Clara's POV“Clara, what happened?" I heard a voice as I felt a rough shake on my arm.I snapped out of my thoughts as I stared back at Ivy, who looked at me worriedly."Why? What happened?" I finally managed to answer."Well, guess who I finally bumped into this morning? Derek." She answered. "He knows that we weren't cousins and that I worked here too. He thinks that whenever I'm around, I get you into trouble, and now I am on the verge of losing my job. He just asked me to submit a five-hundred-page essay on why I should keep my job or else I'll be fired." She said, "Within two days." She added."He did what?" My eyes widened.This was a lot worse than I could have ever imagined.She sighed. "I probably shouldn't be seen with you, and I'll get back to work." She answered.I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see two security guards behind me. "Good morning, ma'am," the security guard said after he had cleared his throat. "I was told to escort you out of the building. If
Clara's POV "Who is getting married?" I asked."What?" she yelled. I pulled my phone away from my ear. Her voice was now more alarmed. "What happened?" she asked.I then began explaining the situation to her from last night, obviously omitting some family details."Oh, thank goodness." She sighed. "I thought that something worse had happened." She said,"How is this not bad?" I asked."You could have decided to tell him everything. Besides, did he ask you to go for a doctor's appointment to check on the baby?" She asked.I wasn't sure he wouldn't do that soon."I need to do something about this now. He will kill me if I tell him the truth. I'm just going to go with a miscarriage or something. I can't stay pregnant for another day, and my problems are only getting worse." I whined."Let me get this straight: you went and got drunk, and then you suddenly had a miscarriage." She paused. "Congratulations, you just took away the only chance I had of ever being a grandmother. "I'll forgive
Clara's POVDerek was here! I couldn't believe it. My mind jumped into a panic.What did he want?I'd think that after everything he said and did today, he wouldn't show up here for at least a few more days.I jumped off my bed and toward the window to confirm it with my eyes.And sure enough, he was here, in the flesh. He was climbing out of his car wearing a navy blue tux. I saw him unload some things from the vehicle. Whenever I feel that things can't get any worse, something bad always happens. I didn't want to face him now. I needed some time to think things through. Telling him the truth no longer seemed like an option. I couldn't stay fake pregnant forever, so I needed another way out.Besides, I was still mad at him. He not only fired me but humiliated me by kicking me out of the building.I took a deep breath, taking in everything. What was I even worried about? It was his funeral. Despite not talking to my mother, I don't think she has forgiven him yet. If he wanted another
Clara's POV I sighed as I jumped off my bed. "Fine," I answered. "But I'm not staying there for longer than ten minutes." I would have to deal with this situation sooner or later, so it might as well be now. I couldn't keep doing stupid things. I might have been fired, but I was still getting paid."Are you seriously leaving the room like that?" she asked."He is just going to get used to seeing all of this." I pointed to my messy hair in a bun and to the oversized t-shirt and grey sweatpants I was wearing.I pulled my door open and made my way downstairs.Katy followed right behind me. I followed the voices to our small dining area. The table had already been set, and Derek and Mom were busy dishing their plates."Nice of you to join us," Derek's face lit up as I entered the room.Mom smiled, too.I ignored their looks and walked around the table to take my seat.As expected, Katy quickly filled her plate and began digging into her food.I glared at Derek across the table, clearly
Clara's POV "That wasn't the worst part. She got a call right in front of me. Someone told her you had had a heart attack. The doctor even confirmed it. I guess she got her friend to do that for her." Derek continued. He was letting it all out. "I even believed her. You would have believed her too if you saw how much she cried." He continued. Derek looked at me with a satisfied smirk. Was this his way of being petty?Mom looked at me, more seriously trying to imagine what might have happened. Everyone knows no one lies about their mother having a heart attack unless they have done something serious.The fact that he knew all of this made him even more dangerous. How many more things did he know?"Don't worry, though; we spoke about the whole thing, and it was nothing but a prank," Derek said with a laugh. He was trying to dismiss the worried expression now on my mom's face. "Right, Clara?" He added."You love pranks, don't you?" I answered sarcastically. I took a sip of my water."Ye
Clara's POVI frantically turned behind me, my mind going into panic mode. Derek was just a few steps down the hall, his attention fixed on his phone as he continued walking. I could feel my heart beat faster with every step that Derek took. Any more of this, and I'd collapse from a heart attack.I couldn't risk the two of them ever meeting.I've done way too many things for it to end like this. If Derek were going to find out, I'd rather be the one to tell him.I did the only thing my brain could think of under so much pressure.I quickly turned around and slammed the door into Waylen's face. This left him puzzled and his nose in pain. He took a step back, and for a second, he yelled out in pain.I pressed my back against the door. Derek now stood a few steps in front of me as he looked up.He stopped in front of me, his eyes staring at me suspiciously. His eyes then moved toward the door with a questioning look. It took him a few seconds to decide that I wasn't a flight risk and ha
Clara's POV Even I was bearing the consequences of it if only I'd known better."I don't know how often he will come here to get information, but my advice is to stay away from here and from me as far as possible." I continued."If you think you can replace me with that guy, you better think again." He answered. He paused for a moment as he weighed through all his options. "This won't be the last you see of me," He threatened.He shot a dagger at me as I tried to remain confident.What had I ever seen in him?I opened the door and stepped back into the house.I slammed the door again. This time, Waylen stepped back to prevent the door from slamming into his face.I peeked through our keyhole as I watched him disappear. It was a relief to know that this would be the last time I would see him, hopefully. He was too big a coward ever to return. My threat had worked.I sighed as I made my way back into the house. Facing Waylen made me a bit tougher and more courageous. With everything th
Clara's POV "We should find a way forward. I'm sure that we both might have said things that we didn't mean." I continued."I meant every word." He answered. He wasn't in the mood for peace talks.Maybe I should get to the point. Sweet talking was working, so we might as well get to the crux of this.“I shouldn't have gotten drunk, but you can't fire Ivy because of that." I breathed out.He raised his brow and paused for a second as if deciding whether I was serious or not."Do I need to start counting the number of things you both did?" He asked. "You both lied about your mother being sick so that you could get out of our doctor's visit. Do you have any idea how sick that sounds?" He asked.He had a point.My mind slipped into a panic. He was getting closer to the truth than I could have ever imagined. Right now, my goal was to save Ivy."I'm scared of doctors," I yelled. I took a moment to breathe as he formed a blank expression. "Ivy only offered me a way out, and I took it. I had
Derek POV The things he is willing to do make me sick to my stomach, and I'm finally done. He deserves everything coming to him. I was glad that the trial with Maddison's mother went smoothly. Turns out, there is nothing Maddison loves more than her reputation and money, and for that, she is willing to let her mother rot and make herself the victim.I was finally done with the cooking and dished our food in the dining room.I slipped my hand into my pocket, ensuring the ring was safely secured.Clara voiced her approval. I'd made a Pad Thai dish for her, knowing it was her favourite. I finally influenced her. "If my mom calls, please tell her I'm not pregnant." She stated this in the middle of her dinner.I nearly choked on my food as my eyes widened."Are you pregnant?" I questioned, puzzled. "Of course yes. She came over the other day and found a pregnancy test in my bathroom." She explained."Oh," I noted, amazed. "That explains why she's been texting me a lot more often." I am
Derek’s POVI must have looked at my watch about five times in the same minute. Why was I nervous? I've made far more risky decisions, and none have ever made my heart beat this fast. The house had already been set, our dinner table was perfect, and the garden was just as I had instructed. Clara would be arriving any moment from now, and I was almost done cooking. Everything was perfect, so why was I this nervous?I wiped the sweat off my brow. Vincent was right; my idea was stupid. What was I thinking about planning a proposal here? Surely, I could have thought of a better idea.I needed to calm down. Hopefully, she had another busy night, and she wouldn't show up.Maybe I should turn off my lights and pretend I wasn't home. But she'd walk in. That's what I get for giving her an extra key.Since we've both been tied up with work, we have dinner almost every evening. It made sense that we'd both have the keys to each other's apartments after she moved out of her mother's.I needed to
Derek POV About a month ago, my mother decided that the best way to end her obsession was to start a new one. She went and got herself a replacement kid. I don't know who in their right mind decided that it was okay for her to adopt a ten-year-old kid. I'd be fine with all this, except the kid hates me. I've done nothing wrong to him. Maybe I'm a bit biassed, but it only took one visit to know there was no longer any space for me in that house."You should be happy about this," Vincent laughed. "Your mother will finally get to fix all the mistakes she made with you. It happened to me, too." He laughed.The secretary walked in to announce that an old friend of ours, Dexter, had arrived. We were working on a new business venture, and we had been waiting for him to start our meeting officially.Dexter walked into my office as laid back as usual. He had barely changed much since I'd last met him. He had a few classes in college together.We exchanged greetings as Dexter settled himself i
Derek's POVSOME MONTH LATERI swivelled in my chair, fiddling with my pen as I tried to develop ideas. When I needed my brain the most, I couldn't think of anything. I've never felt this anxious about anything before."Are you certain that's a good idea?" I inquired of Vincent, who sat across from me.He had visited my office to discuss our new business deal. We just happened to have moved on to the next item on the agenda.He looked at me in disbelief, as if there was only one obvious answer. "Yes, which woman wouldn't want you to take her to Paris and propose to her in front of the Eiffel Tower?" He answered sarcastically. He threw his hands in the air in disbelief.As incredible as his idea sounded, that didn't sound like something Clara would want. She wasn't that sort of girl.I leaned into my chair and stared at the ceiling. I always thought the proposal would be the hardest part, but I guess so was how to propose."If you think that is too cliché, you can go on a private islan
Clara's POV I leaned on the door and peeked through to stare at Derek's motionless body. My eyes were quickly whelmed in tears. I never wanted things to end this way.Without thinking, I pushed open the door and walked in.I collapsed into his chest, held onto him tightly, and sobbed."Please wake up and get back to me; I'll do anything. I love you." I whispered. I held onto him even tighter.I wish I'd said this when he wasn't fighting for his life. There were so many things I would have loved to have done differently, but now I can't take any of it back.I suddenly froze as I felt a hand patting my head.I looked up.I blinked at Derek, who was staring back at me. For the first time, I saw clearly. Derek wasn't covered in bandages or had wounds all over his face, as I expected."It's okay, I'm alright." He answered.I wiped away the tears, my vision becoming clearer. "You are not hurt?" I asked, finally realising what had happened."No, but I will be if you continue squeezing me li
Clara's POVDAYS LATERIt took a few days before the doctors could clear me out and send me home. I was being discharged today, and I had decided it would be the start of my new life.Derek hasn't come over as much, at least not to see me. It meant he was starting to get it. This way, we'd both be able to move on eventually.I was packing the few items Mom had brought to make me more comfortable when I heard a knock on my door. Layla peeked through the door before walking in.She has been responsible for ensuring a fresh batch of flowers in my room every day. She visited me a few times. I was glad she never pushed anything between Derek and me. Without me explaining, she said she understood.Today, there was something different about her. She didn't look like she was dressed for the runway, nor did she carry around her fancy handbag. She was wearing flat shoes. I noticed her eyes were red."I'm so sorry I haven't visited you much in the last few days. How are you, sweetheart?" she ask
Clara’s POV I was relieved when the nurse announced I'd have a visitor until I saw who it was.The sound of the walking stick should have been enough to know who it was. I could have used the time to pretend I was dead or, better still, leave the room,m but I was foolishly hopeful.Derek's grandfather walked into my room with his usual sinister look and a mightier-than-thou attitude.He looked over at me and smirked. "You don't look too bad. I guess everyone exaggerated how bad you were." He commented. If my hand weren't connected to an IV, I'd be the one leaving this room. He was here for a peace offering."Why are you here?" I asked."Don't worry," he replied, raising his hand. "I won't be here for too long. I wanted to be here in person to ensure my message was clear. I hope you liked my flowers." He smiled. "It's funny how I've tried to make sure you and I don't end up as a family, yet here we are." He chuckled. "You've cost me a lot lately, you and all your recent drama." He pau
Clara's POV I understood him, too. I made many bad decisions that I thought were good at the time, and he reacted that way because of it. I should have never done any of what I did, either. I know and understand that lies can never be good.But I wish things were different."You should leave," I finally replied. My mouth became dry, perhaps because I knew I was about to tell one final lie."Of course, you need some rest. I'll see you in the morning." He concluded. He smiled weakly and leaned in to kiss me on my forehead."You shouldn't come back," I added as he pulled away.He stared at me with confusion, but he dismissed whatever he was thinking as his face lightened up. "Of course, I'll be here," he answered.I shook my head at him. "You shouldn't come back to see me, not today or ever. We should end this. Everything that did or didn't happen, all of it." I explained."You should get some rest. We are not thinking right now; so many things have already happened on the same day," he
Clara's POVI woke up to a beeping sound and bright lights around me.All the anxiety rushed in. It took me a while to calm down and realise I was no longer tied up there. I was safe. I still couldn't close my eyes and not reimagine everything. I wish I could forget everything. About a month ago, I never imagined my life would turn out this way.The sedatives were wearing off when my family came rushing into my room.Mom and Katy were the first to strangle me with their hugs and kisses. Soon enough, my room was covered in flowers and soon balloons got well.It was a relief to see everyone again. I thought I never would.We spoke for hours and even cried. You never know how to appreciate these small moments until they can be taken away.I was glad to hear that the woman had finally been arrested. I hope she is locked away somewhere she can never hurt anyone again. Although everything seemed to settle, I couldn't help but think the real storm would soon follow.A nurse stopped by multip