No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)

When Clara opened her eyes, she found lan sitting by the bed, gazing at her intently, his deep eyes filled with affection. The dark circles under his eyes and the visible red veins spoke volumes of his sleepless nights.

Clara reached out and gently caressed lan's cheek, her voice hoarse from just waking up. "Have you been up all night?"

lan smiled and kissed the back of her hand. "I haven't seen you in days, and I missed you too much to sleep."

Clara, who had a background as a lawyer, was quick to catch onto even the slightest hint. She knew their life together was long, and a few days apart wouldn't cause such sleeplessness. She got up from the bed and grabbed lan by the collar, her eyes brimming with tears. "Ian, how many times do I have to tell you? No matter what happens, we shouldn't part. Are you having second thoughts?"

"Clara." lan pulled her into his embrace and kissed her forehead gently. "I never thought that. I just really wanted to see you. Don't overthink it."

Clara looked at him thoughtfully. "You're not lying to me?"

"Why would I lie? I'm waiting for our baby to be born, and I want to have another daughter with you. How could I bear to leave you?"

As lan spoke, he gently stroked her hair. He had indeed spent the entire night thinking. He had gone over everything that had happened between them in his mind, only to realize that he had brought nothing but pain and disaster to Clara. He had always believed he could protect her and had kept her close at all times.

Because of him, Clara, once a dominant lawyer, had become a caged canary, confined at home and unable to go anywhere. She was even deprived of the right to shop online for fear of someone tampering with the goods.

He had restricted her movements, social life, and all her hobbies. Clara lived solely for him, losing her sense of self.

lan didn't know how long the Hayes family feud would last or how long he would have to keep Clara confined. He admitted his love for her, vowing never to leave her, but this love made her lose so much. However, after a night of struggle, he still couldn't convince himself to let go of Clara. She loved him so much, what would she do if they really parted?

He couldn't bear to see her sad and would rather have her stay in this yard for a lifetime.

lan kissed Clara's lips repeatedly, each kiss making his heart writhe in agony. He wanted to be capricious for Clara. He wanted to be selfish. He didn't want to let go.

Moved by his kisses, Clara's voice softened like a kitten's. "lan, stop kissing me. The baby is kicking."

lan immediately let her go, placing his hand on her belly. Indeed, the little one was energetically moving inside. Ian couldn't help but laugh. "You little brat, what does me kissing my wife have to do with you? Stop causing trouble for your daddy!"

Clara stared at her belly, smiling as the baby moved. Her voice was light, "Stop moving around, or your daddy will get mad. If he disciplines you once you're born, I won't intervene."

It seemed as if the baby understood her words. After being so active, it suddenly calmed down.