No Strings Attached

Time was ticking by, second by second. Just when a hint of a lead appeared, it would vanish without a trace. This happened over and over again.

It was enough to make lan's temples throb with pulsing veins of frustration. He knew that with every passing moment, Clara and their unborn child were in more danger.

Heidi, having escaped from prison, had no intention of being taken alive again. She must have been consumed with a vengeful fury, determined to take Clara down with her. The mere thought sent a sharp pain through lan's chest, making it hard to breathe. His fingers danced frantically over the computer keyboard, searching for any trace he could find. Meanwhile...

Clara awoke to find herself lying on the deck of a ship, her wrists and ankles bound tightly. The constant slapping of waves against the hull filled her ears. In an instant, she realized she had been kidnapped.

She remembered slipping into her wedding dress, lost in its stunning beauty, when suddenly a hand covered her mouth and a pungent scent filled her lungs, causing her to lose consciousness. She hadn't ever caught a glimpse of her captor's face.

The sound of the waves triggered Clara's deep-sea phobia, slowly consuming her with terror.

child was growing inside her. She couldn't let anything happen to their baby. Sᴇaʀᴄh

spotted a jagged piece of metal not far away, perfect

not wanting to alert her abductor. She also had to be gentle to avoid harming her

she finally made it to the piece of metal. Her once pristine and beautiful wedding dress was now torn and stained. Ignoring her disheveled state, she sat beside the sharp object and began to saw at the ropes around

then, she heard the sound of a door opening.

Heidi stood in the doorway, clad in black, her gaunt

meet again,"

startled, managed to ask, "Heidi? How did you

squatted down beside her,