No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)
Chapter 222

Chase chimed in with a lighthearted grin, "You know, I was about to pick up a picture frame for you, stuff your photo in it, and set it up right here, but then I couldn't find a black and white portrait, so I bailed on the idea."

"Oh, well, thanks a ton," came the sarcastic reply, "Just light some more candles, why don't you? And you can hold a funeral for me right here."

Clara stood off to the side, watching the guys exchange jabs. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

The cool, commanding CEO could sling curse words and crack risqué jokes with his buddies. That was news to her. This was a side of him she had never seen before.

lan shot her a mock, resentful glance. "Clara, they're picking on me, and you're laughing. How about taking my side and showing them the door?"

Clara's smile faded to her usual composure as she said, "You guys catch up. I'm heading to the nurses' station to check on how many IVs you're due for today." She nodded to everyone and made her exit. Chase followed, "I'll walk with you. I've got to clock in for my shift anyway."

As they left the ward, Chase suddenly spoke up, "Clara, how have you been holding up lately?"

A faint smile crossed Clara's lips, "Doing alright, Dr. Chase. Why do you ask?"

"lan, on the other hand, is far from okay. He's drowning in guilt. I've never seen him so down, not even when he lost his sight or when he broke his leg. He never got like this. If you still have feelings for him, maybe consider giving him another chance. It's tough to watch you two like this."

Chase was usually the carefree type, but he was dead serious when it came to this.

Clara was taken aback. After a few moments, she replied, "Dr. Chase, there are some things I just can't get past. I could forgive how he treated me, but not how he treated our unborn child. That child was his flesh and blood, too."

Chase hurried to clarify, "He never intended to abandon the child. When he thought you were pregnant, he was over the moon - called me right away to find an OB-GYN for you. When the miscarriage happened, sure, he said some awful things in the heat of the moment, but they were just words said in anger. He regretted them instantly and drowned his sorrows in booze."

Clara looked puzzled, "If he wanted the child, why did he secretly give me those pills? If he didn't want a child, I never would've forced him."

"You've got it all wrong, Clara. The herbal remedy was his idea, but the tampering was his mother's doing. He was clueless. When he found out the truth, he was so angry he could have stabbed himself. Especially after learning about your severe hemorrhage and how close you came to dying... It drove him mad. He'd spend nights on that stretch of road where it happened, just sitting there until dawn. I know he's punishing himself. As he sits there, he's reminded of how helpless you were. He's using that pain to remind himself of the jerk he was to you."

Clara's eyes began to burn, and a lump formed in her throat. So he had never wanted to give up their child, and it wasn't him who had wanted to end the pregnancy.

Rooted to the spot, Clara was overwhelmed.

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