Clara's POV "We both have separate bedrooms," I explained.I heard Ivy choke as she gasped to breathe in.I sat up straight in full alert. Was she okay? Did I need to call someone to help her?She continued coughing and gasping, her breathing slowly returning to normal."You said what?" She asked, her voice distorted."We have separate rooms," I repeated hesitantly. I was worried she'd choke again, and this time she wouldn't recover."How else are you supposed to get pregnant?" She nearly yelled.That was her issue? I thought I'd already had this conversation."How will I explain why the baby is born more than five weeks later? I'm not about to dig another grave." I reasoned with her.She sighed. She probably had her face in her palms right now."Ivy!" I heard a deep voice in the background.Ivy fell silent. A few sounds followed in the background before everything fell to silence again."Who was that?" I asked, intrigued."Nothing, it's no one. You must have heard the TV." She answe
Clara's POV I was relieved we had planned our meeting in a more public space. We settled into a lounge just behind the hotel reception area. There were several spaces with brown couches, all surrounding several tables. The brown couches matched the wooden floor and several parts of the ceiling. The place looked amazing. Surprisingly, there wasn't anyone else in the area.We sat around a table. He kept his cold gaze on me as an intimidating tactic. I'm pretty sure I can say that I have been through worse.All it took was a mare snap of his finger, and the waiter came running to our table, a teapot already in his hand. He motioned to the waiter to fill our cups. He waited for the waiter to leave before beginning."I'd like to know your plans regarding my grandson." He spoke.He picked up his cup of tea nonchalantly, pretending he hadn't insulted me.I should have known to prepare myself to be offended.He hadn't given me the chance to respond before moving on to his next statement."Wh
Clara's POVThings couldn't have felt worse after my incident with Derek's grandfather. Derek was livid about everything, and I couldn't have felt more responsible and guilty about everything.We didn't spend much time at the resort after that. The next morning, we were on a flight back home. I slept through the flight back home, so I didn't have to speak to anyone.After everything he has done for me and how he has defended me, I don't know how to tell him the truth. It's going to crush him and hurt him worse than it would hurt me. How did I let things get this far?We were going from the airport, and he decided to drop me off at home first.We hadn't spoken to each other.I was dozing off, staring out of the window with my head leaned on the side."We've arrived now," Derek said, tapping me on the shoulder.I snapped out of my thoughts to see that we had parked in front of my house. I hadn't even realised I'd been so trapped in my thoughts.I sat up straight and then reached to open
Clara's POV "I called, and neither of you bothered to answer your phones." Mom scolded. She took all her anger out of the carrot; she had that habitwhenever she was upset. "You, I bet you were eager to run off and move in with that boy. You can't even wait for me to die first.""I'm not fifteen anymore, and I can decide who I want to go out with." I reminded her."I'm only scolding you because I love you. I'm your mother. If I don't, you'll probably end up broke with an Onlyfans account and in rehab." She answered. "People get kidnapped. Ms. Jennet, from down the street, her cousin's friend's sister's daughter was kidnapped. She got her daughter back in a plastic bin and cut her into pieces right at her doorstep. Do you want that to happen to you? You know you can't trust people these days." Mom answered. This was her way of winning arguments by telling stories that probably didn't happen."Isn't that the same Jennet who was sent to a psychiatric hospital by her kids because she was
Clara's POV I've never seen Derek look more uncomfortable, and he looked like he just wanted to disappear from that moment. "It surely is a lot bigger than the home I grew up in," Layla added.There was a brief moment of awkward silence.Mom was the first to break the silence. "Please excuse me. I'm going to go and check on the food." she excused herself.I took the moment to excuse myself, too, following Mom to the kitchen.I knew she was upset by the way she mistreated the oven door. "How can you stand to be so calm around that woman? It would be best if you ran away, Clara. How will you stand to see that woman for the rest of your life?" Mom asked."Just try to calm down. I'm sure they will be gone, and hopefully, we never have to sit at the same table again." I pleaded."Don't tell me you are planning to kill the poor woman." Mom jokes.I shrugged."At this rate, you'd probably have to wait for her to die first before you can get married. Imagine her as your in-law?" "I'm sure
Clara's POV And, of course, Layla used this as an opportunity to brag about what a great mother she was. "Derek would never have done anything like that. He was too busy being one of the most successful businessmen in the hotel industry." Layla bragged. "I will always be proud of him," Layla added."It's easy for you to say since it wasn't your car that he crushed at fifteen." Derek's dad remarked."You know, no child is perfect. "Layla answered, shooting a look at her husband. "By eleven, he was smarter than most people his age." She continued."I used to skip classes, too," Derek added casually.He wasn't trying to help himself much.This somehow left Layla speechless, even though she didn't have a rebuttal to that one. "Both of our children are idiots, aren't they?" Layla muttered.I expected Mom to comment, but instead, she nodded, agreeing with Layla. "That we can both agree on." Mom shook her head at me, showing her disapproval.I thought this evening would never get better, bu
Clara's POVI stood there shocked, unresponsive, and unable to say anything.I don't know what got to me, the fact that he said he loved me or that his lips were just an inch away from mine.Was he in love with me? I didn't know whether to jump with joy or start weeping. This was the happiest moment in my life and the saddest because I knew this wouldn't last. What was I going to do? Jump into his arms and confess my love for him, too? Maybe pushing him away would be safer for everyone.The tense look he gave me made me feel worse. I couldn't lie and tell him I didn't love him with him looking at me with those eyes. I also couldn't tell him that I loved him when I knew I was hurting him more than anyone else. He sensed my hesitation."You don't need to say anything," Derek added as I felt him pull away. "I'll always be patient with you. I know you feel it with this thing between us and that it's not just in my head." He continued. “Clara," Layla called out behind us. She grabbed bot
Clara’s POV I froze on the spot, unable to form a sentence. Coincidentally, he didn't say anything either. I couldn't read his face."Are you okay?" I finally managed to ask. "You seemed upset earlier," I added."It's just work," he answered defensively.He wasn't in a good mood. Whatever it was, it had riled him up. "Well, I have something to tell you." I began.I quickly grab his hand, placing the letter in it before changing my mind. "I think it is better if you read it. I will probably start stuttering, and then I will never be able to get the words out." I rumbled.He stared at the page in his hand, clueless, before placing it in his pocket."Don't tell me the two of you were together," Layla interjected. "We should go home before you start making me a grandchild." She laughed."Oh wait, they already did that," Mom added.They both laughed like lunatics. This was the first time I'd seen my mom under the influence.This was some way to embarrass your children.I felt my legs shak