No Strings Attached

The pain was so intense that he found it hard to breathe. He immediately clutched at his chest, opened a bottle of water, and took a few sips, but the symptoms barely eased. Dawson immediately expressed his concern, "Mr. Hayes, are you feeling unwell? Should we head to the hospital?"

lan waved him off. "No, it'll pass in a bit."

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, trying to gather himself, but the symptoms didn't just fail to improve; they grew worse.

Images, dark and disturbing, began to swarm his mind. All of them featured Clara, bloodied and lying on the ground.

lan suddenly shot up from his chair, unable to help himself from shouting, "Clara!"

Dawson immediately asked, "Mr. Hayes, the plane is about to take off in five minutes. If you need to, we can call it off right now."

lan hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "I have a bad feeling. Cancel the trip. We're heading back home."

"Right away, sir."

hurried off the plane and immediately called Clara. Even though she assured him she was fine, he couldn't shake his unease. He needed to

hanging up the phone, Clara also felt an inexplicable anxiety. Perhaps it was lan's

Instead, she continued to check her

a bottle sterilizer, a breast pump, sanitary pads,

these items filled her eyes with a blissful light. She couldn't help but feel thrilled at the thought

the baby would

childbirth would be as painful as depicted on TV, where women scream in agony. Despite the anticipated pain, the thought filled

groceries. He saw her checking the items again and chuckled, "How many times are you going to check? Everything that needs to be prepared has been prepared. Don't worry. Even if we forget something the hospital has everything for sale. Can't I just

this locket, isn't it beautiful? Katherine

to

groceries in the kitchen, but as soon

Connor could have tampered with Katherine's hairpin, could

this thought, Casey immediately