Clara's POVThen she bolted from the changing area.I took a peek at what was in the cosmetic bag.I opted for a basic appearance, using lip gloss and mascara. Makeup was never my strong suit. I still felt like I might stab my eyeballs out.Ivy returned a few minutes later, clutching a black dress. It had straps and was short. It was always necklined in hearts. The garment would hug every curve on my body. It was exquisite."This clothing is mine. Months ago, one of the motel guests moved out. Nobody is searching for it, I'm sure of it. It's also your size." Ivy uttered a gasp.I had five minutes left before I was considered officially late.It was much harder to get into the garment, particularly with Ivy attempting to brush my hair.Ivy made a few touch-ups since I couldn't apply makeup well, which gave my eyes a smoky appearance. My blue eyes gleamed at that.Ivy grinned as she reviewed the outcomes. "My lovely caterpillar became an even more stunning butterfly."I exclaimed, "You
Clara's POVWe came to a stop in front of a Cullinan Rolls-Royce. Derek received the automobile keys from a valet. Derek gestured for me to enter as he opened the door. I got inside the car silently.As I sank into the leather seats, I paused to examine the vehicle. It was something I had never done before.Derek took the front wheel tonight, so he drove.I did not say a word on the drive. I had no idea why I was so anxious. I was frantically trying to get home as I fiddled with my fingers and glanced at everyone else outside.Fortunately, Derek didn't waste time talking either, concentrating most of his attention on the road. He turned on the radio and listened to music to pass the time.The vehicle stopped suddenly in front of a structure. Emerald Courtyard was written in strong letters. The restaurant's name had an almost familiar feel to it.The building had a fountain in front of it, and two security officers watched over the entrance. The visitors inside were visible via the gla
Clara's POV I automatically performed the first thing that sprang to mind.I embraced Ivy as I turned to face Derek. I had to keep her from him.Ivy withdrew and exclaimed, "What are you doing? You're going to mess up your hair."I gave her an even closer embrace. I said to her in a whisper, "Derek is coming."Ivy hesitated, caught off guard, too.Derek was drawing nearer yet."You poor thing, don't worry. Everything will be alright," I said loudly while rubbing Ivy."Thank you," Ivy said.She withdrew from the embrace without saying anything else. To keep Derek from seeing her, she acted like she was crying, keeping her head down. Her face was hidden behind her hands.I lied when Derek approached me and said, "Her boyfriend just broke up with her."I suppose that these days, I tell lies with ease.Derek stopped and tried to figure out whether he could recognize Ivy by looking at her back."We ought to depart," I tugged at his sleeves.He turned to face me, whispering, "You look very
Clara's POVThe gloomy light of the candles added to the romantic atmosphere. Down below, I could still see the magnificent panorama of the city's towers.After directing us to our table, the waiter departed, leaving Derek and me alone.Derek moved with great speed. He asked me to sit down after pulling out a chair. Reluctantly, I complied. Everything seemed so surreal. How was I going to spend an entire evening by myself with him?Derek moved to his seat across the table.As he settled in, I questioned, "Why are you being so nice to me?"He took a little break. "Well, since you saved me, I might as well give you the date you deserve." He said.With anxiety, I averted my gaze and looked at the menu.A female voice cleared her throat. "Good evening, I'm Cecilia. I'll be your waitress for the night," she added.I couldn't take my eyes off the menu.Hold on, I recognize that voice!I looked at her quickly to confirm my doubts. It was Cecilia, a friend of my mother's. Moreover, she lived
Clara's POVWhen the waiter came back with our meal, I was taken aback to see that three other gentlemen had followed him and had started laying out the various foods on the table: salads, spaghetti, ramen, kebab, paella, and more that I couldn't even begin to name because most of them seemed so foreign to me."What made you order so much food?"I inquired."Well, I wasn't entirely sure what you wanted to eat, so I thought I'd order a little of everything." He said."Well, if I eat all of this, there is hardly any room left for a baby," I said.He began to eat our dinner while we both served ourselves.Would you mind briefly introducing yourself to me?"He enquired."What information do you seek? I questioned, brushing the flyaways off my face in a way that almost seemed playful. Great, now he'll think I'm flirting with him."Do you have any relatives on your mom's side?" he said, clearing his mouth."He enquired."No, none of them are in contact with us. I said, "It's always just my mom
Clara's POVFor dessert, I had some ice cream with a caramel topping. It was almost all I had left after everything else I had eaten.My cell rang. I noticed it was a text from my sister when I glanced at the screen.I panicked when I saw the time on my phone. It was about nine at night. My mother was aware that I didn't work nights. This meant that if she weren't already freaking out and phoning everyone we knew to find out where I was, there would be a lot of questions when I got home. However, I hadn't gotten a single text from her.I interrupted Derek in the middle of his anecdote to say, "We should go."I pushed my chair back and prepared to walk out of the eatery."Is everything okay?" a startled Derek enquired."It's late; I have to get home now," I said.My sister texted me, asking where I was. Mom told me that because she works late, I've been alone at home.My mother wasn't going to murder me yet, at least."Are you sure? Perhaps you want another drink or something before we
Clara's POVMy hand instinctively grabbed for his cheek, turning his head away. The only issue was that he was suddenly focusing only on me. His gaze was fixed on mine. Our touch sent a shockwave through my arm.A chilly shudder ran down my spine. I was unable to attribute it to the wind this time.Our gaze met, and for an instant, I lost consciousness of my breathing.My rational part advised me to back off and that I should flee and get a cab home since these emotions would only make me lose my mind, but I disregarded it. We met eyes, and I stood there, knees weak, dreaming what it would be like to kiss him. I knew full well how close we were. I hope my heartbeat was too rapid for him to sense. A crowd yelled, "Mr. Montenegro," and I heard them.Derek and I both looked in the direction of the sounds.Suddenly, many photographers appeared, all pointing their cameras directly at us.I put my hand over my face. I had to keep them from seeing me.Derek must have gotten the idea, too, f
Clara's POVWe merely smiled to ourselves and tried to keep our eyes on the road ahead as we strolled silently to my house.We had reached my house, so it seemed like a shorter walk than expected.We came to a stop outside my gate.Derek remarked, "I had a great time tonight.""Me too," I grinned in response.We looked at one other for a time, and then I saw Derek gently take a step forward. Before long, there wasn't much room between us.Most likely, he was reaching for his jacket.I retreated, slamming my back into our little iron gate. I removed his jacket.With a "Here you go," I gave him the coat."Oh," he whispered. It appeared as though he had momentarily returned to reality. I held the jacket, and he grabbed it."Good night," I said in a whisper.I waved him off and went through the fence without a second thought.When I opened our front door, he still looked at me from behind.After I got into the home, I leaned against the door and let everything that had transpired some tim
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