Chapter 6 Chapter 6 The Price of Surrender

If River City was out of the question, she could try in another city.

There was no way Ethan Blackwood had his reach in every hospital, right?

Just as that thought crossed Clara Walton's mind, her phone buzzed.

She glanced down-a call from the rehabilitation center.

Immediately, she answered, her heart tightening. Had something happened to her mother?

"Miss Walton," came Dr. Chin's voice over the line.

"Dr. Chin, is everything alright with my mom?" Clara's nerves pulled taut instantly.

Linda Walton had been at Aurelux for some time now; Clara visited her every week without fail.

Her mother's condition fluctuated, but most of the time she remained lucid-stable, overall.

Dr. Chin being her primary physician, his call could only mean one thing to Clara: something was wrong.

"They want your mother discharged immediately," Dr. Chin sighed, sounding helpless. "Please come by to complete the paperwork."

Clara froze.

She hadn't seen this coming.

Aurelux wasn't just any rehab center-it was the finest in River City.

And Linda still had that brain tumor; her surgery was scheduled for the following week.

If they left Aurelux now. forget River City-no doctor in the country would take her case on such short notice.

Clara knew exactly what that meant.

"Why?" she asked, forcing herself to stay calm.

A pause. Then Dr. Chin said, "I don't have the full picture. This came from above."

She took a deep breath. "Understood. I'll be there soon."

Dr. Chin hung up without another word.

Clutching her phone, Clara stood frozen. The pressure felt suffocating-as though she were being driven to the brink.

Only one man in River City wielded that kind of power-the kind that could sever every one of her options without a trace.

This "order from above" could only mean Ethan Blackwood.

Clara exhaled sharply and turned quickly.

But she didn't head to Aurelux as she'd said.

Instead, she hailed a cab straight to the Blackwood Group.

She needed to see him.

Ethan was clearly forcing her hand, backing her into a corner until she surrendered willingly.

Clara let out a bitter laugh, her head bowed. Had she really believed she had any say in this?

How naïve.

He had found her weakest point and pressed it-leaving her no escape but to submit.

How utterly pathetic.

.

Thirty minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of the Blackwood Group.

Clara saw Lucy Hampton waiting at the entrance, posture straight, expression unreadable.

"Ma'am, let me take you upstairs," Lucy said coolly.

Clara gave a slight nod. Lucy escorted her to Ethan's office, then quietly stepped out.

What Clara hadn't expected was to wait three full hours before he appeared.

No food, not a sip of water. She sat there the entire time, holding herself together.

It wasn't until 4 p.m. that the door finally opened.

Ethan's tall figure stood before her.

He glanced at her and said bluntly, "Weren't you acting tough earlier? What now-finally came crawling back?"

Clara didn't respond.

With the authority Ethan carried, merely sharing the same space with him felt suffocating.

She had never truly stood a chance against him.

She took a deep breath. "I'll keep the baby. But my mother stays at the hospital-she can't handle the stress. Her surgery will proceed next week as planned."

Every word Clara spoke was calm, yet firm.

Ethan stood with his hands in his pockets, his gaze sharp as a blade.

But Clara didn't flinch under his stare.

Suddenly, his hand shot out and gripped her chin. His fingers were long and strong-the pressure hurt.

"What's wrong? Does having my child make you feel pathetic?" Ethan said, easily reading the reluctance on her face.

"Yes, it does," Clara replied quietly, her eyes steady.

His expression darkened.

"Being used as a tool. how could that not feel pathetic? A marriage built on nothing, with no love in it, and just when I thought something might change, it ends like this? Do you really think I wouldn't feel used?" Her voice was emotionless, yet every word struck hard.

Ethan's face tightened into something unreadable.

But Clara didn't give him a chance to respond. "Fiona's back, parading her fiancé around, and now you're pulling this cheap stunt to get to her? Come on, Ethan-don't tell me that doesn't hurt."

For three years, Clara had been the invisible wife, nearly erased from everyone's sight.

But now, she'd grown claws-always aiming where it cut deepest.

Rather than grow angry, Ethan actually chuckled. "Why would I feel hurt?"

That indifferent tone made the air around them turn cold.

She couldn't decipher what he was truly thinking.

"Fiona isn't in good health-she can't risk a pregnancy. But the Blackwoods still need an heir. A legitimate one," he stated, as if reading from a business proposal.

Clara's face shifted slightly.

"She likes to make scenes-fine. I'll indulge her. She'll come back eventually. And you? Once the baby is born, this farce of a marriage ends. So tell me, what do I have to regret?"

His voice was cold, precise, like steel. "She's still the one I'll marry, and I can give Grandfather a clean report. What would I have to feel bad about?"

Each word stabbed into Clara, mocking every moment she had spent by his side.

And then, for no reason at all, she gave a faint, almost amused smile.

Ethan frowned.

Clara calmly removed his hand from her face and looked up at him-her gaze clear, her voice even. "Ethan. all these years, not even once? You never felt anything for me?"

He looked down at her as though offering pity.

And he understood what she meant. Not just the three years of marriage-everything before that.

For as long as Fiona had been in his life, Clara had been there too. Perhaps even longer.

When Fiona said she was going abroad, Ethan hadn't stopped her.

And when she left, guess who remained by his side?

Clara.

They had known each other for at least a decade.

Ten years-enough time to form a bond with a dog, let alone a person.

But Ethan's answer was icy. "Not once."

Clara stood perfectly still, silent.

Ethan looked down at her. "What, Clara? Hoping I'll magically fall in love with you one day?"

Before she could reply, he delivered the final blow-sharp, cruel, and straight through the heart.

No mercy. Just pain.