Clara's POV I just realised I still hadn't done the one thing I had left the house to do.As my phone started to ring, I stopped in front of our gate and searched for it.I noticed the car racing down a couple of houses away. For a residential neighbourhood, I wonder why anyone would drive so recklessly. There could be children or older people walking around. It suddenly stopped, just two houses away."Hello?" I answered my call."Where are you? I've been worried. You weren't answering my messages." Mom said."I'm perfectly fine, and I'm outside. I'll be in in a moment." I responded. Why was she always so worried? I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself.Mom responded with a sigh. I hung up the call. I wonder why she was in such a hurry. Was I about to walk into an intervention?I slipped my phone into my pocket, struggling with our front gate.I was distracted by the screeching sound of the tires of the car from earlier.It turned to drive on the sidewalk. Before I had, I'd
Clara's POV "Do I need to repeat myself?" Mom said."Fine," Katy sighed. "I hope you get better soon so Mom will finally stop putting all the pressure on me." She said, climbing off my bed.They said their goodbyes and stepped out of my room.My mind reverted to the accident.Why would anyone try to kill me? It's not like I owe anyone money.Did the person ever get caught?I was caught off guard when the door slipped open. Layla stepped in. A smile broadened on her face as she saw me awake.Of course, if Mom thought I had lost the baby, she must have been involved in some way."I'm so glad you are finally awake. How do you feel?" she asked."Like someone just ran over me with their car," I answered."You must have buried a hundred million somewhere for someone to try and kill you like this," she added. "Do you know who could have done this? Did you see anyone? The police are still investigating, but so far, no one has been arrested.""I can't think of anyone who would be this dispara
Clara's POV "Why don't you go and find someone else to bother?" I interjected. "Besides, I'm sure you don't really understand the concept of people being busy."In some ways I was relieved I didn't have to see him even though it hurts thinking about it at times. It meant I could stay another day without having a guilty conscience. It was much better for him if he moved on."Sounds like you are making excuses for him, and that's just sad. Does it hurt your feelings that he has been ghosting you?" She asked."Could you leave? I was busy before you walked in here." I tried to hold back my annoyance."Doing what? Looking for a job? You do realise that Mom is probably not going to let you work, at least not for a very long time. They still haven't found the creep who tried to kill you. Besides, I think you are only in a rush to get a job so you don't have to think about that emptiness. I know you feel deep down inside." She continued."If I wanted a therapist, I would have paid for one. B
Clara's POV It's been hard watching everyone else's reaction around me but it has been the best lie-free three weeks I've had in a long time besides being bedridden. Maybe one day once the wounds have healed, I can just casually say,'Hey Mom, remember when I lost that baby? It turns out I was never pregnant at all.'"I'm going to give you some time to rest," she said.She smiled and stood up from my bed. She walked towards me, approaching me in an effort to tuck me in. I quickly blocked her away.She finally gave up and left my room.Apparently getting a job wasn't enough for her to consider me an adult.I was getting tired of being locked up here. I had to prove I'd be well enough to work. I needed to leave my room first.The first step was to push myself out of bed. I used my crutches at my bedside to support my weight. Even after more than a week, I still couldn't get used to them.I managed to leave my bedroom. Getting downstairs was even harder but I managed to do so without mak
Clara's POVI froze as I struggled to comprehend everything that was happening. I couldn't have heard right. He was my father.Sure, I noticed some resemblance between us, but on any other day, I would have just walked past him and not thought anything of it.I had met him before. But no, It couldn't be him. I pushed the thought away. I must have been mistaken. I was probably just confused and was now making up crazy ideas to make sense of everything. What were the odds of it being him?Mom looked equally shaken by this as I was. I noticed how her hands trembled.I couldn't shake off what I had just heard. I was his daughter.I wonder what her excuse will be this time. Was she going to pretend I heard incorrectly to get out of this? But not this time. I was going to get to the bottom of this.“Clara," Mom whispered. Her voice nearly broke. "This was not the way I wanted you to find out." She breathed.So, it was true.How many other secrets was she hiding from me? At first, we found
Clara's POV Every Father's Day, I'd pretend it didn't exist so I wouldn't think about it. I wish you had told me something." I paused.I painted my mother as the villain who never wanted me to know my father. I would have preferred she had told me. So she wouldn't have to share all that hurt alone.I still had one final question, the one I'd chosen to ignore and perhaps the most important one. I took a deep breath as I gathered my thoughts. Was I ready for the answer? I've seen you before; where was it?" I asked.Suddenly, he had a hesitant look. "We met briefly that day at the hotel. With my daughter." He finally answered.He didn't need to say anything else. I knew it.Madison's father was also my dad!Of all things, I was hoping that I would be wrong this time."This is too much for me right now. I need to breathe." I said, getting up from my seat."Are you sure? We can talk about it." Mom asked."I need to process everything," I answered.I left the room and struggled up the stai
Clara's POV"Derek is going to propose?" I asked. The tears suddenly stopped flowing as my mouth became dry.I must have heard wrong. No way that would happen."Yes," Layla answered with a sigh. "I probably shouldn't have said anything. But anyway, we need to get you prepared for the day. We still have to decide on the dress and everything else," she replied.I couldn't hold it in anymore. I tried to contain it, but laughter abruptly erupted from my stomach.I was beating the ground and holding my stomach to contain myself.I had forgotten I was crying a minute ago.She must have been joking.Layla stared at me like I was some lunatic. I'm pretty sure right now she was thinking about having me committed instead of marrying me off to her son.How did she even make this one up?I knew she was crazy, but her madness had gone too far for her to make up something like this."You've-just-made-my-day," I said as I continued laughing. My stomach was starting to hurt.Laughing at this moment w
Clara's POV “Clara," Mom called out, stopping me in my tracks. "I have to leave now. I just got called in for a job. Make sure to lock up all the doors and not let strangers into the house. And oh..." She paused. "I didn't have time to make breakfast this morning, but you are old enough to care for yourself." She said as she patted me on the arm.She picked up her handbag before leaving the house.I was reminded I was alone as I heard the door close.Did everyone forget it was my birthday? I was starting to think I had the wrong date.Nonetheless, I was starving. I don't usually wake up hungry, but last night, I deliberately left some space in my stomach, hoping that I would wake up to a feast. But I guess I was finally getting the 'welcome to adulthood' introduction.I sighed, walking to the kitchen.Our fridge and cupboards were empty. There wasn't much I could eat except to make myself a peanut butter sandwich.With my sandwich, I settled on the couch and switched on the TV. I gue
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