She slept for a full day and night. When Clara woke up, it was already evening.
Seeing the calendar on the wall, she suddenly remembered that tomorrow was the anniversary of her parents’ death.
Although she hadn’t managed to fly to Italy, at least she could see her parents one last time.
In previous years, Simon would accompany her to pay their respects.
But from now on, she will go alone.
She opened her phone to order flowers for them, when several messages suddenly popped up on the screen.
[The wicked Clara is actually the orphan of a narcotics police officer.]
[The orphan of a martyr has no bottom line when it comes to hype; she’s utterly depraved!] Seeing these headlines, Clara froze completely.
Trembling, she clicked on the headline and found that her and her parents’ lives had been fully exposed.
It was all too detailed, so detailed that only Simon knew these things in the world.
The comments below were unbearable.
[The orphan of a martyr doing this kind of thing; it’s truly disgraceful.]
[People like her don’t deserve to live; she should just disappear.]
[Maybe she even caused her parents’ deaths; she’s a curse!] No one cared about Selina anymore; she became everyone’s target.
Clara staggered downstairs and saw Simon pressing Selina down, kissing her deeply.
Seeing her coming down, Selina leaned on his chest with a faint smile. “Thanks to Miss Hart, otherwise my artistic career would have been ruined.”
Clara didn’t look at her and simply questioned Simon: “You arranged for someone to leak information about my parents.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement.
Simon nodded, saying casually, “To calm things down, we need a more explosive topic to divert public anger; that’s the best way.”
So he sacrificed her again without hesitation.
Even using her long-dead parents to shield Selina?
Clara’s lips curved faintly as she stared at him, her eyes completely numb.
“Simon, the one thing I regret most is loving you.”
That look made Simon’s spine tense; a strange feeling flashed through his mind.
He stared at her for a while, about to speak, when Selina suddenly cried, “Simon, my stomach really hurts, can you check it for me?” Simon frowned.
He bent down, lifted Selina, and carried her back to the bedroom in front of Clara.
“I’m sorry.” The sounds of their intimacy followed soon after, while Clara stood quietly in place.
After a long while, she suddenly let out a soft laugh and murmured, “Simon, I always keep my word.”
“The thing I regret most in my life is loving you.”
The next day, Clara went downstairs and found Simon waiting.
As if nothing had happened, his tone was calm. “Today is your parents’ death anniversary. I said I’d visit them with you every year.”
Before she could respond, Selina spoke up.
“Simon, did you forget? You promised to attend my friend’s art exhibition.”
Her eyes glistened with tears. “It’s fine, Simon, go with Miss Hart. I can go alone. Back when I lived abroad, no one accompanied me; I always went alone.”
Hearing this, Simon didn’t even hesitate. “Selina, I’ll go with you.”
He then told Clara, “The anniversary comes every year; missing one won’t matter. You go by yourself.”
It was expected. No matter the situation, as long as Selina was there, Simon would always cast her aside.
Seeing Selina’s smug look, Clara remained emotionless and headed to the Martyrs’ Cemetery alone.
Standing before her parents’ tombstones, she placed her mother’s favorite blue roses.
“Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. Your daughter is unfilial; I’ve brought shame upon you.”
Tears fell uncontrollably. She bowed deeply and walked away in distress.
Suddenly, several threatening men approached and surrounded her.
Realizing the danger, Clara pulled out her phone to call the police, but her hand slipped, dialing her emergency contact—Simon. She had no time to change it.
Before she could say anything, she cried out, “Simon, save me!”
Before she finished speaking, the kidnappers struck her head violently.
Just before she fainted, she heard Selina’s mocking voice on the other end.
“Sorry, Miss Hart, Simon is showering and busy.”
When she woke again, Clara found herself hanging over a beach.
The leader of the drug dealers, holding a gun, sneered, “If not for the news, I never would’ve known the couple had a daughter alive. Impressive, you’ve survived this long.”
She understood instantly.
These were the criminals who murdered her parents fifteen years earlier. They always acted ruthlessly, and now they were here to kill her.
Recalling her parents’ deaths, Clara bit her lip until it bled.
“Kill me if you dare, or I’ll make sure you suffer.” The drug dealer laughed. “I won’t let you die yet. Let’s play a game. Call your first contact; if he pays ransom, maybe I’ll let you live.” Clara froze. Since she first had a phone, Simon was always her top contact.
Before she reacted, the dealer grabbed her phone and dialed Simon.
Soon, the sounds of bodies colliding came through the phone.
The drug dealer smirked and said, “Mr. Carter, stop fooling around. Your wife is with me.”
Silence followed, then Selina’s voice.
“Simon, why don’t you accompany Miss Hart? She must be upset you ignored her, so she’s joking like this.”
Simon’s voice turned icy. “Clara, what nonsense are you causing now? This joke isn’t funny.”
“Simon!”
Clara shouted. “What if I said I wasn’t joking? What if I really was kidnapped?”
Simon scoffed. “Being kidnapped isn’t something you just claim. Do you think people are idiots? Stop these childish tricks. You’re just jealous and dramatic. I already said the position of Mrs. Carter is yours, so stop acting up.”
Then he hung up.
Her last hope vanished. Clara shut her eyes in despair.
How pathetic. Just a single word from Selina made him dismiss her life.
The drug dealer sneered, “Miss Hart, how pitiful. Even at death’s door, your husband’s still cheating.”
Clara turned pale and whispered, “Did Selina send you?”
“How did you know?”
The dealer scoffed. “So you’re not that dumb. But even if you know, so what? In your next life, try being smarter.”
The rope was cut, and Clara plunged into the sea like a bird losing its wings.
The water was freezing cold, and the moment she sank, suffocation overwhelmed her.
Maybe this time, she really wouldn’t survive.
Images from the past flashed rapidly, and almost all of them had Simon in them.
“Clara, don’t be with anyone else, or I’ll go mad with jealousy.”
“Clara, I love you. I’ll love you forever and protect you with my life.”
“Clara, when we’re old, tell our story to our children.” Ten years passed in an instant, ending with the day he said he no longer loved her.
Simon, from this moment on, we will never be tied again, in life or in death.
As the suffocation peaked, all memories vanished.
She.
sank to the bottom of the sea.
