Chapter 2

The ambulance arrived quickly.

I followed her to the emergency department. The sharp clack of dress shoes against the tiled floor came from the far end of the corridor.

Mason strode up to me and swung his hand at my face.

"You drugged Clara, didn't you? I've seen plenty of men like you!"

I raised my hand and shoved his arm aside.

"Get your facts straight. Your fiancée broke down my door and forced her way inside in the middle of the night."

"If I hadn't called 911, she'd be dead."

Clara's father followed close behind and looked me up and down.

He eyed me like a cheap item at a flea market.

"You saved my daughter. Naturally, I'll compensate you."

"But remember your place. Know what you can ask for and what you have no right to expect."

He sighed.

"Clara is innocent by nature. She's never seen how devious men from the lower classes can be. That's how she fell into your trap."

Mason grabbed my collar, pinched the side of my neck between two fingers, and yanked me sideways, raising his voice.

"Clara left this, didn't she? How many times did you sleep with her? You shameless scumbag!"

I looked down.

There was a red mark on my neck. A mosquito must have bitten me at some point.

"That's not..."

I tried to explain, but Mason suddenly seemed to think of something, and his voice turned harsh.

"Have you had a vasectomy?"

At that, Clara's mother's expression changed sharply.

The disgust in her eyes gave way to suspicion.

"You have no right to get Clara pregnant."

Her voice turned cold and firm.

"Don't think you can marry into our family by getting her pregnant. Even if Clara has a hundred of your children, you'll never be worthy of setting foot in the Dawson home!"

She turned and ordered the bodyguards to take me for a vasectomy immediately.

Mason grabbed me and started tearing at my clothes.

I shoved him away.

"Why are you resisting?"

Jealousy burned in Mason's eyes.

"You really are a scheming bastard. You think getting her pregnant will secure your place? Dream on!"

He kicked me in the lower abdomen.

I doubled over, my back hitting the wall.

Just then, a shout came from the other end of the corridor.

"Stop hitting him!"

Two police officers approached. "Who called the police?"

"I did."

I held my stomach and braced myself against the wall as I straightened up.

Mason roared in fury. "You bastard! You actually called the police?"

I ignored him, took out my phone, and played the video.

"This woman smashed down my clinic's door and broke in at two in the morning. I called 911 and saved her life. When her fiancé and father arrived at the hospital, they assaulted me and tried to force medication down my throat."

The footage clearly showed everything, from Clara breaking down my door to her collapse and my getting her to the hospital.

Mason and Clara's mother both looked grim.

Mason refused to back down and sneered.

"Even if that's true, you should have left after saving Clara. Why are you still hanging around? You're just using it as leverage to get into our family!"

The treatment room door suddenly opened.

"The patient is awake."

Mason and Clara's mother turned at the same time and started to rush inside.

The doctor spoke again.

"The patient says she wants to see Ian Hughes."

When I went in, Clara was propped against the headboard.

Her face was pale, but the same look of superiority was back in her eyes.

"You're very good at this."

Her voice was still hoarse from her recent unconsciousness.

"You deliberately opened your clinic along a route I take. Where did you find out about my congenital heart condition?"

"Then, when I had an episode, you deliberately refused to open the door. You played hard to get so I'd think you were different."

She sighed, as if resigned to the success of my supposed scheme.

"Congratulations. You won."

It was so absurd I couldn't speak, but Clara mistook my silence for shyness.

"Now that you've achieved your goal, there's no need to keep the clinic open. I have a mansion in the hills. Move in, and I'll visit you once a week. Go to the hospital and get a vasectomy yourself. You're not worthy of having a child with me."

"I don't like men flaunting themselves in public. From now on, you can't leave without my permission. The housekeeper will take care of your daily needs."