No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)
Chapter 138

Chapter 138

The day he went to see Clara, he indeed overheard her mention something of grave Importance, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine she was talking about a proposal.

When lan stared at the pictures of the ring and the design mock-ups the girl had sent him, a sharp pain seized his ability to speak. A burning something gathered in the depths of his shadowed eyes. His voice was hoarse as he asked the housekeeper, "Call Chase over to bandage me up." He needed to heal and find Clara.

When Anders stepped outside, he was greeted by the sight of Clara's forlorn silhouette. He strolled up behind her, his voice as smooth as silk. "Clara, have you ever considered starting anew? Perhaps a fresh relationship could help you forget the pain of the past."

Clara turned around to find Anders looking at her with tender eyes. The warmth in his gaze was unwavering. Beneath those passionate eyes hid emotions she couldn't decipher.

With a slight curve of her lips, Clara responded, "Anders, I'm just not ready yet."

"Is it that you're not ready, or can't you let go of him?"

Caught off-guard by his insight, Clara managed a bitter smile. "I've thought about moving on, sure, but lan's been in my heart for seven years. I don't know when I'll be able to truly let him go. To start something new now would be unfair to someone else."

Anders' handsome face broke into a slight smile. "What if the other person doesn't mind? Would you consider it then?"

Standing tall and lean, with striking features and eyes that shimmered with fragmented light, he nervously clenched his fist. His gaze was intensely fixed on Clara's reaction.

Clara's eyes lifted to meet his lingering stare, and she chuckled, "Anders, any man would

care."

"But I don't," he insisted. "Let's give it a shot, Clara."

Her smiling face froze at his words. She stared at him in dumbfounded silence before finally speaking, "Anders, what did you just say?"

His adam's apple bobbed with nervous tension. His voice was deep and gravelly. "Clara, I've had feelings for you for many years. I wanted to confess after you graduated college, but then I heard you were with lan. I saw how much you loved him, and I couldn't intrude on your happiness, so I left the country alone. But I never forgot you, not for a moment. When Sasha told me about your miscarriage and your breakup with lan, I came back

immediately, hoping to give myself a chance to pursue you."

Shock was the only thing Clara's eyes could convey. She had always known Anders held at torch for a girl for many years, but she never realized she was that girl. Shaking her head. with a smile, she replied, "Anders, my past with lan was hardly honorable. I won't let it affect you and Trevor."

His gaze earnestly met hers. "I don't care about that, Clara. You don't have to rush with an answer. Just let me know when you're ready. But I'm sincere about wanting to try with. you, even if it means going through hell and high water."

Anders' words left Clara feeling shaken. She spent the entire night mulling over it, falling asleep only in the late hours.

It took several persistent calls from Sasha to rouse her from slumber. She answered the phone groggily, barely awake, when Sasha's frantic voice burst through, "Clara, have your seen the financial news? lan's interview has gone viral, and now the whole internet is on a manhunt for the woman who abused him."

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