
Darleen's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Claudia, my brother didn't...?"
Claudia buried her face in her arms, her voice muffled. "When the Watkins family went bankrupt, we had massive debts. He was the one who paid them off. He's been supporting my parents and my brother all these years. This is what I owe him."
Darleen was shocked; she'd thought her brother was demanding repayment, which would have been inhuman.
Peter's shrewd eyes, however, studied Claudia's face.
He wasn't as optimistic as Darleen.
He ventured carefully, "You married him. It was his duty to help your family with their debt. You shouldn't have to pay that back, even in a divorce. The youth you've wasted on him can't be measured in money."
Claudia's head drooped, her expression numb. "I have to pay it back. Otherwise, he won't let me go."
In Old Mr. Ferguson's study, she had already made her intentions clear, so she had nothing left to hide.
Peter understood.
No wonder York was so certain they wouldn't divorce.


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