No Strings Attached

Chapter 69

lan sat on the edge of Clara’s hospital bed, cradling her delicate hands within his own, continually bringing them to his lips for gentle kisses.

His mind was a whirlwind of the doctor’s words. He knew Clara couldn’t swim, but he had never realized she was phobic about water. It finally made sense why, whenever they had sex in the bathroom, Clara would never step into the tub no matter how he teased and coaxed her. Her fear of water ran deeper than he’d ever imagined.

lan gazed at Clara’s pallid face, his voice a raspy whisper. “Clara, what else don’t I know about you?”

He was oblivious to the missing chapter in her life seven years ago and to the man who held a special place in her heart. He didn’t even know if her previous kindness toward him contained even a shred of love.

Ian tenderly stroked her cheek, bending down to press his lips to her cold ones. “Clara, I want to know everything about you. Please wake up and tell me, can you do that?”

He had never before felt such an urgent need to thoroughly understand someone. He even felt a twinge of jealousy thinking about Anders, who had spent four years of college with her. Those must have been her most radiant days.

captivating as it had been back then. At the lowest point of her life, when

a starched white shirt and black trousers, his expression stern. He

looked at her.

and asked her to pick up his cane.

the prestigious

verge

with assets in the

a crippled leg and blinded eyes, he was bidding farewell to

though they belonged to someone else, his beautiful face betraying no sign

roof, approached him, and placed the fallen