No Strings Attached

Chapter 64

The kiss was brief, but lan’s claim was crystal clear. He nibbled on Clara’s lip, his voice a sultry whisper, “Be good, and come home with me.”

Then, lan bent down and embraced Clara, smiling mischievously at Anders. “You get it now? She’s my girl.” Without waiting for Anders to respond, lan strode off into the night.

Chase was utterly gobsmacked. lan could turn on the charm like no one else, and even Chase himself had to admit he was outclassed.

It seemed that Chase had stumbled upon some juicy gossip that blew his mind. Clapping Anders on the shoulder, he chuckled, “Mr. Anders, some folks you miss, and it’s for a lifetime. Some people love without knowing, and by the time they figure it out, they’re more devoted than you can ever imagine.”

With a whistle, Chase sauntered away, leaving Anders alone with a scowl, watching their retreating figures.

lan didn’t take a car. Instead, he carried Clara in his arms, walking under the moonlight. A reluctance to let go surged within him. As the days drew closer to their separation, lan felt increasingly choked up inside. He had never felt this way about anyone or anything. The mere thought of Clara in another man’s embrace after leaving him drove him to a jealous.

rage.

Looking down at the woman in his arms, who was tipsy with the night’s indulgences, he called her name softly, “Clara,”

She murmured a sleepy ‘hmm‘ and opened her eyes to look at him. Her cool hand slowly rose, caressing his handsome face.

lan’s heart clenched, and he kissed her hand, asking in a deep voice, “You like that?”

Clara nodded, her voice sweet like honey, “Yeah.”

lan chuckled softly, the tightness in his chest seemingly unraveling in an instant. “How much do you like it?”

Clara’s dewy eyes fixed on him, her fingers tracing his eyes, nose, lips, finally resting on the enticing Adam’s apple. “Very much, so very much.”

lan felt as if his heart had been zapped, a tingling sensation spreading rapidly to every cell. He lowered his head and kissed Clara’s eyes. He was about to speak when he noticed tears welling up in her eyes.

Then came Clara’s voice/breaking with sobs, “But why aren’t you him? Why aren’t you my Mr. Nine?” With that, she buried herself in lan’s embrace and cried as if she had lost the

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lan’s elation turned to profound sorrow. He grasped Clara’s chin, demanding, “Who is he?”

sobbed, He’s the one I loved the most for seven years, But he’s gone. You look him, but you’re not him. He would never hurt me. He would only protect me. And you… you just hurt me.”

lan stood frozen, as if struck by lightning, staring at the woman in his arms who was crying uncontrollably. In an instant, a thought crossed his mind, one that he couldn’t believe himself.

Clara had loved a man for seven years, and that man was not him. He was just someone who bore a resemblance.

Realizing this, lan had an epiphany. That’s why Clara had so readily agreed to his proposition three years ago. She had been using him as a stand–in all along.

She had never loved him.

With a dark expression, lan gritted his teeth and said, “Well played, Clara. Well played.”