No Strings Attached

"Why the heck do you need books on pregnancy?" lan felt as if his heart had come to a screeching halt at that moment, his grip on Della's hand tightening with an intensity that bordered on desperation. A surge of realization was hammering at the forefront of his mind.

He yanked Clara towards him, his eyes burning with an urgent intensity. "Clara, are you keeping something from me? Why do you need those books? Are you pregnant?"

His barrage of questions pelted her like machine-gun fire, leaving Clara reeling. She stepped back, irritation flaring in her voice, "lan, have you lost your mind? How could I possibly be pregnant?"

"Then why the pregnancy books?!" lan scrutinized every flicker of emotion on Clara's face, terrified of missing any vital clue.

Just then, Clara's phone erupted into a jarring ringtone. She swiftly tapped to answer. Chase's deep, raspy voice came through. "Clara, whose kid is Sasha carrying?"

Clara's brow furrowed slightly. "Dr. Chase, let's not start wildfires. Our company is just catching a break. Idle gossip won't do us any good."

buying a pregnancy test, and yesterday, she was at the doctor's getting folic acid prescriptions, grilling every expecting mother on set with questions. If that doesn't mean there's a

mix-up was getting out of hand. Sasha was inadvertently taking the fall for her. She wanted to clear the air, but lan's piercing gaze was locked on her, unblinking. With a bitten lip, she managed to say,

searching eyes. "So

avoided his gaze

with disappointment. "I was hoping it was you

a hint of melancholy that tugged painfully at Clara's heartstrings. She lowered her eyes and accepted the items from Christy, offering a strained smile. "It's not that heavy. I can manage."

sneezed several times, muttering under

called her over. "Sasha, come here. We're shooting

feet and

director briefed her,

terror, but Sasha stood her ground. As she moved to confront the man, a powerful shove sent her hurtling backward toward