No Strings Attached

Chapter 164

lan watched as Grandma Rose dialed his father, but he didn’t concern himself with what she said. He just left, dragging his weary body into the enveloping night.

The darkness grew denser, a blanket of serenity over the land. Only the dim streetlights peppered along the sidewalks, sketching out a lonely, forlorn scene.

He didn’t take his car, just walked alone under the pitch dark sky. The night air was cool, slipping down his collar and chilling his chest with a surprisingly icy touch

Without realizing, he found himself in the alley where he first encountered Clara. The alley was derelict, the walls around him flaking and

dusty.

A few stray cats, startled by his presence, scurried into a comer, their round eyes fixed on him, meowing plaintively, just like Clara back

then

She’d been comered by some thugs, desperately trying to escape, but she had run into a dead end.

And in her darkest moment, she saw him. Her eyes were moist with tears, and her face etched with fear. Her voice quivered as she pleaded for his help, “Save me” The sound was so fragile that it pierced his heart with a searing pain.

He saved her, but he got stabbed in the thigh. Clara, watching his blood seep out, couldn’t stop her tears. Strangely, in her eyes, he saw ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

concem.

Standing deep in the alley, the memories stabbed at lan’s heart, making each breath feel like agony.

For three years, Clara loved him with all she had, but what about him?

He had not only hurt her deeply but also caused the death of their child.

He had called their relationship a fling of passion, not of the heart. He labeled her his sugar baby.

He told her he didn’t want her anymore, tossing a check at her, telling her to vanish forever.

Recalling every word he had ever spoken, lan felt as if he was being torn apart from the inside. He wished he could slice off his own tongue.

Underneath the sky, a drizzle began to fall, with the icy raindrops landing on lan’s sharply defined face.

The next day, Clara descended the stairs to find lan standing there like a statue at the building’s entrance, soaked through. His clothes clung to his strong, upright frame. He stood there in the pouring rain, his gaze heavy with sorrow as he watched Clara.

She held his gaze for a few seconds before taking an umbrella and stepping into her car.

“Clara,” his voice hoarse with desperation.

He hurried after her but was blocked by Ryker. “What are you doing? Haven’t you caused Ms. Clara enough pain? Get lost. What’s with the pretense of affection here? Ever heard the saying ‘there’s no use crying over spilt milk“?”

Ryker shoved lan aside and got into the car himself. lan chased after them, pounding on the passenger window, his eyes red as he stared at Clara.

“Clara, please come back. Let’s start over, get married, and have as many kids as you want. Just come back, and I’ll agree to anything.”

Hearing these words, Clara’s eyes stung unbearably. How many children could she even hope for now?

She lowered the window, handing lan an umbrella, her voice flat. “lan, it’s too late. What’s lost can never be retrieved. Go home.”

With that, she raised the window and signaled to drive off.

Watching the car disappear from his sight, lan’s vision blurred. He couldn’t tell if it was the rain or his tears. He turned vanishing from Clara’s world for good.

walked away,

Just when Clara thought she could live in peace, her phone rang. It was Dawson. “Attorney Clara, Mr. Hayes has had an incident.”