No Strings Attached novel (Sharp and Clara’s)

Chapter 156

He whispered, “I miss her too, Snow, but she doesn't want to see me. What do we do when your mom has given up on us?”

His voice was low, with the hoarseness of fatigue. There was an unspeakable sorrow lurking in his eyes.

It seemed like Snow understood him, as he bit lan’s pant leg and tugged him towards the door. "Snow, what are you doing?” he asked.

Snow barked at him a few times, then kept pulling. It was only then that lan understood what Snow was trying to say. He wanted to see Clara.

lan hesitated for a moment, then bent down to scratch Snow's neck and said in a deep voice, “Go keep your mom company, Snow. She's been feeling down lately. Take good care of her for me, okay?"

Snow, upon hearing this, excitedly circled around him.

lan arrived at the downstairs of Clara's apartment with Snow.

The warm glow of an amber light shone from the balcony. He guessed she was probably sitting there on the couch, alone, digesting the day's events. He could almost see her petite figure, curled up on the couch.

The chill of the night air made her shiver, despite that, she couldn't be bothered to fetch a blanket. Clara was always like that when she was upset.

lan hung a box of apple crumble — her favorite dessert — around Snow's neck, whispering his instructions. “She needs to eat all of this; Snow. Can you make sure she does?”

Snow nodded and barked in response

Then, lan keyed in the code to Clara's room, allowing Snow to enter on his own. He gripped the doorknob tightly, his hesitation palpable, but ultimately he closed the door gently behind the dog. For a moment, he wanted to rush in and wrap Clara in his arms to comfort her, but his better judgment prevailed.

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Chapter 156

She didn't want to see him now. Seeing him would only remind her of all the pain he'd caused.

lan closed the door and leaned against it, his eyes filled with a profound

bitterness.

He heard Clara's surprised voice, “Snow, how did you get here?”

He also heard Snow barking and its playful whine as it interacted with Clara.

All of these moments used to be his. He had seen these happy scenes every day,

but he had lost them all.

When Clara saw Snow, her mood instantly improved. She took the bag from Snow's neck and saw the apple crumble and a note inside. lan’s strong handwriting stung her eyes. [I have to go abroad for work. Snow will stay with you for a few days. He misses you. Tell Snow to be good and listen to his mom. Daddy will be back in a few days with gifts.]

lan used to say these things to her as well. Every time he went on a business trip, he would remind Snow.

Back then, Clara felt so content. Even if they never married, and never had kids, as long as they had Snow and lan continued to love her, she felt content. But now, she realized it was all wishful thinking on her part.

Tears welled up in Clara's eyes as she hugged Snow, showering the dog with kisses. They bathed together, then climbed into bed. With Snow by her side, Clara felt much better and soon drifted off to sleep.

However, a nightmare woke her in the middle of the night. She dreamt of that morning, cornered in the classroom, her clothes being torrf. People pointed at her, called her shameless, just like her mother. Then they took photos with their phones.

Clara sat up in bed, gasping for air. She felt like the room was suffocating her.

Barefoot, she ran to the balcony. She meant to open the window for some air, but as she pulled it halfway, she saw a tall, imposing figure standing in the dark of the night.

At the same time, the shadow also saw her.

And just like that, their gazes unexpectedly collided in the night sky.