A Night of Desire

Hearing his voice, Clara seemed to snap out of her daze. She licked her somewhat dry lips. "...Oh. I was afraid I’d interrupt your work, so I just took a taxi over."

Seth moved to help her up, but the moment she tried to stand, Clara gasped. "Ouch, that hurts..."

She had been squatting for too long, and her knee joints felt as if they had rusted over.

Hearing her cry out in pain, Seth looked anxious. He first opened his office door, then turned back, swept her up into his arms, and carried her inside.

He gently placed her on the sofa and reached out to rub her knees, saying self-reproachfully, "This is all my fault. I made you wait too long."

He kept his head down, massaging her knees earnestly. Clara stared at the top of his head for a long moment before she finally couldn’t resist asking, "Where... were you?"

His hands faltered for a moment before he resumed massaging.

’The negotiation with Ewan Stratton didn’t go well. I’d better not tell her yet, or she’ll just get anxious again.’

"River’s car broke down, and it just so happened Mr. Sterling was pressuring him to come home, so I gave him a ride."

Clara’s breath hitched. He had promised he would never lie to her again, yet here he was, lying with a perfectly straight face.

’If I hadn’t happened to run into River Sterling, if Autumn Shelby hadn’t been the one to answer my call, would I have been led around in circles like a fool by his lies all over again?’

"Is that so? Then how do you explain me running into River Sterling at a café, driving his girlfriend on a date?"

Seth lifted his gaze. Their eyes met and locked, followed by a long silence.

After a long moment, Seth’s lips moved as if to explain.

But Clara suddenly gave him a hard shove. He stumbled backward as she shot to her feet.

"Seth, I can’t believe you’re lying to me again. You were clearly meeting with Autumn Shelby, yet you told me you were giving River Sterling a ride! If I hadn’t happened to run into River, and if Autumn Shelby hadn’t been the one to answer my call to you, would I have just been played for a fool by you all over again?"

Clara was extremely emotional. She hadn’t wanted to expose his lie; she had originally planned to just let it go.

But seeing how calm he looked even after she had exposed him, she suddenly couldn’t take it anymore!

’Why does he get to be the one in control of everything, while I’m always the fool being deceived!’

As she spoke, she strode over to his bookshelf in a few quick steps, pointed to a specific spot, and continued, "You have Autumn Shelby’s medical records hidden here. It’s because you know she really did get depression because of you, so you feel guilty, right?

I understand you feel guilty toward her, and I can even understand you meeting with her because of it. But why did you have to lie to me? Is it really that hard to tell me the truth just once?

Seth, you swore to me once that you would never lie to me again. But what about now? What have you done?"

Seth frowned. ’She called me? And Autumn Shelby answered?’

He suddenly remembered leaving his phone on the table when he went to the restroom. That must have been when she called, and Autumn answered.

But when he returned from the restroom, Autumn Shelby hadn’t said a single word about it.

He never expected that Clara would happen to run into River Sterling and that her call would happen to be answered by Autumn Shelby.

And what’s more, she knew about Autumn Shelby’s medical records in his bookshelf. ’When did she see them?’

Seth suddenly recalled that when he came back from his meeting yesterday, Clara’s expression had been a little off. At the time, he’d just assumed she was bored. On the way home, he had mistaken her silence for worry over Sarah Shelby.