As promised to Anthony last night, Clara fulfilled his request to visit their parents' graves. Luckily, she had no morning classes, so she could accompany Anthony without worrying about her studies and other tasks. The weather was also better that morning, as it had been raining unexpectedly in New York for the past few weeks."Do you still want to stay here, Anthony?" Clara took off her jacket and handed it to him when he started to feel the gentle cold breeze."Can I stay here a bit longer?" Anthony turned and looked at Clara standing behind him.Clara smiled and nodded. Usually, they would spend some private time there—she would give Anthony time to talk, pray, or do anything he wanted without disturbing him. After Anthony finished, it would be her turn to have her private moment at their parents' graves. She couldn't recall when they had agreed on this arrangement, but everything just fell into place."He's been talking about his parents a lot in the past week," Elena commented, j
There was nothing Clara wished for more than her menstruation this month. After everything that had happened, including Lucas' punishment after kicking him again a week ago, Clara finally got what she had been waiting for. She was three days late, making her slightly panicked because she was never late.Her job taught her many risks she might face if she forgot one important thing—protection. With all the consequences in mind, Clara spent every month fearing being late for her period. She didn't know what she would do if it ever happened—pregnancy. She always prayed that it wouldn't happen to her. As a woman, she couldn't deny that she often dreamed about her future—getting married, getting pregnant, having children, watching Anthony grow up with her child, and doing wonderful and enjoyable things. However, now she had to convince herself that the dreams in her head didn't have to come true in her life. None of it had to happen because... she was aware of her past life, and she didn't
"Where are you, Cla? You didn't attend class without telling me anything. Then when I came to your house, Elena said you left last night and won't be back for two weeks."Clara let out a long breath, moving her feet as they were soaked in the private pool on her balcony. She lived in an apartment... or maybe a hotel—a large room was on the top floor, and Lucas said it was his. She thought Lucas would force her to sleep in one room, but she got her own room—a luxurious one with access to a private pool."Yes, I'm not in Manhattan. I apologize for not saying goodbye to you and disappearing like that."She hadn't thought of a reason for Louis yet, but he already calls her."Can I know what happened?""There's something I have to do," Clara bit her lip, trying to find a suitable reason to give to Louis, "it's part of my job, and the plan came up suddenly, so I didn't have time to tell you.""Oh great," Louis interjected, "Everyone just leaves, and I'm stuck in the madness of Manhattan all
"You got her," Jamie murmured softly after he heard Clara slam the door and lock it from inside—defying every command he gave her.Lucas snorted. He knew she would resist, but he enjoyed giving her orders just to get on her nerves. She looked really annoyed as she listened to his orders, and it became a fun thing to laugh about.And it worked. Every word he spoke always managed to irritate Clara. It seemed he had never seen her not irritated with him, except when they were intimate, of course. There was something different about Clara when they were together, and Lucas was curious about it."Do you think I'm dreaming when I tell you that I'll get her?"Jamie shrugged and sat before him after taking two empty glasses from the kitchen. He brought a bottle of wine and poured it into the glasses, taking a sip before speaking, "Rachel said she won't give Flo if she doesn't want it.""Clara," Lucas reached out to take the glass in front of him. His lips approached the rim of the glass, savo
Days went by, and four days after she arrived in Los Angeles, her period stopped, and she returned to her duties—her deal to Lucas. Since the day Lucas saw her cooking in the middle of the night—even though she had waited until his room was completely dark to ensure he was asleep—Lucas had been providing her meals every day. Of course, he didn't cook, but he asked the apartment service to prepare three meals daily with diverse menus. And the most annoying part of it all was the fact that she had to have dinner with Lucas every night. She could avoid him in the morning by waking up earlier and confining herself to her room until it was almost noon—making sure Lucas had left the apartment with Jamie to attend to his business before she ventured out to have her breakfast at the dining table. At noon, she was free to eat whenever she pleased, as Lucas was never around during that time. However, of course, she had to wait for Lucas during dinner because she couldn't possibly let him eat
Two weeks had passed, and nothing was more enjoyable than strolling through the campus hallway after skipping classes for days. She had met Anthony earlier this morning, and that boy asked about the toys she had promised him. Luckily, Clara didn't forget her promise and brought some new toy boxes she had bought from a toy store near her home.Well, she couldn't buy anything in Los Angeles because she was afraid Lucas would suspect something if he found out she was buying children's toys and transporting them using a helicopter. Clara closed her eyes for a moment. Alright, maybe she should stop thinking about Lucas spontaneously if she didn't want him to appear and ruin her day—turning something beautiful into chaos in the blink of an eye, as that seemed to be his specialty."Oh God, I thought I was dreaming when I saw you!" Someone exclaimed, hugging her shoulders.Clara smiled briefly when she saw Louis standing beside her, smiling brightly like the summer sun."I've missed so many c
Clara fulfilled her promise to Louis two days ago by attending his family's party—wearing a beautiful dress with makeup and styling her hair as best as she could.Louis mentioned that his family often held formal parties like this on important occasions. This particular party was celebrating his parents' 25th wedding anniversary, so there were more guests in attendance than at their previous gatherings.Well, Clara had never been to any of Louis' family parties before, and she was surprised when she found out that it was held at their luxurious mansion with hundreds of guests filling both the indoor and outdoor areas, including the swimming pool and the garden."I was so happy to hear that you're celebrating your wedding anniversary," Clara tried to smile calmly as Louis introduced her to his mother, Laura. She handed the bouquet of flowers she had bought on her way there and said, "I know it's a very classic gift, but I hope you like it.""Oh dear, you didn't have to go to buy a gift
Clara could feel the gazes of people around her as if they were piercing through her—clearly judging the mess she had made. She caused a mess in the middle of an important party. She deserves to be cursed because of the foolish act she committed.Oh God, she wanted to disappear from there right now."That's okay," Lucas looked at everything that happened and raised his hand towards the waiter standing not far from them, "continue with the party and stop staring at us." He said calmly.Clara was still shocked by what had happened, but she noticed some people diverting their gaze from her after hearing Lucas's command—even though she saw that some of them still looked at her sneakily.A waiter came and cleaned up the mess she had made—the spilled juice and scattered pieces of glass on the floor.Clara took a step back. She closed her eyes and wished she could go away from there.And... her wish was granted.She briefly thought that some kind of miracle had happened, and someone had pull