No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian) novel Chapter 223

On the other side of the hospital, Ian had just reached for his phone with the intention of calling Clara, wondering why she hadn't returned yet when the door to his room swung open.

Heidi, all smiles and without a trace of last night's ejection from the room, stood in the doorway, pushing Leonora in a wheelchair.

"Ian, Leonora asked me to bring her over to check on you."

Ian's good mood evaporated at their arrival. Annoyed, he snapped, "You just woke up, and you're already not resting. What are you wandering around for?"

Leonora, pale but with an unyielding spirit, glared at Ian's wound and blurted out, "All for Clara, huh? Besides trouble, what's so good about her that you can't get her out of your head?"

A chill flashed in Ian's eyes. "She's my girl, and how I treat her is my business. Living or dying for her is my choice, and I don't need anyone else's opinion!"

"Ian, I'm your mother. Don't you even listen to me anymore?"

"Maybe in the past, but since you played a part in the death of my child, you lost that right. If it weren't for the fact that you saved Grandma Rose, do you think you'd still be in the Hayes family?"

Leonora, coughing from her fury, insisted, "What's so bad about Heidi? How is she inferior to Clara? Besides, she's the one you've been betrothed to since childhood. You can't be so heartless."

Ian scoffed coldly, "Really? Was she truly the one I was betrothed to as a kid?"

That single question made both women's hearts skip a beat, but it was quickly suppressed.

Heidi quickly attempted to diffuse the tension with a smile, "Leonora, I don't feel slighted. Even if Ian never marries me, I'll always take care of you."

Leonora, touched by Heidi's loyalty, patted her hand. "Don't worry, I won't let you be wronged."