Louis invited her to have lunch at a restaurant not far from her office, and of course, Clara didn't refuse, as that's what she wanted—to talk with her best friend."Can you give me this?" Clara showed the menu book to the waiter there."Of course, Miss. Would you like to add wine, Miss?" The waiter asked, showing a few wine options."No. How about a soda?""Yes, sure. You can choose the drink you want."Clara showed her chosen drink, and Louis did the same."Oh, yes. I forgot to mention this. Can you bring me ice cream for dessert? I remember the ice cream here is really good." She said with a smile."Sure, Miss. We'll deliver your order when it's ready."After that, the waitress walked away, leaving Clara and Louis in awkward silence.Clara didn't know where to start the conversation. She wanted to say many things, but... she couldn't say anything because Louis seemed reluctant to initiate the conversation.Usually, Louis would come up with topics and keep them talking endlessly, bu
"How was your conversation with Louis?" Lucas turned his head as they were driving in the urban streets of Manhattan—far from Lucas' apartment as they deliberately spent their time cruising around the city without a specific destination."Fine," Clara responded shortly."Just 'fine'?" Lucas looked at her incredulously, "Can you give me a clearer story? Do you think I can guess the entire meeting with just that one word?"Clara looked up from her phone, rolling her eyes, "Can we talk about something else? I don't want to discuss it right now.""Hell, who promised to tell a story?" Lucas retorted with a sarcastic tone."Can you just follow what I want without protesting?" Clara shot back quickly, "I feel like you're becoming more like me—difficult to follow what you're told!" She chuckled softly."Oh, so you finally realize that you've been difficult to follow my instructions all this time?" Lucas retorted, patting her head three times before pulling her hair tie and using it as a brace
Clara woke up a little later than usual and found that Lucas was up and out of the room. There was no sound in the bathroom which meant Lucas wasn't there, so Clara immediately jumped in and got ready for work before she was as late as she was on her first day. She always prepares her clothes at night so he can immediately wear them in the morning. Lately, she had also prepared Lucas' clothes, and he had asked them to wear the same color every morning. When she entered the wardrobe room, she saw that Lucas' shirt and pants were not there, which meant that he had already taken a shower and used them to go to work. Usually, he would not miss the time to tease and throw his dirty jokes while they were getting ready in the wardrobe, but this time Clara found that Lucas was not there. She doesn't know. Lucas is a madman with all his ridiculous requests. "What time did you wake up?" Clara walked into the kitchen and found Lucas there with two glasses of hot chocolate she had made. Clara
"You're pregnant,"Clara couldn't feel anything as a female doctor showed her the test results.She feels… nothing. She doesn’t feel anything."About 7-8 weeks," the doctor murmured softly as she displayed the ultrasound results."How is that possible..." Clara covered her mouth.How is that possible?Oh, come on, was she trying to figure out how a baby ended up in her belly when she had sex with a man every night? Even if she recalled correctly, that man often forgot to use protection, and she never reminded him because she thought everything would be fine with her contraceptive. However, she made a mistake by missing that injection.Clara closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to find a way out of the sudden problem that had befallen her.She knew this pregnancy wasn't a mistake she could simply blame on... her baby. But she also couldn't just accept it all of a sudden when she had never planned for this to happen to her.What should she do?Tell Lucas she's pregnant and hop
Clara took a deep breath and shifted her body to face away from Lucas.She thought Lucas might have fallen asleep since he hadn't said anything for the past few minutes. But she was wrong. Lucas's hand moved to encircle her waist and pulled her into his embrace, even though she was still facing away from him.Clara closed her eyes and touched Lucas's hand on her abdomen, feeling a pleasant warmth as she realized Lucas was embracing... their child.The pregnancy was already seven weeks along, but she didn't feel anything. No movement— which is normal, considering the age of her pregnancy is still young. But what about the typical morning sickness? She didn't want to experience that torturous sensation, but... wasn't this a little bit strange?"Tell me why you're upset and still awake in the middle of the night," Lucas murmured softly in her ear. From his voice, Clara knew he was already tired and sleepy, but he chose not to sleep and held her from behind instead.Clara didn't answer—ho
"Hey, Cla," Louis smiled as he watched her walk down the stairs from the second floor.Clara returned his smile, "Did you have a pleasant trip?" she asked, gazing at Louis as they met again."Yeah, but there was a little thing that made me late," Louis shrugged, "Have you been here since earlier?""A bit ahead of you," Clara squinted her eyes playfully."You have a habit of being late, Lou," Laura complained.Clara walked toward the dining table. She glanced back, smiling, as Lucas pulled out a chair for her, ensuring she was comfortable before sitting next to her."Just a moment, Mom," Louis quickly retorted, "Besides, I don't understand why our dinner has to be here. Aren't there plenty of nice places to eat in Manhattan?""Don't complain," Laura wagged her index finger, "This is the perfect place for dinner as this house hasn't been inhabited for a long time.""More suitable to be a haunted house," Louis quipped.Clara chuckled briefly as she observed Louis' interaction with his mo
Lucas couldn't understand what was happening when Clara started crying as she showed him a photo—about how she wouldn't accept his touch or even listen to his explanations.Clara cried loudly, and Louis tried to comfort her by hugging her. Watching all of this made his blood boil—he clenched his fists and struggled to maintain his composure.However, one softly spoken sentence from Clara shattered Lucas' defenses—leaving him staring with a great of questions swirling in his mind."Oh God, he killed my parents, Lou. Lucas killed them..."Killed her parents?Lucas couldn't believe what Clara was saying, but he couldn't deny or explain anything as he saw how devastated Clara was. He even felt short of breath, unable to hold back her own tears.Clara was getting a panic attack, and she struggled to control herself. Lucas knew how to calm her down, but he couldn't approach her, knowing that she would become even more hysterical if she saw him come closer.Louis carried her—taking her into
Clara spent the entire night crying—expressing her anger, disappointment, and the overwhelming madness gripping her mind. It felt... so hurt. Far more painful than anything she had ever felt in her life.However, no matter how heavy the night she endured was, she still had to rise in the morning and... try to find a way out of her troubles—try to solve them in her own way."Listen to me carefully because I don't have much time, El," Clara held Elena's hand, trying to hold back her tears by reminding herself of every last-minute plan she had devised through her sobbing."What's wrong, Cla? You came home crying without saying anything, which worried me. Then you wake up early in the morning and—""Calm down," Clara quickly interrupted. "There's something important I need to talk with you." Clara closed her eyes—struggling hard not to show her vulnerability in front of Elena, even though she really wanted to cry, considering the crazy decision she had made regarding everything that had h
Clara walked in, passing dozens of people who looked at her in awe—admiring her beauty, her wide smile, and her eyes that shone as she welcomed her new day—a new beginning for the life she was about to have.Far ahead, she saw Lucas smiling at her—only at her.The piano sounds playing "River Flows In You" accompanied each step Clara took, each step filled with happiness in the smiles around her, witnessing her embracing eternal happiness, now standing proudly in front of her—waiting for her to come to always holding her hand.Her white floor-length gown and the bouquet of flowers in her right hand signified her seriousness about every step she was taking.Louis walked beside her, holding her hand and escorting her to the altar.Her father should have been walking beside her, but... they were happy in heaven. And... Clara had Louis—someone who had always been there in every step of her life. So, it was Louis who escorted her to the aisle towards Lucas.Elena stepped forward—becoming a
Lucas sighed long and leaned back, closing his eyes, seeming reluctant to look at Clara. He even released her hand, allowing her to gaze at the starry night outside the helicopter window.Minutes passed, and Lucas remained seated in silence—not saying anything.Clara reached for his hand, placed her fingers in his lap, and turned her head to look intently at Lucas. "Can you teach me how to read your mind?"Lucas opened his eyes, "why do you want to read my mind?"Clara shrugged, "So I know what you're thinking without asking you. Just like you've always done with me.""My thoughts are too dark for you to understand, Cla." Lucas shook his head. "You shouldn't have entered all of this—entered my world and all the dark things that you shouldn't have to stay on.""Then where should I stay?""Definitely not in the dark world I have." Lucas quickly retorted, "I tried to make you stay in a better place and protect you from all dangers, not bring you to this meeting, Cla."Clara let out a lon
Lucas departed for Canada exactly on the day the secret meeting of ElWagner was scheduled. He didn't say anything to her, but Clara knew everything, and perhaps Lucas knew that she already knew.The journey from New York to Canada—to the headquarters of ElWagner—didn't take long, only about a 4-hour trip. Lucas left during the day, and he would arrive there in the evening while the meeting was set to take place in the middle of the night.Clara... still couldn't believe what she was doing. She had come to Canada—secretly following Lucas with the help of Beatrice and Cheryl, who had been waiting for her at a hotel near the headquarters. She kept her arrival a secret from Lucas, but of course, she couldn't hide it from Elena and Laura. She had told them her purpose for coming to Canada and when she would return to the United States tomorrow morning. They agreed to support her after learning about her complex problems. Even Louis offered to accompany her, but she refused because she didn
"I didn't mean to disturb your daydreaming. But you've been here for a while, and Lucas is starting to get annoyed because you're not coming back,"Clara turned her head and found Louis walking towards her with two glasses of wine. "I'm not drinking," she said."These are for me," he took a sip from both glasses and continued, "I know you don't drink."Clara rolled her eyes as she realized it was just Louis's way of teasing her."I'm very happy about your engagement, Cla," Louis suddenly said.Clara smiled, looking at her hand—admiring the ring Lucas had chosen for her.Lucas always asked about clothes, watches, and even ties to wear because he wasn't skilled in choosing fashion-related things. However, the ring he chose truly amazed Clara—it was beautiful and perfectly fit her finger."He actually asked for my opinion on the ring," Louis glanced at his hand and smiled."Really?" Clara blinked, "So he intentionally proposed to me at his birthday party, and you knew?"Louis chuckled, "
Clara couldn't stop staring at the ring that encircled her ring finger—a beautiful ring with sparkling gemstones and intricate engravings that looked incredibly stunning.The moonlight's reflection in the night sky made her ring appear even more mesmerizing which make Clara couldn't take her eyes off of it.Lucas's birthday party was still ongoing, and everyone was busy chatting with each other—trying to find a moment to congratulate Lucas on his engagement.She thought Lucas would be surprised by the birthday party theme she had chosen, but she was the one who got a surprise because Lucas is proposing her on his own birthday."What a beautiful ring," a woman in a light blue dress approached with a glass of wine in her hand.Clara turned her head and smiled briefly when she realized that the woman was... Rafael's wife."My name is Cheryl, by the way," she said, smiling."I... know," Clara replied with the same smile when she could hear Cheryl’s voice that seemed filled with passion th
"You look stunning in that dress," Lucas commented as he walked into the closet.His habit remained the same—waiting for Clara to get ready and giving her that look as if he was undressing her with his eyes.Oh, God. Any woman who was with him would surely suffer from his mesmerizing gaze. Being with a handsome man with such captivating eyes was a blessing that never came twice in her life."I think my arms look really chubby," she said, lifting her arms to the mirror, then shaking her head as she noticed her belly also seemed plump.One month after giving birth to Chloe, Clara realized that there were many changes in her body. There were stretch marks on her belly that had not completely faded, her arms looked bigger, and her belly hadn't fully gone back to its original size. She felt fine wearing long pants and shirts that could cover her arms and belly, but sleeveless dresses like the one she was wearing now made her... lack confidence."Nothing's wrong with your arms," Lucas walke
Clara couldn't deny that she still hadn't fully accepted the facts about herself—about her family status and her parents' past. However, she also couldn't reject the facts that were right in front of her.Slowly, she had to start accepting it all—making peace with everything about herself, even if she didn't like it all.All the anger she showed at Lucas when he returned home that morning did make her feel a little better, but she wasn't completely better.Rafael and Beatrice had come to her house to give more explanations about what had happened. Clara welcomed them, but she didn't accept any explanations about their clan. And Lucas agreed with her decision to refuse to enter the clan, even though she was an official member of the ElWagner clan due to her status as the daughter of the Wagner family.She hadn't changed her name on her identification card, and she also recently found out that her name couldn't be found on the 'GOD's Mind' server. Not just her name but all her identifyi
Almost an hour had passed since Clara sat in Louis' car with Rafael's provided documents on her lap. However, she hadn't found the courage to open them—to read a document titled 'Clara Clark' on the front page as if she's a fugitive with a long criminal record.Louis sat beside her, remaining patient without saying anything—even though Clara was sure many questions were swirling in his mind.Clara took a deep breath—attempting to gather bravery from within herself... still, she continued to gaze at the document without taking any action."Should I... open it?" She whispered softly after a prolonged silence.Louis looked at her and nodded, "You should, Cla." He held her hand tightly, "You have the right to know, even though your parents have tried to keep all of this hidden.""Why would they hide this?" Clara retorted quickly.Louis shook his head, "I don't know, Cla. If you want to know... you have to open the document and read it."Clara stared at the document in her hands and sighed
Leaving Chloe alone at the mansion always made Clara feel uneasy. She was afraid Chloe might cry, refuse to drink her milk, or not sleep like she did last night. However, taking Chloe to the hospital wasn't a suitable option either, considering she couldn't ensure what would happen there."Are you going to the hospital?" Elena asked when she saw Clara sitting in the kitchen at 5 in the morning."Yes, I'm going there, El," Clara nodded, "I'm waiting for Louis because he's showering, and he won't let me go alone."Elena nodded her head and started taking out food ingredients from the fridge.When Clara returned home last night, Laura and George asked what had happened, and Louis told them everything. They had initially planned to come to the hospital, but Louis forbade them and said that Lucas was sleeping due to the influence of the medication. The plan for this morning was for all of them to go together while Chloe would stay home with Elena and Anthony. However, Laura changed her min