Chapter 82

82 82. Telling the Truth

Dave read the paper in his hands, trembling. At first, he was a little confused. However, he immediately understood after reading Clara’s name on the test results. His gray eyes stared awkwardly at Clara, rereading the test results even though he knew nothing would change.

“This must be a mistake,” Dave said with trembling hands. His face was pale, as white as the color of Clara’s bedroom walls.

“It wasn’t a mistake, Dave,” Clara whispered, smiling bitterly. “Not at all.”

Silence fell over Clara’s room. They could only stare at each other in silence. Clara swallowed hard. The word she was about to say next would definitely hurt Dave.

“I haven’t taken pills for a year,” Clara said, smiling bitterly.

“What?” Dave asked in disbelief, not expecting it because he’d never imagined Clara would lie about birth control. “You said that-”

“I lied. I want us to get married soon. I’m trying to get pregnant so we can get married soon. But there’s no result, right?” Clara looked away and didn’t want to look at Dave at all. “And that’s what I got. No pregnancy.”

Dave shook his head, unable to believe Clara’s statement.

“I wanted to do a fertility test immediately, but I was afraid of the results. I’m such a coward,” Clara paused for a moment, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I think we can adopt a child later if you are the infertile one. However, when I found out that you impregnated Lea, just by a one-night stand, I immediately knew that I was the infertile one.”

.....

Clara gulped, biting her lower lip. She wiped the tears, turning her attention to Dave. “The test confirmed all my worries.”

Dave shook his head in disbelief. His eyes glistened with tears. His lips trembled, unable to say a word.

Clara couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. If only she wasn’t applying waterproof mascara, her face would look hideous by now because of the smudged mascara.

“You’re not doing this to kick me out of your life, are you?” Dave asked in suspicion, making sure that Clara wasn’t lying.

“Did you think I would use my abilities to do dirty things?” asked Clara irritably. “I’m a doctor, there’s no way I could lie to you in this way.”

Out there, there were indeed one or two doctors who used their skills to deceive people. However, Dave’s suspicions almost made Clara want to slap him because she felt that her profession was belittled.

“We have to keep this a secret from our parents,” Dave said later, pleading with Clara not to rush into a decision. He fixed his glasses, staring at his fiancee hopefully.

“What do you mean? Do you want your father to keep hoping that he will have a grandchild from me?” Clara snapped loudly, her hazel eyes smoldering with anger. “It would be best if we ended all this quickly.”

“Baby, we can adopt a child later! And our parents don’t need to know about this!” Dave was adamant. He didn’t want to lose Clara, no matter what.

“And why should you adopt a child when you’re already expecting your own, Dave?” Clara raged. “Don’t give me any nonsense ideas!”

“Clara, look! You have to keep this a secret from our parents because I guarantee that they will not be able to accept this easily. They can-”

Clara shook her head quickly. “Deceiving them would be the worst, Dave!”

Clara immediately snatched the test paper from Dave’s hands and immediately stomped out of the room, and back to the dining room. At first, she did not intend to tell everyone but her parents and Dave. However, anger had overtaken her. It wouldn’t make any difference if she had to say this to Dave’s parents too. The pain would only increase a little.

Confidently, Clara walked through the hall. She could only hear the sound of stilettos against the shiny marble floor. She was half running because Dave was after her for sure. She was lucky since the dining room was second next to her room.

Arriving at the dining room, Clara caught her breath as she looked at everyone and said, “I have something to tell you ....”

Everyone looked at Clara in amazement. Clara swallowed heavily. It is more difficult than she previously imagined.

“We have to call off this engagement,” Clara said in a trembling voice.

Dave, who had just arrived in the dining room, could only stare at his fiancée’s actions. The moment his gaze shifted to another, that was when he was sure that this would not end well.

“Why are you suddenly saying that Clara?” asked Marissa, she had no idea what happened between the loving couple. Just like the others.

“What kind of joke are you telling?” Patrick looked displeased. If it weren’t for the Decker’s presence, he would definitely slap Clara for saying things that didn’t go according to his plan.

“This is not a joke, dad!” Clara swallowed a few times. Her hands were drenched in a cold sweat, clenched tightly to keep her from shaking. “I ... I can’t ... I won’t be able to bear a child.”

“Liar!” Patrick immediately snapped, disagreeing with Clara’s statement.

“Clara, I get it, couples get into trouble sometimes. But anything can be discussed, dear,” Jack said casually. He knew that Clara and Dave had a problem, and he tried to convince Clara that it wasn’t a big dramatic thing. “All couples will experience that kind of thing. There’s no need to exaggerate.”

Marissa supported her husband’s statement. She smiled motherly and said, “That’s right, honey! You don’t have to make up stories.”

Meanwhile, Linda’s response was different. She believed Clara’s statement. However, she still tried to argue. “How is that possible? In our family, no one has had problems having children?”

Clara laughed bitterly at the reaction of the people around her.

“You guys are ridiculous. I’m telling the truth. Why do you think I’m making it up?” Clara shook her head, sneering at them.

“Clara, stop! We have to talk things over ... just the two of us.” Dave finally spoke up. His face paled, letting everyone know that there was indeed a big problem between the two.

“Why only the two of us, Dave? Are you afraid that everyone will find out your flaw?” quipped Clara, sneering at him.

Clara then turned to face the parents again. She smiled like a queen who refused to accept defeat. The flame flashed her eyes, and light reflected on her wavy curly brunette hair.

“But I don’t think the Johnsons need to worry about it because ... soon ... you will have a grandchild from your son,” Clara said without hesitation, confidently. Her smile was not friendly at all, letting the Johnsons know that the problem their son was facing wasn’t as simple as they thought.

“You said ... you were infertile? Did I hear wrong?” Jack asked without a smile. His eyes stared intently at Dave and Clara in turn.

“Dave and-”

“Clara, please!” Dave squeezed Clara’s hand, asking her to stop.

“What? Is this how the eldest son of the Johnsons behaves?” Clara quipped fiercely. “Coward?”

“Just continue, Clara! Tell us everything,” Patrick said with an equally sharp look. He didn’t want her daughter to be on the guilty side. “We want to know.”

Clara smiled at her father. She was happy because of her father’s support. “Dave has had a wonderful night with a woman other than me ... and she is now pregnant with his child.”

Clara’s words took everyone by surprise. All of them could only gape silently.

The Johnsons’ faces were red with embarrassment. They didn’t expect that Dave would do such a shameful thing despite having such a beautiful fiancée.

Clara gulped, looking at Dave with a faint smile. While Dave held tightness in his chest, his jaws clenched hard.

“So, with great regret, we have to call off the-”

“Impossible! It was all a mistake. A mistake that can’t change my love for Clara,” Dave interrupted quickly.

“Dave!”

“Clara, I also have the right to speak!” Dave argued seriously.

“Mr. and Mrs. Decker, I’m sorry I made a mistake. But I didn’t do that on purpose! I still want to marry Clara because she is the only woman I love.”

Clara burst out laughing. “How dare you say love after what you did?”

“I agree with Dave!” said Patrick with a burning face, making Clara shocked at her father’s statement. “No one will cancel this marriage.”

“Dad!” (Patrick!”) Clara and her mother yelled at the same time.

Clara felt as if she had been struck by lightning, not expecting her father to say something that upset her. She thought that her father would defend her.

Meanwhile, Patrick who harbored feelings of disappointment at Dave’s behavior immediately stood up and left the table. Clara chased after him because she did not accept his father’s decision.

After a few seconds of chasing Patrick, Clara was finally able to overtake and block her father’s steps.

“Dad, wait! Why do you keep forcing me to marry the man who cheated on me?” she asked disapprovingly.

Patrick stared blankly, looking sharply at his daughter with his hazel eyes. “This is a marriage of convenience, there’s nothing to do with your feelings.”