Back in the guest room, Clara took a hot shower, hoping it would calm her nerves. As she undressed, her eyes landed on the bite mark on her shoulder.
She froze, heat rushing from her toes all the way up to her cheeks. For a long moment, she just stared at it. Then, with a frustrated sigh, she tried scrubbing it away, but the mark stayed stubbornly in place. No matter what she did, it was still there—proof she couldn’t erase. There was no way anyone would believe nothing happened between her and Dylan. Even a ghost wouldn’t buy that story.
She flopped onto the bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind raced. Her chest felt tight, like something was sitting right on top of her heart.
She reached for her wrist, fingers brushing over the little charm bracelet—still there, thankfully. She let out a shaky breath. At least that hadn’t vanished.
She tried to push everything else to the back of her mind. Right now, she needed to figure out who had set up Z.
But since sleep was hopeless, she got up and went looking for Charles. She wanted to get a handle on everything that had happened recently, maybe make some sense of it all.
Walking past the study, she heard voices—Aiden’s, tense and pleading. “Mr. Prescott, please. The doctor says you need to put everything else aside and rest. Just one month, that’s all. Your body can’t take much more.”
Clara almost never heard Aiden sound that anxious. She frowned, then quietly pushed the door open.
Inside, Dylan was at his desk, eyes on a stack of documents, completely ignoring Aiden. He acted like he hadn't heard a word.
Aiden’s face lit up when he saw her.
Clara’s gaze landed on the piece of cake on the table. Without a word, she walked over, picked up Dylan’s spoon, and took a bite.
The sweetness hit her instantly—so sweet it almost made her cough. But Dylan hadn’t reacted at all when he’d eaten it earlier.
A chill ran through her. She clenched the spoon, expression darkening. “What’s wrong with you, Dylan?”
Dylan’s fingers stilled. Was she actually worried about him? She was, wasn’t she?
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