Chapter 35: Chapter 35

"OH my goodness!" I shouted in shock when I looked at the email I had just received.

"What the heck, Claire?" Marcus reacted beside me. We were in the boardroom preparing for a meeting when I received an important email.

"You won't believe this, Marcus." I said to my cousin. The smile on my face was so wide that my face started to get hurt. "I got accepted to Amelie White's program."

Amelie White was a famous European artist who I really admired. Last month, I decided to apply to her two week mentoring program in Singapore.

And today, I received an official letter from her saying that I had been accepted.

"Holy shit!" Marcus muttered excitedly. "I'm happy for you, Claire."

I bit my lower lip to prevent myself from grinning. I couldn't believe I got accepted. I knew that thousands of people applied and I was one of the lucky ones who got picked to be mentored by her.

"This was all because of Adam," I whispered to myself. After he brought me to the painting studio, I suddenly got the desire to paint again. What he did motivated me to continue my dream.

I was smiling the whole day at work. When Adam fetched me later that afternoon, he noticed my extra good mood.

"Did something good happen at work, Claire?" he asked as he started the engine of the car.

I turned to him. He was wearing a white polo shirt, dark pants, and caterpillar boots. He said he had a meeting with Arthur this afternoon before he came here.

"No." I grinned at him when he glanced at me. "But something good happened to me. Remember last week, I told you that I applied to a painter mentorship program in Singapore? Well, I got accepted, Adam."

"Oh. Wow." Adam stopped the car on the sidewalk and turned his head to me. His face broke into a proud smile when he took my hand. "I told you you're great, Claire. I'm so proud of you."

Something warm enveloped my heart. I smiled at him. "Thanks, Adam. Thanks for pushing me to still pursue my dreams."

"After all the years that you've sacrificed for your family, you deserve to do the things that you love, Claire," he said, looking me straight in the eye. "I'll be here to support you on that."

I felt the corner of my eyes heat up. I was thankful I met Adam. My life changed after he came into my life.

"Come on," he said, placing a kiss on the back of my hand before letting it go. "This deserves a celebration. Where do you want to eat?"

I pursed my lips. "Can I have ice cream cake for today?"

"Fine," he agreed. "But just a slice of cake," Adam answered as he resumed driving.

I bit my lower lip to stifle a chuckle. "Damn. I still can't believe I'd be mentored by Amelie White," I excitedly muttered as we drove back down the road.

"Amelie White?"

I turned to Adam. I noticed his face suddenly turned serious. There was a small frown on his forehead.

"Yeah. She's one of the famous impressionist painters in Europe right now," I told him, smiling. "She's really great, Adam. I had some of her paintings at home and in my office. I just really really like her style."

"I see." He nodded before giving me a small smile. "Have you met her already?"

I pursed my lips. "No. Not yet. Marcus and I attended her exhibit four months ago, but we didn't see her there. She's a very private person." I smiled. "That's why I was surprised when she announced that she'd be having a mentorship program. I couldn't wait to meet her—" I stopped when I noticed that Adam was gripping hard on the steering wheel. "Are you okay, Adam?"

Did I say something wrong? His mood suddenly changed when I mentioned Amelie White. "Did you somehow know her, too?"

Adam inhaled a sharp breath. "Yeah. I know her, Claire."

My lips parted. "Oh. How did you know her? Have you been to one of her exhibits before?"

Adam turned to me. "Amelie White's my mother, Claire."

"Oh… what? She's the mother you've been talking about? The one who left you?"

"Yeah," he said with a small smile. "She's that woman, Amelie White."

I felt like my jaw dropped to the ground with what I'd just learned.

Amelie White, my favorite artist, was Adam's mother. Adam hated the woman for abandoning her family and choosing art. And now here I was, excitedly telling him how much I admired Amelie White as an artist and how excited I was to be mentored by her.

"Oh." I muttered in a small voice. "I didn't expect that, Adam." My eyes widened in sudden realization. That's why he's so good at painting. Because he's the child of one of the most talented artists in the world.

"Yeah, only a few people knew about that," he said. "You see, I'm not very proud of telling everyone she's my mother." He glanced at me. "When Dad met her, she was just a striving artist in the country, but after leaving me and Dad, she pursued her dreams in Europe. Years later, she got famous. Now, she is one of the most celebrated painters in the world."

Adam shrugged and let out a small chuckle. "Well, she made the right decision to leave me and Dad. She achieved her dreams. She got the fame that she wanted."

Adam looked like he was just casually telling his family story, but I could see it… the pain in his eyes that he was trying to conceal with his easy smile.

I swallowed hard. I was suddenly filled with guilt. "I… I'm sorry, Adam."

"Why are you apologizing?"

I looked at him. "Because I'm admiring the woman who left my husband when he was still a kid."

"You didn't have to say sorry for admiring her, Claire." Adam smiled at me. "She's really a great artist. I've seen her work. I hated her but I can't deny that her works are good."

I pursed my lips. "Yeah. But she sucks as a mother. She's a selfish person and for that, I hate her."

"Really?" He looked at me with an amused smile. "Now, you hate her?"

"Well, you're my husband. Of course, I'm with you all the way."

Adam shook his head at me. "Nah. You don't have to hate her just because I do." He gave me a small smile. "She's your inspiration, and I respect that."

I returned his smile, then I held her hand on the gearstick. "Thanks, Adam. But I'll always be loyal to you, okay? You're my husband. I'll always be on your team."