The music had ceased to play a while ago, and the only sound that could be heard now was soft snores from Clara’s lips. She stared softly at the couch, then her eyelids shot up, and so did she. She looked around in shock.The silence hit her first, then the coolness passed by her. Her eyes darted toward the window. The sunlight that once filled the room with bright warmth had faded into a softer light of the early evening. Her once-glowing apartment was now dimmed with the coming dusk.She blinked rapidly, trying to understand what had just happened. How had the entire day slipped by so quickly?She reached for her phone on the table beside her, only to find that it had shut off. She couldn't tell exactly when, but admitted that it was during her nap. The black screen stared back at her, and with a soft exhale, she let the phone drop onto the couch cushion beside her and leaned back, resting her head gently against the headrest.A loud gasp slipped from her lips. She was slightly in s
With renewed energy, Clara had enough reason to look forward to what the day held for her. After all, it was her only day off in weeks. She wasn't going to spend all of it at home—there was a lot to do.Clara left the remaining piece of casserole on the table. The delicious aroma still lingered in the air as she stretched her limbs and made her way into her bedroom. She walked with a spring in her feet, and her steps had an extra bounce now. There were no thoughts of Jace clogging up her mind now, no work calls to attend to and certainly, no family drama pressing at her chest.Right now, she had just one job. That is to be free.She reached for her long towel and hair towel as she took her clothes off, or by one. She hummed as she let each material fall off her body with an exaggerated drop and a dramatic sway of her hand. When she had taken off everything and was left in just a towel and a head shower, she headed towards the bathroom.The cool tiles welcomed her feet as she stepped i
In all these, Clara completely put aside what was most important. She let herself get distracted by everything. First, it was about Jace, then it became about food, and now, she has to explain why she didn't do what she had to do.The phone vibrated in her hand again, the name displayed boldly on the screen: Mr. Lanford – Gym Boss. Clara remained transfixed in a spot. Her breathing grew heavy, and the last thing she wanted was to show fear right now. Her finger hovered over the green icon before she swallowed hard and picked up the call on the final ring.“H-Hello, sir,” she said. Her voice was a bit shaky as she straightened up instinctively if he could see her through the phone.“Clara.” He called out with a firm voice. She almost mistook his deep tone for anger till she remembered that it's how he sounded every day. “I was informed you didn’t show up at the gym today. Care to explain?”She opened her mouth to speak but faltered slightly. “I... I had a little issue this morning. Not
Back in the Blue Jade estate.Jace sat with his phone in hand, his hands trembled slightly as he imagined what he had caused.His thumbs hovered above the screen. He wanted more than anything to reach out to her, to hear her voice. To explain everything to her, make her know that he didn't mean it, didn't mean to stand her up.The more he thought of it, the worse it sounded in his head. He had taken big efforts to get Clara to give him another chance, a real chance. He had advocated for this date as a real moment for them to get back together, and now, he's hearing that he stood her up because of a moment he couldn't remember at all.The lit-up screen of his phone shone faintly on his face. Jace was so worried that he had deep creases around his eyes and a scowl across his lips. He scrolled slowly through the missed calls. All from Clara. One after another, she kept calling and calling and he didn't respond to a single one.It felt like all he could see was her name, then he started h
"You guys are together, right?"Those were the first four words Fiona, Clara's mother, said to her after not hearing from her for weeks. Clara had expected her to care about her more, to ask about her well-being, but instead, she went straight to ask the question that bothered her most. This was exactly why Clara feared calling her.Clara folded her fists. She prepared the words in her head, each one sharp and charged. She was seconds away from leaning into yet another argument with the very person she had called for help. Her lips parted, ready to spit out all her pent-up frustration—but something stopped her. A silent whisper of reason. She exhaled, but her jaw remained locked. She decided to let it go.“It’s not about him,” Clara muttered into the phone, her voice lower now. “That’s not why I called.”Fiona was silent on the other end for a second, then asked coolly, “Then why did you? What could possibly be more important than your relationship with the Alpha?”That was it. Clara
She held it strongly in her hands, her laughter had subsided, replaced with the pain of failure. She dipped a finger in the middle, bringing it slowly to her mouth as the look scared her—it tasted worse than it looked, a bitter revelation of her growing incompetence.A consistent feature of hers since she met Jace. Nothing seems to be moving in the right direction for her, maybe it's because she had forgotten herself in the chase of love, a foolish mistake she has repeated severally.She stared at the casserole or what was to be casserole in her hand. The top was golden brown while the edges were crusted. She dropped it on the counter, letting it cool. Clara stared down at the sorry excuse for a casserole like it had personally offended her, and when it reached her satisfaction, she scooped out a portion, holding it up as she dreaded what was to come next She brought the bite to her mouth slowly, then swallowed with a hard gulp. She closed her eyes, trying to chew, but not up to a se