Want My Womb? I'll Make You Childless novel Chapter 61

< Chapter 61

Chapter 61

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The clicking of camera shutters and the murmur of the crowd gradually faded, leaving only the sound of Ryan Walker’s footsteps. He knocked gently on the door, his voice laced with concern, “Clara, it’s me. Are you okay?”

“Clara?”

Silence from inside. Ryan’s heart sank. He contacted the building management, got the spare key, and unlocked the door.

The apartment was silent. His brow furrowed as he heard a faint noise coming from the bedroom.

He turned to see the bedroom door ajar, Clara standing in the doorway, looking at him.

Ryan closed the front door behind him and walked softly toward her.”Clara, it’s okay now. Can you open the door? I’ll get you out of here.”

Clara took a shaky step back. Ryan pushed the door open to find her eyes red-rimmed, a bloody paring knife in her left hand, and a startling gash on her right wrist, droplets of blood trickling from her fingertips.

Ryan’s pupils dilated, his heart seized in a painful clench. He rushed forward, heedless of the danger, snatching the knife from Clara’s hand and pressing firmly on the wound.

“Why would you do something so foolish? What’s so insurmountable?”

“If you just die like this, aren’t you just hurting the ones who care about you and pleasing your enemies?”

He rummaged through the bedside table for a first-aid kit, disinfected the wound. Fortunately, it wasn’t deep enough to require stitches. He applied a large bandage, wrapped gauze around it several times, and only relaxed when he saw no more blood seeping through.

“I have no family. No one would grieve for me.”

Her words made Ryan pause.”Who says that? Think about Lila. She’s so attached to you. Can you bear

“And Blade’s development isn’t finished yet. What about the subsequent research without you?”

Hearing this, a flicker of light returned to Clara’s lifeless eyes. “I’m sorry. I acted impulsively.”

“Good to hear you’ve cleared your head.”

to hurt her?”

Ryan took off his jacket and draped it over Clara’s head.”There are still reporters outside. Let’s get you back to Nova AI first.”

“Okay.”

Clara’s legs felt weak, and she stumbled, nearly falling, but Ryan caught her just in time.

His eyes drifted to the bottle of antidepressants on the nightstand, and his brow furrowed.

The apartment door swung open, and the reporters in the hallway surged forward at the sound, the click of cameras firing in rapid succession, microphones nearly hitting Clara in the face.

Instantly, Ryan turned sideways, shielding her with his body, his arm wrapped securely around her shoulder, protecting her completely.

“Move.”

One influencer, not giving up, pushed forward, asking, “Ms. Bennett, did you really leak the information? Is what Mr. Walker said in the statement true?”

Looking at the microphone almost touching her face, Clara recoiled.

Ryan didn’t break his stride, reaching out to push the person back, sending their phone crashing to the floor.

The influencer glared at Ryan, but met his icy stare.”Bring the receipt to Nova AI, and I’ll reimburse you. If you harass her again, I won’t hesitate to find out how you got here.”

The raw, murderous intent in his eyes shocked the crowd, and they took a step back, creating a path.

Ryan kept Clara close, his hand extended outwards, making sure she was shielded while avoiding any unnecessary physical contact.

“Let’s go. Ignore them.”

They took the elevator down to the underground parking garage, where Benjamin was already waiting. Once they were in the car, he noticed Clara’s pale face and turned up the car’s heat a couple of degrees.

“It’s okay. Chin up, this will pass.”

Ryan patted Clara’s back and handed her a bottle of water.

Clara gazed at the contours of his face, a sudden warmth blooming within her.

She didn’t seem to… mind his touch.

The car pulled up in front of Nova AI. Benjamin got out first to clear the way, while Ryan helped Clara out of the car and guided her slowly

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< Chapter 61

inside.

Just as they entered the lobby, they saw Ethan and Natalie standing by the reception desk. Natalie was wearing a sophisticated suit, her arm linked with Ethan’s.

Ethan caught sight of Clara, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. He took a step as if to approach, but Natalie tugged on his wrist.

“Mr. Hayes.”

Seeing the trio enter, Natalie spoke up, her tone laced with displeasure.

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“We just signed the collaboration agreement this morning, and something like this happens in the afternoon. Nova AI needs to give Apex an explanation, don’t you think?”

Benjamin Hayes was already displeased with Natalie Parker for pressuring Nova Al into the collaboration through Commander Evans, so he didn’t give her a pleasant look now.

“Our collaboration was initiated at Ms. Parker’s request. If you feel this incident has an impact, we can terminate the collaboration now.”

Natalie Parker’s face flushed red from Benjamin Hayes’s retort. She looked up at Ethan Carter, only to find his gaze fixed on Ryan Walker and Clara Bennett.

Clara Bennett didn’t even spare them a glance. Supported by Ryan Walker, she walked straight toward the lounge.

“Clara!”

Natalie Parker suddenly called out to her, “This whole mess happened because you leaked information. Don’t you think you owe everyone an explanation?”

Clara Bennett stopped and turned around.

Her eyes still held a hint of redness, and her tone was full of sarcasm.”Now that even the National Security Agency has determined that I didn’t leak any information, does Ms. Parker believe her investigative skills are superior to the NSA’s?”

“If you claim I leaked information, please provide evidence.”

She glanced at Ethan Carter.”You can’t just pin labels on me simply because you have Mr. Carter backing you, can you?”

Clara didn’t spare them another glance. “If you’re looking for answers, go talk to Mason. After all, he’s already confessed to being the one who reported it.”

Natalie was speechless, her face alternating between green and white with fury. She could only glare at Clara’s retreating back as she disappeared into the lounge.

Ethan stood rooted to the spot, his eyes dark and unfathomable as a deep pool. His fist clenched involuntarily.

Inside the lounge, Ryan helped Clara to a seat, handing her a glass of water.”Nicely done,” he said.

“Seeing you like this puts my mind at ease.”

Clara took the glass, sipped the water, and remained silent.

Seeing her looking like a wronged wife, and remembering Ethan standing with Natalie at the front desk, Ryan scoffed.

“Ethan is really something else. His own wife is going through hell, and instead of being there for her, he’s keeping Natalie company, demanding answers from Nova AI.”

Clara traced the rim of her glass, a flash of pain in her eyes.”He wouldn’t care,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.

“How else would those reporters dare to report this and camp outside my door? It couldn’t have happened without his implicit approval.”

The thought of the reporters swarming her doorstep sent a wave of irritation through Clara.”No, I have to call the police and have them investigate how they got my address.”

Ryan considered it for a moment, then said, “I’ll contact the police. You get some rest.”

As they were talking, the door to the lounge opened, and Ethan walked in. His eyes landed on Clara, and he said to Ryan, “I need to talk to her. Can you leave us alone?”

Ryan glanced at Clara, and when she nodded, he got up and left.

“You shouldn’t have said those things to Natalie. She just wanted an explanation.”

Clara looked down, her fingers tracing the edge of the bandage on her wrist, and a pang of pain shot through her heart.

Back at the horse farm, Natalie and Jackson had embarrassed her in front of Commander Evans, and Ethan hadn’t said a word.

Now, she had simply thrown those words back at them, and he was already here, eager to criticize her.

Ethan’s

‘s gaze lingered on the stark white bandage for a few seconds, and he sighed. “Move back home, agree to have another child, and I’ll take care of everything online.”

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< Chapter 61

“Ethan, I’m a person, not your personal baby-making machine!”

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Clara felt a surge of anger rise from the depths of her heart. Remembering the text message she’d received from Attorney Brown, she no longer wanted to play games with this man.

“You must have received the court summons, right?”

“Ethan, I’ll see you in court in a week. I’m divorcing you, for good!”