No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)
Chapter 383

"It's going to be a tough ride for you, bunking at the hospital just to keep it real. You sure you can handle this?" he said, his voice tinged with concern.

Clara nodded her head. "I'll be fine. I practically lived at the hospital when my dad was sick, and our kiddo was still okay, wasn't he? Let me go fetch the folks outside and fill them in."

lan gently ruffled her hair, his expression softening. "You and the little one have had it rough these past days. Once we wrap up this mess, I'll whisk us away to start our own little adventure, just us."

After strategizing their next moves, Clara stepped out of the ER. As soon as everyone saw her, they crowded around.

Tears brimmed in Clara's eyes, and the pain she felt was unmistakable.

"Clara, how's lan doing?" Edwin asked, with a sense of dread, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

She shook her head slightly. "He's still unconscious. The doctors say he inhaled too much carbon monoxide. Even if he wakes up, he'd be in a vegetative state."

The news hit everyone like a punch to the gut.

Sasha, heartbroken, pulled Clara into a tight embrace, sobbing, "If he's a vegetable, what will you and the baby do? Clara, how did things get this bad? Oh, it just breaks my heart!"

Sasha struggled to breathe between sobs. Chase drew her in close. He rubbed her head gently, whispering, "Crying like this isn't helping Clara. She's the one who's hurting the most. We need to be her rock right now."

With a start, Sasha wiped her tears away and said, "Clara, don't worry. Even if lan never wakes up, the kid's got me. I'll help you raise them."

Chase, frustrated, gritted his teeth. "Sasha, ever heard of a thing called tact? That's not how you comfort someone. You're practically sending Clara off the deep end."

"What's the right way then? My mind's a mess, and I can't control my mouth." Sasha retorted, clearly irked. She gave Chase a shove before pulling Clara back into her arms.

Clara's gaze lifted to someone lurking in the distance, clearly spying. She knew she had to make her act convincing-to make the eavesdropper believe lan was truly in a vegetative state.

Wiping away a tear, Clara said, "Go in and see him, folks. He might still hear you. In a few days, his brain might stop working altogether, and he won't feel anything anymore."

Hearing this, their grief deepened. They followed Clara into the ER.

When they saw lan lying motionless on the bed, even the usually carefree Chase had tears in his eyes. He rushed to lan's bedside and bit back his emotion. "Ian, you listen to me. If you kick the bucket, I'm not looking after your wife and kid. If you're worried about them getting bullied, you better wake up and stick around."

Edwin chimed in fiercely, "You knocked Clara up and think you can just bail? No way! If you dare leave them behind, I'll drag you back from the underworld myself."

Sasha joined the chorus, "lan, there are plenty of fish in the sea. If you have the guts to die, I'll find Clara a new man and have your son call him 'Dad.' Don't believe me? Just try me!"

As their words grew more heated, their eyes shimmered with tears.

And then, at that moment, the man who'd been lying motionless on the bed suddenly spoke. "Let's see you try and touch my wife and kid!"

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