Chapter 140

Ethan changed into fresh clothes and got back into bed without a rush. Then he gently pulled Clara into his arms. Clara’s body stiffened for a moment. A clear sign of resistance. Because all she could smell on him was Fiona's perfume. It wasn’t unpleasant — just the opposite, actually — but for Clara, it was like poison. Her eyes were closed, but her mind was anything but quiet. Sleep? Totally gone. She didn’t even know why. It was like someone had dumped a whole bucket of anxiety on her chest — heavy and suffocating. Even the smallest movement from Ethan would trigger a wave of unease big enough to drown her. It was awful. Her thoughts spiraled until they finally burnt out, and she drifted off into a restless sleep. In her dreams, there were too many people, too many tangled memories... Instead of comfort, the chaos just left her mentally drained. — Next day. When Clara opened her eyes, it was already 1:30 in the afternoon. She felt disoriented for a second. Almost instinctively, she