No Strings Attached

Chapter 475

Then, clenching his fists tightly, he watched Robert with stern eyes. "Leonora's behind bars. Heidi has abducted Clara and sent someone to try and snuff out her life. Who put you up to this?"

Robert shook his head in despair. "I wish I knew who it was, but I don't. The guy always wore a black cloak, sitting in a wheelchair with his face shrouded in mystery. He orchestrated everything. If I didn't comply, he threatened to wipe out my whole family. Please, I've told you everything. Just leave my family out of this."

He fell to his knees, begging pitifully.

Ian kicked him aside, his voice icy with contempt. "Hand him over to the cops. We'll have Leonora re-interrogated and get her to spill the beans about Katherine's identity, as well as the secrets of the man behind the curtain.

But don't you worry, I won't lift a finger to save her. She's made her bed; now she can lie in it."

Then, he turned on his heel and walked away.

Edwin watched Ian's forlorn figure retreat and felt a pang of sorrow.

He couldn't help but reflect, "It's tough on Ian having a mother like that. We shouldn't drag him through the mud for her sins."

Brodie's expression was resolute. "I have a feeling this isn't as straightforward as it seems. There's got to be another layer of truth beneath what we know, and we just haven't uncovered it yet."

Edwin was puzzled. "You think Leonora might not be the culprit?"

"It's hard to say. Even if Teo had an affair with my mother and fathered a child, it would've been simple for the mighty Hayes family to nip the problem in the bud and send my mother abroad. Why

go to the lengths of disfigurement, arson, and relentless pursuit over the years? Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"So, you think Katherine is onto Leonora's scheme and wanted to silence her permanently?"

"That's one way to put it. This could involve a secret that ties the Hayes family to the Campbell family. But I doubt Leonora will come clean easily. To get to the bottom of this, we'll have to wait for my mother's memory to return."

The thought alone sent a wave of pain through Brodie's heart.

The psychiatrist had mentioned another method to restore her memory – a reenactment of the traumatic event. Subjecting his mother to another fire could unlock her past, but at what cost? Such darkness could only be akin to reliving hell itself.

There was a colossal secret buried in her memory, one that had transformed her into the person she was now.

The two gathered their testimonies, compiling the evidence along with Robert, and handed it all to the authorities. The Hayes family warehouse fire and May's car accident were to be reinvestigated.

Ian left the ancestral home, driving off alone towards the hospital.

As he pushed open the door to Clara's room, he found her in agony, covered in sweat and whimpering faintly.

Casey was tenderly wiping her brow, his large hand caressing her forehead as he softly recounted her favorite childhood fairy tales.

The sight was Ian's breaking point.

Years of restrained emotions surged forth, and tears cascaded down his cheeks, darkening the fabric of his expensive shirt.

Why, after all the trials they'd been through, couldn't he and Clara simply live happily ever after? Why did fate insist on testing their love with these melodramatic twists?

He'd take the pain himself in a heartbeat if it meant sparing Clara from such agonizing choices.

Ian composed himself at the threshold and finally entered.

Taking the towel from Casey, he murmured, "Go get some rest. I've got this."

Casey's eyes brimmed with paternal distress. "It's been a long night, and she hasn't slept a wink."

"I know, the wound's at its worst now. I'll take care of her," Ian assured him.

With a heavy sigh, Casey lamented, "What sins did I commit in a past life to see my daughter suffer so?"

Tears fell unbidden from his eyes.

Ian clapped him on the shoulder. "It's on me. I failed to protect Clara. Go get some rest. I’ve got it." Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

Reluctantly, Casey exited the room.

Ian dabbed Clara's forehead with the towel, then bent down to kiss her, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Clara, if crying would ease your pain, then let it all out. Dad's gone now."

It was then that Clara opened her eyes, gazing at him through a veil of tears.

In a feeble voice, she sobbed, "Ian, it really hurts. I can't hold back any longer."