No Strings Attached

Chapter 49

Clara raced to the hospital, her heart pounding in her chest as she learned that her father, was in the emergency room, fighting for his life. This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

She made her way to the prison guard standing by, her voice trembling slightly.

“How’s my dad doing?”

“He’s in the middle of resuscitation. We still don’t have a clear picture. He attempted suicide by slashing his wrists, and lost quite a bit of blood. He just had heart surgery, which complicates things.”

Upon hearing these words, Clara staggered back, nearly collapsing onto the floor. The guard quickly steadied her, expressing concern, “Ms. Clara, try to stay calm. A specialist just went in. I believe Mr. Casey will pull through.”

Clara fought to keep her emotions in check, her tears at bay, and looked at the guard, “How did my father try to take his life?”

The guard hesitated before answering, “Mr. Casey was down all of yesterday, and he looked really pale. We thought it was his heart condition acting up, so we brought him in for a check–up. But he managed to swipe a glass vial while the nurse was setting up ant IV. Back at the prison, he smashed the vial in the restroom and cut his wrists. By the time we found him, there was blood everywhere, and Mr. Casey was unconscious.”

Clara felt dizzy with the weight of this information. She had an idea why her father might have attempted suicide.

He couldn’t bear the thought of her selling herself to secure his freedom. But who could have told him that?

Just then, the doors of the emergency room swung open,

Clara leapt to her feet and stumbled forward. “Doctor, how’s my dad?”

The doctor removed his mask and said, “The patient’s heart surgery has a secondary infection, combined with excessive blood loss. He’s still in a coma and is not out of the woods yet. We need to move him to the ICU. His will to live is weak right now, and he can’t handle any stress, so the family needs to be mindful of that.”

Clara nodded with feigned composure, “Okay, I understand.”

She watched as her father was wheeled into the ICU, surrounded by a myriad of beeping machines. For a moment, she felt her world crumbling. She slowly crouched down, burying her face in her knees, her body shaking uncontrollably.

She had never been so afraid, not even when her father went in for heart surgery, because she believed in the power of modern medicine. But this was different. He had chosen to give up.

As she was enveloped in despair, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Clara lifted her head, and through her tear–blurred vision, she saw lan dressed in somber black, his face etched with concern, approaching her.

Their gazes locked. In that moment, Clara felt the last thread of composure snap. The tears she’d been holding back cascaded down her cheeks.

Seeing her like this, lan felt a sharp pain in his chest, his heart bleeding out for her. He swiftly closed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms, his hand gently stroking her hair.

With a raspy voice, he whispered, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here for you.”

Clara’s tears soaked lan’s pristine shirt as she spoke with a raw, husky voice, “lan, you promised me, as long as I did as I was told, you’d keep my father safe. So why did this still happen? If he doesn’t make it, I’ll never forgive you for as long as I live.”

Her voice was filled with desperation, on the verge of collapse.

Her father was the one she depended on, the one who had cherished her above all else. If he were to leave her, Clara didn’t know how she would face life alone.