SWNOVELS Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Earlier, outside the club, Clara had gotten drenched. Now, feeling the chill, she instinctively wrapped her thin T–shirt tighter around herself.
Cade was just about to offer his coat when Clara cut him off.
“Forget it. Just tell him I’ll visit his grave when he kicks the bucket,” said Clara.
“But Mr. Neal’s health is on the ropes. If you don’t come back, what’s gonna happen to the company and all that cash, hundreds of billions of dollars?” Cade looked troubled. Tasked with driving fifteen hours from Lokerten to Zwingenrath, he worried about how he would report back to his master, Frank Neal, after receiving such a dismissive response from Clara.
Clara replied coldly, “His dough? Got nothing to do with me. Show your face around me again, and I won’t even bother for his funeral.”
Then, she just walked right past Cade, her slight figure vanishing into the storm.
The rain was so heavy it almost blinded her as she sprinted back to her apartment, soaked to the bone.
Jaylee Brooks, Marlie’s nanny, handed Clara a large towel with concern. “Oh dear, soaked without an umbrella? Go get a warm shower.”
“Alright.” Wrapping the towel around herself, Clara called out to the living room, “Marlie, mommy is home!”
Sadly, Marlie sat on the living room carpet, lost in her toys, oblivious to her surroundings.
“Well, Marlie has been in her own world all day.” Jaylee sighed.
At that moment, Clara felt a crushing wave of helplessness and defeat.
She stumbled into the living room, collapsing next to Marlie. Holding her close, Clara was searching for any shred of comfort after enduring a humiliating night. Just one look from Marlie would have meant the world.
But Marlie remained unreachable, immersed in her solitude.
Tears streamed down Clara’s face, a stark reminder of her vulnerability. Having left Lokerten at 18, Clara had learned to suppress her tears, maintaining her composure even through her divorce. Now, with her tears mingling with rainwater, she couldn’t discern one from the other.
Clutching Marlie, Clara trembled, a sight so heart–wrenching that Jaylee had to look away and leave.
“I’m off then since you‘ ‘re back. Marlie is fed and bathed, all set for bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” Jaylee whispered before exiting.
Before she left, Jaylee sighed again, torn by unasked questions about the absent father. ‘How could he not care? Heartless. Juggling work and an autistic daughter would break anyone,‘ she thought.
After Jaylee i
e had left, Clara got up.
up after a while.
She stepped into the shower, the warm water washing over her cold body. She scrubbed furiously, attempting to erase the day’s disgrace. She was appalled by Walter’s treatment and her degradation, climaxing in shame and clinging to him in desperation.
‘Am I really so low?” She scoffed inwardly at her reflection.
Mid–shower, the doorbell echoed.
Wondering if Jaylee had forgotten something, Clara quickly wrapped a towel around her wet hair, approaching the door.
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