Billionaires with Benefits

159 159. The Missing Puzzle

Clara entered the yard of the Decker’s house with trembling legs and heavy steps. She never thought her life choices would be this heavy. She didn’t expect that she still felt afraid to approach her parents’ house.

Once she opened the door, her father and mother were waiting in front of the living room. Patrick’s eyes were bloodshot, a sign he already knew what was going on. Dave had probably already told his parents. Patrick must have gotten the news from Dave’s parents.

Of course, no one meant bad deeds. The sudden cancellation of a wedding would make anyone feel panicked. Of course, Dave’s parents wanted to make sure the news was true.

However, Patrick, who didn’t know why Clara suddenly made a decision without talking to him first, made the man feel furious.

As soon as Clara entered the living room, Patrick’s hard slap landed on his daughter’s cheek. “How dare you make your own decision. Do you think this marriage is only between you and Dave? Have you never thought of our interests one bit?”

Fresh blood flowed down the side of Clara’s lips. The red palm print on her cheek made her pretty face look inflamed.

“Patrick! Stop it!” Linda, who earlier could only cry, tried to prevent her husband from venting out all his frustration on Clara.

“She is so impudent! Do you think after you’re separated from Dave, there will be a man who wants to marry you?” snapped Patrick, pointing a finger at her. “It’s lucky that Dave still wanted to marry you even though he knew that you are barren. But you’re doing as you please.”

“Forgive me, dad! But I can’t live a life full of lies. Dave and I have come to a mutual agreement. We decided not to continue the wedding,” said Clara. She wasn’t going to try to explain all the reasons because she knew that Patric still wouldn’t accept her explanation.

.....

“Stupid girl!” Patrick slapped Clara again. Now Clara’s nose was bleeding. “This venomous mouth of yours makes us all wretched. It must be because Dave realized that you are a worthless barren girl after all!”

“Stop!” Linda tried to stop Patrick when her husband’s hand was about to hit Clara again. “She’s your own daughter! She is your flesh and blood! Why are you beating her mercilessly?”

However, all of Linda’s screams could only stop Patrick’s hand from doing evil deeds. The man’s mouth could not stop cursing. He couldn’t let Clara ruin all his plans.

“Cursed child! This is all because you are barren! Damn girl!” shrieked Patrick, cursing hatefully. “Crap! If you are not infertile, surely this kind of thing will never happen!”

“Patrick! What woman wants to be barren? Don’t blame Clara for her shortcomings!” defend Linda. She could no longer tolerate her husband’s actions.

“What? Do you say that she’s not wrong? An innocent girl?” Patrick’s face was full of anger, now he looked like a demon king. “If only she could maintain her behavior, this kind of thing would definitely not happen!”

Linda was getting furious. Patrick said nonsense. She had taken great care of Clara’s association. Why was her husband now saying as if Clara was a naughty teenager who escaped from parental supervision?

“Have you forgotten that Clara is a child we strictly limit her association with?” Linda defended while hugging Clara. She shielded Clara so that her husband didn’t dare to touch her daughter again.

“Get out of the way, Linda!” Patrick forced Linda. However, the woman insisted on defending Clara. She hugged Clara even tighter. “She’s a stupid girl who misbehaved.”

“You are the one who made her unable to go anywhere freely. She never sleeps over at her friend’s house. Bodyguards are escorting her. You’re not even allowed Clara to have a cell phone until she was twenty years old. Do you forget it?” she snapped again.

Patrick burst out laughing at his wife’s defense. He shook his head, unable to believe that his wife was so innocent and couldn’t see how Clara wasn’t as cute as she looked.

“If only I had implemented all the rules earlier, surely it would not have happened like this,” Patrick muttered under his breath. “If you didn’t hang out with your wild college friends from the start, you probably wouldn’t have gotten pregnant before you got engaged to Dave.”

Of course, Patrick’s last words were like lightning striking Clara’s ears. What did her father mean? She got pregnant before she got engaged to Dave? She? Pregnant?

“I was … what?” Clara asked, narrowing her eyes. She gulped hard. She looked at Linda and Patrick alternately, asking for more explanation.

“Patrick, are you kidding me? You made up stories?” Linda asked, looking back and forth between Patrick and Clara. “Clara was pregnant? Why … why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Linda looked at her daughter again, asking for a detailed explanation from her. “Can you explain to me?”

Clara could only stare at Linda blankly. She shook her head slowly. “How could I get pregnant, and I ... didn’t even know I’m pregnant?”

“Don’t pretend to be innocent, bitch!” Patrick quipped sarcastically. “You know what you did before you and Dave got engaged right? You fuck a boy, huh? You said you were smart. But you’re not smart enough to keep yourself from getting pregnant.”

Clara then remembered something. Before her engagement party, she did feel very sick. She vomited non-stop until she passed out. She was taken to the hospital. However, the doctor said nothing about pregnancy.

Suddenly, she remembered that at the hospital, doctor Evans gave her two kinds of medicine that she had to take. She had cramps and heavy bleeding afterward.

She also remembered how Abigail had panicked, asking if she had her period. The contraceptive pill she was taking had expired.

Clara looked at her father with a sharp look. Her lips trembled. “If I get pregnant, where is my baby?”

Patrick didn’t answer immediately.

“You got a miscarriage. The doctor said you can’t get pregnant again,” Patrick said in a bland voice, making Clara’s eyes widen in disbelief.