Chapter 95: You’re surprisingly funny

For a split second, panic flashed across his eyes before he quickly forced out an awkward laugh.

"Clara, what are you talking about?" he asked, shaking his head. "Why would I ever want someone to kidnap you? I was the one who saved you."

"Saved me?" Clara let out a mocking chuckle. "That’s an interesting way to describe it."

Alex’s heartbeat quickened.

Something was terribly wrong.

The Clara standing before him wasn’t reacting the way she always had.

She wasn’t trusting him.

She wasn’t grateful.

Instead, she was looking at him as though she had already uncovered every lie he had ever told.

Alex’s eyes remained fixed on Clara, panic flashing across his face as his thoughts spiraled out of control.

"Clara, what are you talking about?" he asked, forcing out a nervous laugh. "Why would I ever do something like that?"

He carefully took a step closer, making sure not to grab her immediately after the slap she had given him.

"Have you forgotten?" he continued softly. "I love you. Everything I’ve ever done has been because I care about you."

Clara let out a cold, mocking scoff.

"Love?" she repeated. "Do you even know what that word means, Alex?"

Her gaze hardened.

"If you did, you wouldn’t have hired those incompetent local thugs to corner me just so you could swoop in and play the hero."

Alex’s pupils shrank.

His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

How... how could she know?

He had been careful.

Or so he thought.

Before he could recover, Clara continued.

"I saw you."

Alex stiffened.

"You were hiding behind that wall while they surrounded me." Her voice was calm, but every word landed like a hammer. "I wasn’t completely certain at first, so I decided to wait and see what you’d do."

She took another step toward him.

"And, just as I expected, you appeared at the perfect moment."

Alex hurriedly shook his head.

"No! Clara, you’ve got it all wrong." His voice carried genuine urgency now. "I didn’t know those men. I swear I didn’t! I came here because..." He hesitated before adding, "Because today is your mother’s death anniversary. I knew you’d visit this place."

For the briefest moment, Clara’s eyes flickered.

She knew that part was true.

But that didn’t make his story believable.

The Alex she knew—both in this life and the last—was never thoughtful enough to visit her mother’s memorial out of concern for her.

Everything he did had a purpose.

Every act of kindness came with a hidden motive.

He had only come because he knew she would be here.

He wanted another chance to become her savior.

"I know I made mistakes," Alex said desperately, his voice softening. "I should’ve fought Dominic’s men that day. I should’ve stopped this marriage before it happened."

He took another cautious step toward her.

"But it’s not too late, Clara. We can still fix everything. We can leave together... and make Dominic pay for everything he did to us."

Even now, Alex believed Clara was only angry because he had failed to appear on her wedding day.

He thought she was waiting for an apology.

He had no idea she had already seen through every lie he had ever told.

A faint smirk appeared on Clara’s lips.

"Revenge?" she repeated. "What if I told you I married Dominic because I wanted to?"

Alex’s smile disappeared.

"And what if I said leaving you was the best decision I’ve ever made?"

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"No..." He shook his head repeatedly. "Clara, stop saying things you don’t mean. You hated Dominic. You were terrified of him."

His voice grew firmer.

"Have you forgotten what he did to you? He drugged you... forced himself on you... and trapped you in that marriage."

Clara’s expression darkened.

For a brief second, silence stretched between them.

Those words...

They were the same poisonous lies Alex and Julianna had planted in her mind during her previous life.

Again and again, they had twisted the truth until she had begun to despise Dominic, never once questioning whether the story itself was false.

Her hands slowly curled into fists.

The veins on the back of her hand became visible.

Across from her, Alex noticed the change and smiled inwardly.

That’s right...

Get angry.

The more you hate Dominic, the easier it’ll be for me to bring you back.

Before he could speak again—

Bang!

Clara’s fist slammed into his jaw with terrifying force.

Alex’s head snapped violently to one side.

The impact sent him stumbling backward several steps before he barely managed to keep himself from falling.

A metallic taste filled his mouth.

He wiped the corner of his lips with trembling fingers.

Blood.

He stared at the crimson stain in complete shock.

Before he could recover, Clara stormed toward him.

She grabbed his collar with both hands and jerked him forward until their faces were only inches apart.

Her eyes burned with fury.

"I’ve had enough of your lies."

Alex swallowed hard. "What... what are you talking about?"

Clara laughed bitterly.

"You really think I’m still the same fool who believed every word that came out of your mouth?"

Her grip tightened. "I know the truth."

Alex’s heartbeat skipped.

"I know it was Julianna who drugged me that night."

The color instantly drained from Alex’s face.

"And you..." Clara’s voice trembled with barely restrained rage. "You knew everything."

His pupils shrank. Every accusation struck like a hammer.

Alex’s breathing became uneven.

Impossible. How could she know?

That secret had never been meant to come to light.

His carefully crafted lies, the ones he had spent years building, were crumbling one after another.

For the first time since meeting Clara again...

Alex truly panicked.

The confident mask he always wore shattered completely, leaving behind nothing but fear and disbelief as he stared into Clara’s cold, unforgiving eyes.

Alex had come here believing this was the perfect opportunity to win Clara back.

Instead, everything had spiraled completely out of his control.

Just as he stood frozen, trying to think of a way to save himself, a calm voice broke the suffocating silence.

"Miss Hayes, is everything alright?"

Clara’s fingers, which had been tightly gripping Alex’s collar, loosened.

She turned toward the voice.

The moment Alex saw the two men standing a few meters away, the color drained from his face.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

D-Dominic’s bodyguards?

His heart skipped a beat.

No... don’t tell me Dominic knows everything!

The more he looked at the two expressionless men dressed in black, the more terrifying they appeared.

In Alex’s mind, they weren’t bodyguards anymore.

They were grim reapers.

They’re here for me! His breathing became ragged.

I’m too young to die!

He frantically shook his head.

"N-No..." he muttered, taking a step back. "I don’t want to die... I’m still young!"

"..."

The two men exchanged puzzled glances.

Logan frowned. "What is he talking about?"

Adrian shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea."

Alex, however, had already convinced himself that Dominic had ordered them to bury him somewhere no one would ever find him.

He immediately pointed at Clara with trembling fingers.

"I-I wasn’t doing anything!" he blurted out.

Clara raised an eyebrow.

"I don’t even know this woman!" Alex declared shamelessly.

"..."

Everyone fell silent. Clara stared at him in disbelief.

Logan blinked once before looking at Adrian.

"Didn’t he just call her Clara about five seconds ago?"

Adrian nodded thoughtfully.

"I believe he did."

Alex froze.

"..."

Realizing he had exposed himself, he awkwardly laughed.

"Did I? Must’ve been... someone else’s Clara."

Clara couldn’t help letting out a sarcastic chuckle. "What a remarkable recovery."

Alex’s survival instincts screamed louder than his dignity. Without another word, he spun around.

"Forget this!" Then he bolted.

He ran as though every demon in hell was chasing him, not daring to look back even once.

"Hey!" Logan instinctively called after him.

Alex ran even faster. "I surrender! Please don’t kill me!"

Within seconds, he disappeared around the corner.

Silence settled over the street. Adrian watched the empty road before turning to Clara with a completely straight face.

"...Does he always run away from his own crimes?"

Clara folded her arms and sighed.

"No," she paused. "This is actually the bravest I’ve ever seen him."

Clara let out a disbelieving scoff.

She had always known Alex was a coward.

What she hadn’t expected was for him to admit it so enthusiastically.

For a brief moment, she simply stared in the direction he had disappeared before a thought suddenly struck her.

She slowly turned toward the two men standing nearby.

Both Adrian and Logan were looking at her expectantly.

"..."

Clara cleared her throat and forced an awkward smile.

"Oh... about that." She pointed in the direction Alex had fled. "I was just... showing him the way."

Silence.

A very uncomfortable silence.

Clara felt the smile on her face becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

They don’t believe me.

Of course they don’t.

Who in their right mind would believe that?

She mentally prepared herself for Adrian to question her—or worse, cancel their business deal on the spot.

"I’m sorry, I actually—"

Before she could finish, Adrian suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haha..."

Clara blinked.

Logan looked at his boss in mild surprise.

Adrian shook his head, still smiling.

"Miss Hayes," he said between chuckles, "you’re surprisingly funny."

Clara stared at him.

...Funny?

She had been seconds away from confessing, and somehow he’d taken it as a joke.