No Strings Attached

He clenched his fists tightly, slamming them against the wall with force. Blood trickled down the pristine white wall in an instant. His mind was consumed with images of Clara locking herself in her room, sobbing uncontrollably.

Since finding out she was pregnant, she had weathered so many storms, but just when things seemed to be getting better, fate dealt her another harsh blow.

lan felt as if countless knives were piercing his heart, blood gushing out. With a hoarse voice, he said, "Clara, I'm right here. Please, talk to me about anything, okay?"

Hearing his pleading voice, Clara cried even harder. Tears streaked down her face as she looked at the door. Her voice choked. "Ian, please go. I just want to be alone. I won't hurt the baby."

Her words struck lan right in the heart. The last person she wanted to see right now was him. She had effectively blacklisted him.

When lan realized this, a deep, indescribable pain welled up in his eyes. He clenched his fists harder and replied sternly, "Okay, I'll leave. I'll ask Casey to take care of you." He stood silently at the door for a long while before finally walking away.

Worried, he asked immediately, "What happened to your hand? Did you and Clara have a fight?"

the one who killed her mother."

movements froze. "How? Who told her? We've been keeping it a secret, afraid

sent a text to Mrs. Hayes with a video from the courtroom. The number was registered overseas and

his eyes instantly turned cold. "We have checked every possible angle before the trial.

"There's only one possibility. The

this, lan reviewed the

mentally going over the seating arrangement of the spectators, he confidently said, "The video should have

any hidden cameras on you. Someone sent Clara the courtroom video, and it

sudden tightness in his chest. "How