CHAPTER 564: CHAPTER 552

Shirley remained composed and confident as she argued, and that left Clara shaken.

She knew that Ethan was infamous for being a flirt, marred with scandals involving numerous ladies. Still, they were willing to throw themselves at him. Only Shirley was different-because Ethan was the one enslaving himself to her.

And that alone was why Clara paled in comparison.

"If my hunch is right, you must be the thick-skinned type who chased Ethan around for a long time before he finally got interested, right?’

Shirley studied Clara from head to toe, shaking her head with disdain. "If you’ve been around Ethan long enough, you’d know that you’re not his type at all. He just happened to need someone to help him through this painful time-or, if I had to put it plainly, beggars can’t be choosers. Anything is fine, and even if it wasn’t you, it would be someone else.

"And now that I’m back, you’re pointless as a replacement."

"Enough!"

Ethan snapped, unable to restrain himself any longer. ’How unreasonable can you get? You’re the one who gave up, and now you’re being clingy?

How did I hurt you when you were the one who refused to let me be happy?!

His bloodshot eyes were reddened in pain.

Shirley was the first woman he was willing to be serious with, the one he’d given up his womanizing for. He gave her his heart and then some, and he was hell-bent on making her the happiest woman in the world.

And yet, that heart of passion was trampled all over, leaving a bloody mask. So what if he loved her? So what if she was his one and only?

He was tired of it all and refused to play this game. All he wanted was someone he was comfortable with, to live with her in plain contentment...

"I was just confused and made a mistake, Ethan. Give me a chance to make things right, alright?"

Shirley held his gaze, demolishing the fort he had built around his heart with every step.

"You know you love me, and you just needed someone to rebound. But that won’t work, and you’d only hurt others in return. Don’t you think this is very selfish of you?"

Ethan’s eyes flash, his fingers clenching.

He had to admit that Shirley’s words more or less brought him to his senses.

Despite the last night’s vow, and now that his head was clear, he began to wonder if he actually even loved Clara at all.

Even he could not tell!

And Clara could see all of Ethan’s pain and confusion, her heart aching with every passing second.

"Do you love me, Ethan?"

She looked at him, waiting for his answer.

"I..."

Ethan’s eyes quivered, and he could not answer.

"Fine, I get it."

Clara said nonchalantly, "I know that you’re just confused. Don’t worry. I won’t bother you, so,do have a proper talk with the star actress-it’s not easy finding true love these days, so learn to cherish what you have."

She patted him on the shoulder and shrugged, unconcerned. "I won’t lie. I was playing too.

Clara’s tone was firm because she didn’t want either of them to have any regrets. She left the apartment and took the elevator downstairs, and wasn’t surprised to find that Ethan didn’t come after her. Clara’s lip curled in disgust, and she wiped her tears away furiously. "Ugh, all

men are pigs! There’s no end to their greed!"

At that moment, she felt as if she had been sinking into an abyss she couldn’t pull herself out of.

Come to think of it, she was probably cursed to only have one-sided loves- first with William Jones, now with Ethan Stuart. All she ever amounted to was the ’rebound’... fated to return to the sidelines once the actual love interest returned.

It was tragic.

Was this fate? If it was, maybe she should just do away with love for the rest of her life!

Clara soon returned to Carmine Pawnshop, cutting a miserable figure. However, when she stepped through the front door, there was a loud ’pop’ overhead as confetti rained down on her.

"Welcome back, Miss Blackwood!"

Chase had a saucer of olive oil, anointing her to do away with bad luck, while Joanna

unleashed party poppers all around in celebration. They had been waiting for her for some time now, and happily celebrated her return.

"It’s been hard on you, Clara!" Joanna had puffy eyes as she gave Clara a bear hug. Her eyes gleamed as she whispered excitedly, "So? How did it go last night? Did you manage to seal the deal?"

The chemistry between them had been all too obvious last night, and Joanna was convinced that it was just a matter of time. Luck had not been on their side for a

while now, so Joanna would be happy if Clara managed to find love.

"Joanna, don’t mention that name around me ever again if you consider me your friend... or it’s over between us," Clara told Joanna and everyone else, her tone uncharacteristically grim.

She had been hurt terribly, so it was only natural that she wanted to distance herself from everything related to that man.

"Well... Alright, as long as you’re home." Joanna could not bring herself to ask Clara what happened, despite her overwhelming curiosity. Inwardly, she was cursing Ethan—what on earth did he do to hurt Clara so badly?

Nonetheless, after half a watermelon, two mangoes, three packs of cherries, dozens of grilled skewers, and a pot of stewed mutton, Clara felt slightly better.

She burped in satisfaction and slammed her hand on the table as she declared, "Men are all just condiments. They’re nowhere as delightful as a good meal, so getting sad over them would just be bringing myself unnecessary grief."

"Exactly! They are just condiments-they’re just nice sometimes, but they’re not a necessity,"

Joanna echoed.

"Cheers!" Both women exclaimed as they clinked glasses.

Joanna was supposed to only be Clara’s chaperone, but somehow her sadness also arose as she drank, and she began to complain through tears and snot, "I’m telling you, Clara, Ethan isn’t that bad... When it comes to people like Ace Moran, you’ll be left wondering why you’re even alive... Did you know he completely forgot about me? He’d even be lovey-dovey

with Seraphina right in front of me! I’m supposed to be his wife, but I feel like the other woman now. Do you know how much that hurts?"