Claire continued on through November and as December came, her loneliness made her more desperate than before as she clung onto the only person that she knew.
She walked up to the entrance of Diamond Corporate, promising herself that it was the last time. It was an early morning. If Gabriel was still Gabriel, he will arrive about this time.
Claire sat on the bench in the square feeling the burning gaze of the security guard that recognised her by now. He hated her and she hated that.
"I am not crazy." Claire repeated to herself but she long lost the footing of what was reality now.
She looked down at the clock and walked towards the door. The security guard stood in the way, readying for yet another confrontation.
Claire looked behind him and noticed a tall man enter the lobby using a different entrance and walk across.
"Let me speak to Gabriel!" Claire said sternly, speaking loudly enough that Gabriel must've heard her.
"Ma'am." The security guard sighed.
"I was his wife! Whether he avoids me or not, I deserve to at least know why!" Claire was beyond angry at this stage. Two more security guards stood in the way. "GABRIEL!!! SPEAK TO ME!!!" She screamed for the first time ever.
Gabriel stopped and watched the scene with contempt. He took a step readying to continue his way towards the elevator. "STOP IGNORING ME! How can you ignore me now?!"
Gabriel stopped and slowly turned around. "How can you ignore your wife?!" Claire sobbed as she tried to push past the security guard who held her. She couldn't. She wasn't strong enough to fight the man that held his arm around her waist. "Gabriel…" Claire said in a begging tone. "Tell me why!" She dropped to her knees, knowing full well that she lost it. She sobbed as she looked at the familiar floor tiles.
The security guards moved a step away, giving her space.
The shadow hovered over her which she didn't even notice through her tears.
"Who is she?"
"Sir, this is Elise Cooper." The security answered for her. "She has been coming here every couple of days causing trouble. She's a little…" the security guard gestured and hinted towards Claire being crazy.
"I am not crazy." Claire said between sobs.
"You have a minute of my time." Gabriel said coldly as he walked away. Claire looked behind him, pained that he could ever treat her that way. She stood up with a wobble and followed him into a small room, a very room she was in before when she fainted after being ambushed by the reporters.
"Gabriel…" Claire started as Gabriel sat down on a chair. He turned to face her but not a single emotion showed on his face. Claire would've given everything to see his smile and his dimples one more time.
"Why are you here, Elise?"
"Why?" Claire repeated. "At the very least you owe me an explanation. After everything, you are avoiding me?"
"What connection do I have to you?"
"So… being married to me isn't enough?" Claire whimpered.
"Are you my wife now?"
"What?" Claire stopped crying, shocked by the question. "You know that it is more complicated than that. I didn't intentionally get myself nearly killed and a new identity for you to disregard everything that happened between us when I was still Claire."
"What evidence do you have?"
"Well…" realisation dawned on her. She had none. "I know so much about you, isn's that enough of a proof?" Claire asked, feeling a pit in her stomach. "Isn't knowing enough?"
"Like what?"
"You…" Claire stumbled trying to recall anything that won't be known to everyone. "You like a composer called Tiersen!" She said in excitement. "You don't like blue cheese or mushrooms!"
"Have you been stalking me?" Gabriel asked as he leaned back in the chair.
"Stalking?" Claire furrowed her brows. "No." She fidgeted with her hands. Claire's hope vanished as she saw Gabriel's blue eyes being so cold as he looked at her. His face was stoic, but not calm. She could see irritation in the way he tapped his fingers on the table. There was no sign of the dimples that she loved so much.
"I don't know who you are, Miss Cooper…" Gabriel sighed. "I have no idea what kind of delusion you're under but I do not know you. I advise you to leave immediately. And if I ever see you again, be sure that you will be arrested on the spot and I will file a restraining order."
"There's no need, Mr Moore." Claire said as she tried to hold back her tears. "But know that I haven't lost my mind." Claire said sternly. "I haven't. And this wasn't a delusion. I do not know why you don't recognise me or why you might pretend not to know me but I will find out." Claire hesitated. "I do apologise if I have caused you any distress. I really do. I hope that you're keeping in a good health and that you're safe." She bowed her head and left the office. She didn't see the pair of blue eyes that looked at the closed door, that looked behind her, full of curiosity and intrigue.
Claire was beyond done. Gabriel acted as if he didn't even know her. She started to believe that she was delusional after all.
In some or another she went through all of the stages of grief and now, at last, she accepted the truth.
Her brain lied to her and made her believe that someone like Gabriel could ever love her.
She had no one. She was now Elise Cooper and there was no one left in her life. She didn't remember her parents beyond what Claire's parents were like. She wondered if her mind made them up too.
As she sat down on the floor of her apartment on the Christmas Eve, all alone, she decided that she needed to turn her life around. She needed to work out what was actually true and what wasn't. But for now, she could create her new truth.
Claire did what she did before and she entered a competition for sustainable design, this time with a tech giant an hour and a half away from the city that she lived in. She took extra care in her design, creating something unimaginably beautiful and intricate. She decided to use all of her knowledge and expertise, not even attempting to dial down any aspects of her design, creating something that never existed before.
She submitted the design using the library computer, all pictures hand drawn by her. And then she went on to search for more competitions. It couldn't get her out of working in the coffee shop, but it could provide her with a side hustle until she could start climbing the ladder again
Within days she received an email that she won the competition with the tech giant, Crimson Tech. It was the first time that she bought herself some new clothes as a treat. She needed to dress smartly when she visited the company to truly make an impression.
In comparison to Gabriel who seemed to have gotten better whilst she was away, she looked quite ghastly. Her hair was matted and her skin was ashen. She never recovered since her fake death. And past few months only led her back to her own demise.