Chapter 98
“Is Clara not coming home for dinner? Martha asked with concern.
“She’s not. Something came up at work.” I shrugged. “It’s fine, we’ll eat first. You and Juno must be starving. Let me see what Charlene made today”
Juno was already excited. “It’s fish soup! It smells so good!”
I lifted the lid of the pot, took a quick look, and smiled in approval. “Charlene’s cooking is always spot on. Let’s save some for
Clara, too
“Okay! The rest can be shared between me, Mommy, and Grandma.”
We sat down to enjoy a cozy family dinner. On a cold winter evening, sipping hot, hearty soup made me feel warm all over. In these simple family moments, I felt at peace.
I used to never even dare to think about divorce, but now that it was a
life didn’t seem so bad after all.
After putting Juno to bed, I quietly pulled Martha aside to talk about the next steps.
Renting forever just wasn’t practical, but I didn’t want to move back into that house. The only option was to sell it and then buy something else.
The house in Srouver is really nice.” I said. “I’ve got some savings, and if I sell the old place, Ill have enough to buy it outright.
All that money would go into the new house, but I still had my year–end bonus from earlier this year, and it was a pretty good amount–more than enough to cover all our living expenses
Martha nodded. “If you like it, go for it. It’s your decision.”
Once we finished talking, I glanced at the time–9:40 PM. I thought, ‘Clara should be home soon.
Lying in bed, I aimlessly scrolled through my social media feed. Then, I saw a post from Clara with a photo and location tag.
In the photo, she was singing with some colleagues, and the man next to her was unmistakably Wilbur. He was so close to her, it made me feel uneasy.
I checked the timestamp of the post–it was uploaded 43 minutes ago. Without a second thought, I jumped out of bed and rushed out the door.
Not wanting to worry Martha, I told her there was an issue at work and I needed to drop off a document. After a few rounds of her reminding me to be careful, I finally left.
I sped as fast as I could, my heart racing. I called Clara over and over, but she didn’t pick up.
1 arrived at the bar and started checking each room. With the help of a staff member, I finally found the one where Clara’s company event was happening. But she wasn’t inside.
1 grabbed a random person and asked, “Where’s Clara?”
“Clara? She just went to the bathroom. She hasn’t come back yet?” The person was clearly drunk, their words slurring.
“Have you seen Clara?“
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14:50 Mon, 17 Feb M
Chapter 98
“Nope.”
“She left with Mr. Macdonald,” someone else said with a sly smile. “Looks like Clara’s passed her probation for sure. We’re not in her league.”
That made my blood boil. I didn’t have time to argue with these people. I rushed out of the room.
I thought. “Where’s my sister? I didn’t know.. but I knew if I didn’t find her soon, something bad was going to happen.
Panicked, I searched the entire bar, but couldn’t find her. Just then, my phone buzzed. A new photo had come through. It
was Clara.
Clara was clearly out cold, completely unconscious. She was lying there, half her clothes stripped off, with an older man pressed up against her chest…
