Ouch, it hurts like hell!
It really hurts!
Despite the pain she felt, Clarissa still forced a smile on her face.
“Uncle Matthew, I’ve done my part. Can you let me go now?” she asked.
Matthew let out a sneer and held Clarissa’s chin with his fingers, forcing her to face him with no chance of escape.
“You’re not allowed to speak such nonsense. What about the answer you promised me?” He pressured her.
Clarissa felt a surge of anger that very instant. He’s still insisting for an answer?
How could he be so shameless?
“Matthew Tyson, what do you think I am?” she blew up and roared at him. “You think I’m that slutty? Let me make it clear. I will never promise you anything in this lifetime.”
“This lifetime?” he challenged her in a calm tone. “My dear Clare, this lifetime is a long way to go. So what if you do agree to me?”
“I won’t. If I do, I would have broken my word and I don’t consider myself a Quigley anymore,” she retorted.
Wow, that’s toxic!
Clarissa felt like she had nothing to lose by being strict with herself and maintaining her dignity.
The grin on Matthew’s face widened as his dark eyes conveyed an ambiguous expression.
“We shall see,” he said.
“You don’t have to wait, because that day will never come.” She pushed him away and walked straight out of the room.
The only reason Clarissa slept on the same bed as Matthew last night was because she was in shock. Tonight, she was not going to allow him to get close to her no matter what.
She asked Mrs. Lawson to arrange a separate bedroom for her, and she made sure she locked the door so Matthew would not be able to sneak into her room in the middle of the night.
After locking the door, she lay down on bed in peace, but she couldn’t seem to fall asleep.
Undoubtedly, something was bothering her.
This was the first time she had developed feelings for a guy, and before the relationship had even gotten serious, she found that he already had a fiancée. On top of that, he treated her with little respect and dignity. However, Clarissa struggled to accept reality as she did not want to see Matthew in this light.
Beneath those layers of emotional conflict, she was upset and angry at herself for not knowing better.
While pondering on these thoughts, she fell asleep unknowingly.
By the time she woke up, it was already bright outside.
She quickly packed up her things and left without eating breakfast or saying goodbye to Matthew.
Upon returning to the hotel, Clarissa decided to pay a visit to the hospital after all.
As soon as she entered the ward, Hilary immediately grabbed the cup on her bedside table and flung it towards her. Luckily, Clarissa managed to dodge in time, or else her skull would have cracked into two.
Without any hesitation, Hilary unleashed her rage and cursed incessantly, “You stupid girl, where the hell did you go? You never picked up any of my calls! Do you even see me as your mother anymore? Or do you just wish for me to die earlier? You unfilial daughter! I’ll see you in court for abusing your mother and I’ll make sure you get blacklisted in your industry!”
Clarissa simply listened to her mother’s scolding without saying a word. After Hilary finally stopped, she took a seat next to her bed and maintained a calm expression.
“You don’t seem to be short of energy. I guess you have fully recovered. Okay, I’ll get you discharged then, and I’ll go back to the old home,” said Clarissa.
“Stop! Who said you’re allowed to leave after this?!” Hilary shouted. “I thought you were a good daughter, but now it seems that I can’t count on you to do anything good for the Quigley family. You’ve only taken care of me for a few days, and you’re already short on patience? If you take a step out of this ward, I’ll jump out the window to show the world what an unfilial daughter you are!”
Clarissa smirked coldly.
“Why are you still trying to put on an act? You were the one who tricked me into coming to D City to take care of you. Are you going to set me up on a blind date next and marry me off to someone you choose? If I refuse, what would you do next? Drug me? Do you really think I’m that stupid? I won’t fall for your tricks anymore.”
“What… what nonsense are you talking about?” Hilary was caught off guard. She looked a little flustered and embarrassed, but she still denied her daughter’s claims blatantly.
The next moment, she put on a pitiful look and whimpered, “Clary, that’s not true.”
“Then, what?” Clarissa demanded.
“Clary, I’m getting older by the day, and I really want you by my side as I grow old. My approach may be wrong, but my intention is sincere. Now that I’m aging, all I want is to spend my days with you, my dear daughter. I thought you would be able to stay with me in D City as long as you agree to the arranged marriage I plan,” Hilary explained.
Clarissa stared at Hilary, whose eyes were full of tears by now, but she was completely unmoved.
“You might need me, but Grandma needs me more,” she said.
“You can bring Grandma to D City too. I will not oppose that idea for sure. Clary, I have wronged you a lot when I was younger. Why don’t you give me a chance to make things right?” Hilary sobbed.
“I don’t need you to make it up to me after all these years,” Clarissa snapped back.
“Do you really not care about me at all? I’m your mother!” Hilary’s emotions spiraled uncontrollably.
“I will pay for your daily expenses and medical fees,” Clarissa said coldly.
“No… I don’t need your money. Clary, please don’t leave me. I’m begging you as your mother,” Hilary pleaded.
Seeing that Clarissa was firm on leaving, she got out of bed and begged her while sobbing uncontrollably. It was a pitiful sight.
Nevertheless, Clarissa remained unshaken as she prepared to leave the ward. Just as the door opened, Hilary unbuttoned her sleeves and showed Clarissa the scars on her arm out of desperation. “Clary, look. If you really go, I won’t be able to live anymore.”
Clarissa was taken aback. “What are you trying to show me?”
“These were caused by Zach—he hit me! When you disappeared the whole of yesterday, he took it out his anger on me. I’m left with no other choice, Clary. You may think that we’re in a happy relationship, but the truth is I’m terrified! Whenever he’s not in a good mood, he will hit me. I really don’t want to live like this anymore…” Hilary cried.
“Why don’t you divorce him?” asked Clarissa.
“When he’s not angry, he treats me really well. I’ve grown used to it after so many years. I——”Hilary retreated into her shell before she finished her sentence.
Nevertheless, Clarissa continued looking at her with inquiring eyes.
“Why do you insist on sending me on a blind date?” she questioned.
“It’s because… he plans on benefitting from your arranged marriage. I’ve told him that you’re not his biological daughter but he doesn’t care. Clary, it’s just a blind date. Why don’t you stay and see how it goes first? If all these blind dates don’t work out, he will stop insisting and he won’t take it out on me anymore. Please, I’m begging you.” Hilary wept.
“You should sue him for domestic violence,” said Clarissa.
“I know, I know. Once I reach my limit, I will file for divorce. But as of now, I can’t do that yet. Why don’t you help me out this time, Clary? I promise there won’t be any danger involved. If you don’t feel safe, I can go with you. Just show up to the blind date first. You can reject the match at the end, and Zach won’t have anything to say,” Hilary replied.
By now, Clarissa could not ignore the shocking scars on Hilary’s arm.
She kept quiet, indicating that she agreed to her mother’s request. Hilary then heaved a huge sigh of relief and quickly brought her back into the ward to have a seat.
After Clarissa verbally expressed her consent to the blind date, Hilary made arrangements for her accommodation. Then, they chatted about old times and brought up happy memories that they shared with Clarissa’s biological father.
Later on, Clarissa met up with Ellie but did not disclose the real reason behind her trip to D City.
She only mentioned that she was back because her mother was sick.
She did not tell Ellie about the other two incidents with Luke and Matthew either. Since she would not be meeting them again, she didn’t feel the need to disclose their earlier encounters.
However, it was a small world out there.
That night, when she was out partying with Ellie and Damon, she bumped into Luke unexpectedly.
Luke didn’t seem to be in a good mood at that time. Aggravated by the lady next to him, he pushed her away violently, causing her to knock into Clarissa.
“What the hell are you doing? Don’t you have eyes?” Ellie shouted at Luke and his companion while she held onto Clarissa.
Luke’s sullen expression suddenly changed when he turned around and saw Ellie’s group.
Meanwhile, Damon asked anxiously, “Clare, are you alright?”
Clarissa shook her head, feeling upset that she was always prone to bad luck. That very moment, Luke walked over and scanned Damon from head to toe.
Clearly, Ellie and Damon knew who he was.
Without sparing him any embarrassment, Ellie said, “Luke, if you’re here to hook up with girls, get a room. Don’t make a fool of yourself out here.”
“No,” Luke retorted.
Noticing that Clarissa bowed down her head and looked rather withdrawn, he felt puzzled.
Damon then glared back at Luke and said displeasingly, “What are you looking at, Luke? She is our friend, not one of those girls you can simply hook up with.”
“Your friend?” Luke chuckled. “Since she’s your friend, why don’t you introduce her to me? I don’t mind making a new friend. Come on, what’s her name?”
“Hi, I’m Clarissa Quigley,” Clarissa forced a smile and introduced herself.
Luke’s smile turned sinister when he caught a glimpse of the innocent glimmer in her eyes.
“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Quigley. I’m Luke Harrison,” he greeted her.
Damon sensed ill intent from Luke and quickly interrupted, “Alright, let’s go in.”
However, Luke insisted on following them. “It just so happens that I’m free tonight. Can I tag along? Would that be okay with Ms. Quigley?” he asked.
“Don’t you have a female companion with you? Why would you want to follow us?” Ellie protested.
Luke turned to look at his female companion with a certain expression, and she left immediately. Then, he spread his arms and said, “Well, can I follow you guys now?”
