No Strings Attached novel Chapter 2

She bit her lip hard, her fingers clenched around her cellphone with all the strength she could muster, and she cursed, "Ian, you jerk!"

Clara was sweating bullets from the pain. She tried to dial for emergency help, but her fingers were too weak. Finally, her vision went black, and she passed out.

When she came to, she was lying in a hospital bed. Sitting beside her was her best friend, Sasha.

As soon as Sasha saw her open her eyes, she stood up, her gaze full of concern. "Clara, how are you feeling? Are you still in pain?"

Clara looked at her blankly. "What happened to me?"

Sasha hesitated for a moment before saying, "You were pregnant, but the doctor said your uterine wall was thin to begin with. Plus, with Ian's rough... behavior, you had a miscarriage and severe bleeding."

Clara's eyes widened in disbelief. Her mind was reeling with the thought. 'I was pregnant, but the baby's gone.'

That was her and Ian's baby.

Even though she didn't know where things with Ian were headed, it would have been her first child.

Clara's fingers curled involuntarily, and tears slid down her cheeks. Sasha couldn't help but embrace her, whispering words of comfort. "You've just had surgery, and you can't cry, darling. Once you're better, I'll introduce you to a bunch of hunks. They'll make you forget all about that bastard!"

"That scumbag Ian. He doesn’t care about your life, and he even cheats on you right in front of your eyes? Doesn't he think karma's gonna bite him?"

Clara's heart ached more than if a thousand arrows had pierced it. She clutched Sasha with a cold hand, her voice choked and barely able to speak. She was thinking of the child that was lost before its time, thinking of the man she had loved for seven years. She just couldn't calm herself down.

After a long while, Clara finally spoke. "So you saw him."

Sasha nodded. "He's on the fourth floor with Heidi. When you were in surgery, I called him from your phone to come and sign some papers, but that jerk didn't even pick up."