Chapter 6

Clara had her wound treated at the hospital all by herself. Once that was done, she was called into the doctor's office. The doctor suggested that she visit the hospital a few days later for a follow-up appointment to make sure that the wound on her forehead hadn't caused any trauma to her skull or brain. Clara nodded and requested, "Doctor, please schedule a follow-up appointment for me in three days' time." And so, her follow-up appointment was scheduled for three days later. During those three days, Sebastian didn't even bother contacting her. When Clara saw the follow request from Erica on Instagram, something compelled her to accept it. Erica's Instagram profile was like her love diary. She'd recorded every single detail of what had happened between her and Sebastian since she'd returned to the country. Sebastian had personally cooked for Erica and then fed her the food bite by bite. He'd also bought her expensive gifts every day, as he was worried she'd get bored in the hospital. He'd gone through joke books and recited jokes to her late at night to put her to sleep. He'd patiently taken care of her and told her that he had a surprise prepared for her once she was discharged from the hospital. Clara scrolled through Erica's Instagram profile indifferently, but she couldn't help but recall the time when she and Sebastian had first gotten together. Back then, Clara had often gotten drunk after business dinners, and Sebastian had always waited at the door to take her home. Whenever she'd thrown up after drinking too much, Sebastian had been by her side to take care of her. Thus, she'd mistakenly assumed he had some genuine feelings for her. Even if his feelings were based on the money she gave him, it hadn't mattered to her. It was only now that Clara realized one thing. She'd always thought she treated Sebastian as a distraction on lonely nights, but in fact, she'd been the greatest source of entertainment for him all along. That night, Clara drank herself into a drunken stupor again. In her sleep, she was plagued by the same dream over and over again. In it, she asked Sebastian if he would marry her, but no matter how long she waited, he never gave her an answer. Panic and pain engulfed her heart, and then she saw the complicated look in Sebastian's eyes. "Why are you crying in your dreams?" Clara touched her face and realized that she was crying. She took a deep breath, forcing her erratic heartbeat to calm down. "I dreamed that you said you don't love me and never even thought of marrying me." As she made up an excuse, she lowered her gaze, missing the flash of shock that crossed Sebastian's eyes. He quickly embraced her, sounding flustered as he said, "Did you miss me because I wasn't around for the past few days? Don't think too much. Who else could I marry besides you?" He continued, "Baby, I can't afford to give you the best right now. I don't want you to settle for less. Once I've earned enough, I'll propose to you right away. Okay?" Clara laughed in his arms until tears rolled down her cheeks. Once, after they had sex, she'd casually joked, "You can't control yourself. What if I find myself pregnant one day?" Taking her words seriously, he'd coaxed her, saying, "I want to raise a child with you too, but let's wait until I can support you financially, okay?" Without a word, Clara pulled away from his embrace. He quickly led her to a seat. "Didn't you say you wanted to try this cake? I queued up for two hours to buy it. Here, try it." At the same time, Clara got a WhatsApp message from Erica. "Is the cake delicious? I only mentioned it to him in passing, and he immediately went out to buy it for me. I even reminded him to buy one for you. It's the flavor you like, right?" Clara instantly lost her interest and tossed the cake into the trash can. However, Sebastian thought she was upset with him, and his face darkened. "Sebastian, I'm allergic to mangoes."