Clara stared at him in disbelief, her body trembling slightly from rage and despair. “She’s the one who pushed me. She made the first move! Why should I apologize?”
“Why?” Liam let out a cold laugh, then suddenly lifted his foot and kicked viciously at Clara’s knee.
*Thud!*
Agonizing pain shot through her knee, her legs buckled, and she collapsed heavily onto the floor. The icy cold surface seeped through her thin clothes, sending chills up her spine.
Liam stepped forward, pressing her head down with such force it felt like he would grind her skull into the ground. His voice was feral, filled with violence. “How long is it going to take for you to learn? You insist on provoking Vanessa again and again, forcing my hand, is that it?”
“Don’t forget—if Vanessa hadn’t saved my mother, I would’ve killed you long ago! The only reason you’re still breathing is because of Vanessa!”
Clara’s mind buzzed—the roaring tinnitus drowned out everything. It felt as though all her strength had been drained, leaving her kneeling there completely powerless.
It took a long time for the ringing to fade. She lifted her head and looked into Liam’s bloodshot eyes, and once again—broken, hoarse, and desperate—she repeated the truth she had said countless times. “It wasn’t me… I wasn’t the one who caused the accident… I—I donated my spleen to save her… Liam, believe me just once… please…”
But Liam’s mind was sealed shut, blocked by lies he refused to question. “Enough!” he roared, his expression filled with raw violence. “It was Vanessa. Why do you insist on stealing the credit? Clara, how can someone be so vile—trying to take credit for saving a life!”
Clara slowly turned her head, staring at the man who once swore eternal devotion to her. His past tender words replayed like cruel echoes—
“Clara, after we get married, we’ll travel the world. I want everyone to know I love you.”
“You’re the most precious treasure of my life. I thank heaven for bringing you to me. I’ll spend my life cherishing you.”
“Clara, one child—just Noah—is enough. I can’t bear to see you suffer through childbirth again. It would drive me insane.”
Those sweet words, once honeyed, now cut like the sharpest blade—slicing her heart piece by piece. She saw a glimmer of something in Liam’s eyes—something that might have once been tears—but now it held only hatred and revulsion.
So his love had always been this cheap. And his hatred could be this immense.
Clara’s heart died completely, like being thrown into an abyss of ice—no warmth remained. She did not resist, did not explain, letting Liam force her downward, her mind holding only one final thought.
Seven days. In seven days, the helicopter would come. She would finally be free.
She slowly opened her mouth and forced out three words—each word soaked in humiliation, blood, and tears. “I’m sorry.”
Only then did Liam release his hand, looking down at her on the floor with a frosty gaze. “Remember—there won’t be a next time.”
He carefully supported Vanessa and was about to walk away. Before leaving, he turned back and spoke coldly. “I have to ensure Vanessa’s child is born safely. No one will harm them—especially not you.”
A nurse hurried forward and gently helped Clara up. The moment her arm touched Clara’s, she could feel how stiff and fragile Clara was—like a single gust of air might topple her. “Clara, your injuries are too severe. You need to lie down.”
Clara let the nurse ease her onto the bed. Her bones still ached, but the numbness inside her heart far overshadowed physical pain. In the past few days, the room had been deathly silent. No one had visited—no calls, no messages. She had even hired a caregiver herself to bring water, feed her medicine, and wash her—tasks a family would normally perform, left entirely to her own endurance.
Until Liam appeared at the hospital room door—Clara’s gaze didn’t even flicker, as if he was no more significant than a passing shadow.
Liam stood there, watching her for a long time. The eyes that once overflowed with tenderness were now filled with something hesitant, conflicted. After a moment, he finally spoke, his voice low. “About that night—at the private club—I heard what happened.”
Clara continued staring silently at the white wall, her fingers absently smoothing the wrinkles on the blanket, offering no response.
“I didn’t know something like that would happen after I left.” He paused, as though gathering courage, before forcing out two reluctant words. “I’m sorry.”
“Those men—I dealt with them.”
A sharp, bitter laugh twisted inside Clara’s chest. A late apology—some meaningless retribution—what would it fix? Would it erase the filth she endured? Bring Noah back? Undo the irreparable damage he inflicted?
Clearly not.
Liam approached the bed, reaching out a hand as if to touch her forehead—perhaps to check if she was alright—but before his hand could reach her, Clara swatted it away, her motion filled with unmistakable disgust.
His expression darkened instantly, a shadow crossing his face as his voice dropped. “Come with me to the church. Vanessa said the priest told her—you must confess sincerely, or her baby will be in danger.”
Clara finally turned her head, meeting his eyes. Her gaze was frighteningly calm—void of any emotion. “What danger?”
“What you did to my mother—and what you owe Vanessa—will come back on the child.” Liam frowned, his tone filled with absolute certainty.
“Heh—” Clara suddenly laughed—bitter, hollow, despairing. “Absurd. Absolutely absurd.”
“Liam, this kind of illogical, loophole-ridden nonsense—you believe that?”
Liam pressed his lips tightly, his face growing darker. “When it concerns the child, I have no choice but to believe it. Let’s go.”
As he reached to grab Clara’s hand, the nurse came in to change dressings. Seeing the scene, she hurried to intervene. “Sir, you can’t take Clara away! She has multiple fractures and internal trauma—her injuries are very serious. She absolutely cannot get out of bed!”
Clara subtly shifted herself out of Liam’s reach. Liam, however, replied to the nurse in a deep voice, “I’m her husband. I’m taking her home.”
