Clara's POVFocus, Clara, I reminded myself."How are you feeling today?" He asked.I wanted to smile at him, to assure him that my day at home yesterday had not gone to waste. I had fully recovered, but my body betrayed me as I was reminded by the cramping in my stomach and how incredibly uncomfortable it was just standing right now. I couldn't even handle my period. How would I handle being pregnant? Good thing I wasn't.I sighed. "No, I'm not okay," I answered, throwing my hands in the air. "You have no idea what my body is going through. I feel lightheaded and nauseous."My back is sore, and so are my feet. My whole body feels cold, and I do not know what I want." I rambled. My voice sounded like I was on the brink of tears.I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. It was all going to be alright. I had been doing this for more than fifteen years of my life.Derek took it as some hormonal tantrum caused by my pregnancy.He was now trying to calm me as he sat me on the couch. He

Clara's POVDerek's mood changed as he clenched his fist."Bye now," I waved goodbye to Jeremy. I didn't want to give Derek the chance to say anything to Jeremy.I held Derek's hand as we walked out of the hotel. I didn't want to draw attention to us.The incident took Derek aback. That was probably the first time someone said anything like that to his face."Can you believe that guy?" Derek asked. "I'm going to ensure he never gets a job again." He threatened."It's over now," I whispered, trying to calm him down.We finally left the hotel.We walked southwards.For a while, neither spoke as we waited to get to a safe distance where no one would recognize either of us."So, how is work?" I asked, breaking the silence.He sighed. "Are we so boring that we must start talking about work?" He asked."I'm just trying to have a conversation," I answered.He sighed again. "Well, it hasn't been running that smoothly, honestly. I have this project planned. We have invested so much of our tim

Clara's POVI knew where this was going."I'm not going to get pregnant," I said. "Besides, I never lied about where I was going," I replied."You know, I said the same thing too. Here I am with two daughters. It would help if you didn't end up pregnant and alone like I had to go through it," she continued.I was about to be late for work because of this."Is mom giving you the talk?" Katy laughed, coming downstairs."You should sit for this too." Mom pointed."The only place I ever go is to school. Those kids are too rich to even sit with me. How am I supposed to get pregnant?" Katy laughed. "You know what we should be talking about? That guy you talked to on the phone last night," Katy said. She folded her arms, facing Mom in a challenging manner."Don't be silly," Mom said, throwing her hand over her shoulder."I heard you last night. We laughed and told each other that it had been many years since they last saw each other. That you miss each other, all the lovey-dovey stuff. I kno

Clara's POVI sighed. "Layla, we should just end this thing now before it gets complicated any further. He is your son. You know he's going to hate us when he discovers the truth. It's better if we end this now before he gets too attached," I said."You mean before you get too attached?" she asked.I sighed. I wasn't winning this argument. Maybe she had a point.Just then, I saw Leonardo emerge from the bedroom, and he stared at me dumbfounded. He was in shock. His jaw dropped, his one hand holding a toothbrush as he continued to stare.Had he just heard my conversation? But how much of it?I thought no one else was there."Layla, I'm going to have to call you back," I whispered into the phone.I pulled the phone from my ear, hanging up the call."Good day, Mr. Pierce. I thought you would be out for the day." I said.'Calm down, Clara,' I reminded myself. This didn't have to be awkward. Maybe he hadn't heard anything at all."Just one question," He paused. "Is this the same Derek who

Clara's POVMadison flinched away from Derek.Layla walked over to where we were.In horror, she examined his wounds, turning him around to assess the extent of the damage."Derek, are you okay?" Layla exclaimed; she noticed the blood stain on his shirt."Don't worry, Mom, I'm fine," Derek answered."But you are bleeding," Layla said, her voice filled with worry.Derek sighed again. "Don't worry, it's not my blood," he answered.Layla now seemed a bit more relaxed as she sat next to me."Are you sure that you are okay?" Derek turned to me.I nodded, forcing a smile. I pressed the ice pack deeper into my skull.Derek walked away to the kitchen. He came back holding a cold glass of water, which he then handed to his mother to drink, hoping it would calm her."Please excuse me. I have to speak to the officers," Derek informed.He then moved over to where the offices were standing.Layla took a shot at the water and drank it in one gulp. Within minutes, she appeared calmer."So," Layla be