A Night of Desire

"And Yvette Zimmerman even blackmailed me. If I don’t go through with the marriage, she won’t let my mother go. She has plenty of ways to make her life a living hell. My mom would give her life for me, but I can’t stand by and watch her suffer because of me. She’s already suffered far too much for my sake."

"So, Clara, if my mom couldn’t change things even by risking her own life, what do you think you can do? Don’t waste your time."

"I can’t win this fight, so I’m giving up. I’ll marry him! As long as they leave my mother alone, I’ll do it!"

Clara Grant pulled her hand away. "But I can’t just stand by and watch you throw your life away! I’ll go find Seth Quinn. He’ll have a solution, I know he will. I’ll go to him..."

As she spoke, she turned to leave, but Sarah Shelby’s suppressed shout came from behind her,

"The solution is for Seth Quinn to divorce you and marry Autumn Shelby! Would you be willing to do that?"

Clara Grant froze. ’So Sarah has to marry Ewan Stratton... is this my fault? Is it because Autumn Shelby couldn’t have Seth Quinn, so she’s taking her anger out on Sarah, forcing her to marry a strange, violent, disabled man?’

After a moment, she turned back to meet Sarah’s gaze and said quietly, "If it means you won’t have to marry him, then I’m willing!"

’Yes, she was willing. Her own happiness couldn’t be built on her best friend’s suffering!’

’Besides, if Sarah was unhappy because of her, how could she ever be truly happy herself!’

Sarah Shelby’s expression flickered, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She stepped forward and took Clara Grant’s hand. "Don’t be a fool! Even if you gave Seth Quinn to Autumn Shelby, there’s no guarantee I’d be able to escape this."

"Yvette Zimmerman and Autumn Shelby have always seen me as a thorn in their side. They won’t let me off easy."

"Even if I get out of this, what about next time? For all I know, the next man they find for me could be even worse than Ewan Stratton."

"At least Ewan Stratton is decent-looking and presentable! So what if he’s disabled? So what if he has a bad temper? No matter what, I’ll still be the young mistress of the family once I marry him. For someone of my status, marrying him could be considered a stroke of incredible luck!"

As she said this, Sarah Shelby even managed a smile, but it was filled with self-mockery.

"Sarah..." Clara Grant didn’t know what to say.

Sarah Shelby, in turn, tried to comfort her. "It’s alright. It’s just getting married, right? What’s the difference who it is? When you married Seth Quinn, you didn’t know what the future would hold either, but look how happy you are now. Maybe I’ll end up being happy, too."

’But it’s not the same,’ Clara thought. ’Ewan Stratton is disabled. Sarah will have to take care of him. And his temper is so strange—one wrong move could earn her a beating. Sarah’s not the type to take that lying down. If she argues back, she’ll be the one who suffers in the end!’

’No, I can’t just let this happen!’

Clara stayed with Sarah at the hospital for a good part of the day. Sarah urged her to go back to campus for her classes. Clara had wanted to stay and help her take care of Cherie Rhodes, but Sarah flatly refused. She explained that the Shelby family was counting on her marriage to Ewan Stratton to build a connection with the Linden Family, so they wouldn’t dare abandon her and her mother for now.

Clara had no choice but to leave. As Sarah walked her out, they had only taken a few steps when they saw Rowan Linden emerging from another hospital room.

Rowan Linden looked up, saw Clara Grant, and raised a hand in greeting.

Clara froze when she saw him, then glanced at Sarah beside her. ’I’ve been meaning to introduce them for so long,’ she thought, ’and they finally meet now, of all times. What a cruel twist of fate!’

Still, she waited for Rowan Linden to approach before making the introductions. "Sarah Shelby, this is Dr. Rowan Linden."