Chapter 4

Through the gap in the door, Clara saw Sebastian embracing Erica and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Upon hearing Sebastian's words, Clara froze in her tracks. It turned out that Erica hadn't been lying after all. Clara really was nothing more than a casual plaything for Sebastian when he was bored. Yet, she'd arrogantly thought of herself as his precious benefactor. But the truth didn't matter now. She would be leaving him soon anyway. A silent smile played on Clara's lips. As she turned to leave, thick smoke suddenly came billowing through the hallway. "Fire! Fire!" The fire alarm began blaring, and the entire bar erupted into chaos. Clara was shoved to the ground by people escaping from all directions. As she struggled to get up, a merciless foot pushed her back down. When she looked up, she spotted Sebastian carrying Erica and rushing toward safety. Clara instinctively crawled in his direction and screamed his name desperately, hoping he could save her. In the crowd, Sebastian seemed to have heard her. He spun around and froze instantly at the sight of her trampled body as she lay bleeding on the ground. He instinctively wanted to rush back to Clara, but in that moment, he sensed something was wrong with Erica, who was in his arms. After a brief moment of hesitation, he turned and left without a backward glance. Clara could barely hide her shock. The man who'd promised to protect her no matter what had ignored her plight when she was in grave danger. Taking a deep breath, she crawled to the wall and hauled herself up. Looking disheveled, she followed the crowd heading to the exit. It wasn't until Clara finally made it out of the bar and confirmed that she was safe that her legs gave way, and she collapsed on the ground. That had been a close call. She'd nearly lost her life back there. Clara steadied her breathing. When she looked up, her gaze abruptly met Sebastian's eyes not far away. His expression was etched with an urgency and regret that she couldn't understand, but he remained steadfastly by Erica's side, showing no signs of coming to her. Was he afraid that Erica would misunderstand him? Clara's lips curled into a faint smile as she pushed herself up from the ground, her eyes slowly reddening. In the past, Sebastian would panic and insist on taking her to the hospital even if she got the tiniest cut on her hand. Yet, he only had eyes for Erica now. In the end, Clara went home alone. She dug out the first-aid kit to disinfect, treat, and bandage her wounds. After that, she dozed off on the couch. It was late at night by the time she woke up. As expected, Sebastian hadn't come home. She didn't bother asking where he was. As dawn finally broke, she was just about to leave when she ran into Sebastian returning home in a rush. He instantly wrapped an arm around her and carefully inspected her injuries. "Did you go to the hospital? Are you still feeling unwell?" Clara was in disbelief. Wasn't it too late for him to put on this concerned act? Sebastian then apologized, "I'm sorry, Clara. That was my younger sister you saw last night. She's been afraid of fires since she was little, so I couldn't leave her alone." Younger sister… Clara couldn't believe he'd even gone so far as to fabricate an identity for Erica. She declared, "It doesn't matter even if she isn't your younger sister. Sebastian, I don't have money to support you anymore. From now on, you're free." Sebastian's expression changed abruptly as he forcefully pulled Clara into his arms. "What does that mean? You're tired of me and now want me gone? No way, Clara. You promised you'd take responsibility for me." Clara shook her head helplessly and slowly pushed him away. "Sebastian, don't tell me you're taking this seriously. I've treated you well for the past three years, and now that I'm bankrupt, you're actually trying to extort me?" In response, Sebastian crushed her against his chest forcefully, his teeth grazing her earlobe in a warning bite. "Bankrupt or not, I won't leave you. You won't be able to get rid of me easily."