Ivy had said one thing right. Clara should never have tried to cling to something that was never hers.
This child should have been gone long ago.
The doctors looked stunned. They all knew how much Clara had suffered to keep this child alive.
Even if it had cost her life, she would never have harmed this child.
So how had she ended up deciding to terminate the pregnancy?
Clara tugged at the corner of her lips, her voice cold. "You're all his people, aren't you? Keep this quiet for now. Don't tell Ethan."
"Yes." The doctor answered respectfully, his movements growing even gentler.
It was not until the next morning that Clara was sent back to her hospital room after the surgery.
Ethan only stopped by for a brief look before saying something urgent had come up at the company and leaving in haste.
He did not notice her now-flat belly, nor the complete lack of color in her face.
With a blank expression, Clara handled the discharge procedures herself and returned to the slum apartment.
After more than ten years away, everything felt both unfamiliar and achingly familiar.
She could almost hear her mother calling to her from the kitchen, telling her dinner was ready.
But in the blink of an eye, her mother's face vanished.
She knelt before her mother's memorial photo, tears streaming down her face in no time.
"Mom, Ethan failed your trust. He betrayed me. I'm going to find that man now. I hope you won't blame me."
She took her mother's memorial photo and ashes with her, then went to an agent and sold the apartment.
This place had already been tainted. There was no reason to stay.
She had not expected to run into Ethan shortly after leaving the agency.
Ethan looked anxious as he grabbed her arm without hesitation.
"Honey, your health isn't good right now. Why are you running around like this? What if something happened? You scared me half to death. Your phone was turned off. I had to use everyone I had just to find you."
His whole body trembled as he pulled Clara into his arms, finally relaxing only after holding her.
But Clara's mind was filled with images of him entangled with Ivy, leaving her overwhelmed with nausea.
She used all her strength to shove Ethan away, unable to suppress the disgust in her eyes.
"I just wanted to go home and see my mom. I didn't want to bother you. Haven't you been busy lately?"
The distance and sharpness in her eyes were unmistakable, leaving Ethan momentarily stunned.
Clara was known to be cold and ruthless to the world, but with him, she had always been tender and affectionate.
She had never been like this before. What was wrong with her?
Ethan took a deep breath and asked patiently, "Are you upset because you're missing your mom again? She'd be heartbroken to see you this sad from up there. You're already well into your pregnancy. You'll need the stronger medication for it to improve. Let's get back to the hospital."
Clara's clothes were loose that day, and he failed to notice the child was already gone.
Or perhaps he simply did not care.
"Our wedding anniversary is coming up in a few days. Honey, how should we celebrate this time? How about I give you that ring you've always wanted? You're my one and only true love."
The moment she heard that, the wave of nausea surged through Clara's entire body.
Hadn't that so-called ring of true love already been given to Ivy as a pledge of devotion?
Unable to endure it any longer, Clara flung his hand away, stopped, and looked up at Ethan as he tried to placate her with barely restrained anger.
"Ethan, if our child couldn't be saved, if the special medicine didn't work, and I died trying to protect the baby, what would you do?"
Ethan froze. Panic flashed through his eyes before he quickly suppressed it.
Startled, he rushed forward to hold her, but Clara dodged him, leaving him gripping only her wrist.
He promised, "The medicine has already been tested. It will work. You'll be fine. The child will be fine too. To me, you're more important than anything. If I had to choose, I'd give up the child."
What touching words.
So many men would choose the child without hesitation in such a choice.
But Clara knew better. From beginning to end, this man had despised both her child and her.
He called her dirty, even though he was the one who was rotten to the core.
Not wanting to stir up more trouble, Clara found an excuse and returned to the Grayson family mansion with Ethan.
Ethan had been worried about the child, but when Clara said everything was fine, he finally relaxed.
He was likely thinking that this meant Clara no longer needed the special medicine, giving him a perfectly valid reason to give it to Ivy instead.
Seeing the easy smile at the corner of Ethan's mouth, Clara let out a mocking laugh.
Sometimes, knowing a man too well was not a good thing.
Clara turned her phone back on. Ivy had added her as a contact, and once the request was approved, photos immediately came through.
There were photos of her and Ethan traveling abroad, embracing sweetly.
There were also photos of the two of them tangled together in bed.
"Clara, you can tell these photos were taken while you were lying in bed trying to protect your pregnancy."
"Ethan and I have been together for five months now. He relentlessly pursued me, leaving me no choice but to be with him. In the end, it's your fault for not being able to keep your own man."
"He loves me, and he loves the child I'm carrying. In a relationship, the one who isn't loved is the real intruder. I've never seen myself as the other woman who destroyed a relationship."
"Ethan got tired of you a long time ago. You're older than him, and you're already dirty. He said every time he slept with you, he had to rely on medication just to get through it."
"But the moment he sees me, his eyes are full of desire. I'm the only one he loves. For me, he was willing to break his principles, the first woman he ever truly wanted."
"Whatever I want, he gives me, including your mother's old house. You must've known about us for a long time, didn't you? I never thought you'd be this shameless, still clinging to him after all this."
Message after message of provocation filled the screen, Clara's body trembling with rage.
How could someone be so utterly shameless?
