Chapter 67 The mention of children sent Clara into a towering rage. With a sudden burst of force, she shoved lan away She stumbled backward, her face a twisted mask of bitter cold and Irony. âMr. Hayes, youâve got the wrong gal. Your sweetheartâs upstairs. Go make babies with her. Iâd rather die than bear your child.â She spun around and marched off toward the back garden.
The whole situation was absurd and ludicrous. Were he and Heidi in cahoots to torment her? One wanted a surrogate, and the other pressed for offspring.
âlan, you spineless jerk! Whoever you have children with is none of my business.â Clara thought to herself.
Seated alone by the pond, she licked her wounds in silence, replaying the tumultuous history between her and lan.
As she cursed lan and lobbed pebbles into the water, Heidiâs voice crept up from behind. âMs. Clara, lan sent me to check on you. Are you alright?â
Clara snapped without a hint of courtesy, âBuzz off!â
Heidi didnât take offense. Instead, she smiled sweetly. âMs. Clara, I know this is hard to swallow, but think about it. Have our kid, and youâll be set for life. Whatâs so bad about that?
lan and I would adore your child as our own. And your child would be the Hayes family heir. You might not marry into the Hayes, but if your child stays with the Hayes, thatâs like fulfilling your dream, right?â
As Heidi spoke, she reached out to tug at Claraâs clothes. Just as Clara was about to shove her away, she realized Heidi had positioned herself by the pondâs edge. One push, and Heidi would tumble into the waters.
Claraâs mind raced. She caught on to Heidiâs ploy, an attempt to provoke her, to have Clara push her into the pond.
Oh, Heidi, could anyone stoop lower than you?
Clara yanked her away, taking her place at the pondâs brink. Noticing someone approaching, she cried out, âMs. Heidi, thereâs nothing between me with Mr. Hayes, stop it! I canât swimâAh!â
After a shriek, there was a splash, and Clara fell into the water.
Heidi was flabbergasted. The script had gone off the rails, hijacked by Clara herself.
Heidi watched in shock as Clara sank deeper into the water. Thatâs when the cries for help broke out, âSomeoneâs in the water, save her!â
People rushed over, but no one dared to dive into the murky depths. The pond, a relic of the old Hicks estate, was deep and muddied. Past rescue attempts had failed.
Claraâs body sank further as flashbacks of her past haunted her.
Cornered in a classroom, her clothes were torn to shreds. She pleaded, but no one listened. Bruised and battered, she left school alone, ending up by a lake.
Thinking of the life of being judged that awaited her, and the betrayal by the mother she trusted most, she lost all will to live. Eyes closed, she jumped into the lake. The waters. were deep, chilling. Just like now, her body relentlessly sinking.
It felt as though the next second would sever her from the world forever.
Tears trickled from Claraâs eyes. As she was about to give in, a shadowy figure swam towards her. Despite the distance, she recognized himâit was lan.
A scornful smile played on Claraâs lips. Was this a dying vision?
In her dying moments, she couldnât help but fantasize about lan. She wondered just how much she loved this man.
However, his betrayal cut too deep.
This love was a burden she no longer wished to bear.