No Strings Attached

When Clara opened her eyes, she found lan sitting by the bed, gazing at her intently, his deep eyes filled with affection. The dark circles under his eyes and the visible red veins spoke volumes of his sleepless nights.

Clara reached out and gently caressed lan's cheek, her voice hoarse from just waking up. "Have you been up all night?"

lan smiled and kissed the back of her hand. "I haven't seen you in days, and I missed you too much to sleep."

Clara, who had a background as a lawyer, was quick to catch onto even the slightest hint. She knew their life together was long, and a few days apart wouldn't cause such sleeplessness. She got up from the bed and grabbed lan by the collar, her eyes brimming with tears. "Ian, how many times do I have to tell you? No matter what happens, we shouldn't part. Are you having second thoughts?"

"Clara." lan pulled her into his embrace and kissed her forehead gently. "I never thought that. I just really wanted to see you. Don't overthink it."

at him thoughtfully. "You're not

be born, and I want to have another daughter

indeed spent the entire night thinking. He had gone over everything that had happened between them in his mind, only to realize that he had brought nothing but pain and disaster to Clara. He had always believed he could

canary, confined at home and unable to go

all her hobbies. Clara lived solely for him, losing

didn't know how long the Hayes family feud would last or how long he would have to keep Clara confined. He admitted his love for her, vowing never to leave her, but this love made her lose so much. However, after a night of struggle,

and would rather have her stay in this yard for a

kissed Clara's lips repeatedly, each kiss making his heart writhe in agony. He wanted to be capricious for Clara. He wanted to be selfish.

Clara's voice softened like a kitten's. "lan, stop