The name on the glowing phone screen burned itself into Selena's mind.
Clara.
Her chest tightened as though invisible fingers squeezed her lungs. She turned to Nolan, her voice trembling but sharp.
"Who is she?"
Nolan cursed under his breath and reached for the phone, but Selena snatched it first, clutching it to her chest.
"Don't," she warned. Her eyes were fierce despite the tears threatening to fall. "Don't you dare hide this from me."
"Selena—" He reached for her, but she pulled back, shoving herself off the bed. The sheet slipped around her, baring her trembling body, but she didn't care.
Her heart was racing too fast, her thoughts a mess of betrayal and fear.
"You said I could trust you," she whispered. "You said you didn't want to lose me. And yet—" She held up the buzzing phone. "Who. Is. Clara?"
Nolan rubbed his face, his jaw tight. "It's not what you think."
Selena let out a bitter laugh. "That's the oldest line in the book."
"Damn it, Selena, listen!" His voice cracked, raw and desperate. He stood, completely bare, vulnerability etched into his posture. "Clara is part of my past. Someone I should've cut out long ago. But she won't leave me alone."
Selena's breath caught. "So she is another woman."
"Yes," he admitted, shoulders slumping. "But not like that. Not anymore."
Her stomach twisted. Not anymore. The words sliced deep, leaving behind images she didn't want to picture.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "Why hide her? Why let me fall for you without knowing you're still… entangled?"
His eyes burned with anguish. "Because I was afraid you'd run. Because you've already been hurt, and I didn't want you to see me as another man who would break you."
The confession cracked something inside her. She wanted to believe him. God, she wanted to. But the shadow of Clara stood between them, heavy and suffocating.
"Selena," Nolan said, stepping closer. "I swear to you, I'm not with her. She doesn't matter. You do. Only you."
Her tears slipped free, hot trails down her cheeks. "Then prove it. Show me I'm not just a replacement. Show me you mean it."
His lips crashed against hers before she could say more, desperate and punishing. She fought him at first, shoving at his chest, but his arms wrapped around her like iron, refusing to let go.
"Damn it, Selena," he groaned against her mouth. "You're not a replacement. You're the only thing that feels real."
Her resistance broke, her body betraying her heart. She clung to him, their kiss turning from anger to anguish, from anguish to fire.
Nolan lifted her, pressing her back against the wall, his hands roaming, his mouth devouring hers. The phone slipped from her hand, forgotten, as heat consumed them both.
She gasped as his lips trailed down her neck, biting softly, marking her as his. "Nolan…"
"Say you believe me," he begged between kisses. "Say you won't leave me."
Her moan escaped before she could stop it, her fingers threading through his hair. "I… I don't know if I can—"
"I'll make you know," he growled, sliding into her with a roughness that stole her breath.
Selena's cry echoed through the room, mingling with his groans. He thrust into her, each movement raw, desperate, claiming. The wall shook with the rhythm of their bodies colliding, the air heavy with the sounds of their need.
Her nails dug into his back, her tears mixing with sweat as pleasure and pain blurred into one. "Nolan!"
"You're mine," he rasped, burying his face in her neck. "No shadow, no past, no one else—just you."
The sincerity in his broken voice shattered her. She gave herself over to him completely, her body arching, her moans filling the room as wave after wave consumed her.
They collapsed onto the bed again, tangled in sheets and sweat, their breaths ragged. For a long moment, neither spoke.
Selena lay there, chest rising and falling, her mind a battlefield. The passion was undeniable, but so was the weight of the unanswered questions.
She turned her head slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Will she let you go?"
Nolan's silence was louder than any answer.
The room chilled.
And then—
A sharp knock rattled the apartment door.
Selena sat up, clutching the sheet around her. Nolan's body tensed, his jaw tightening.
Another knock. Louder.
Selena's heart pounded. "Who… who is that?"
Nolan didn't move.
The door opened.
And there she was.
A woman with sleek black hair, sharp eyes, and a smile that dripped venom.
"Hello, Nolan," Clara said smoothly. Her gaze flicked to Selena, wrapped in sheets, trembling on the bed. Her smile widened. "I see I've interrupted."
Chapter 14 brings the confrontation readers have been waiting for. Selena demands answers, Nolan admits more than he intended, and passion collides with pain. But the true storm begins now—Clara is finally here.
NisotWrites
Clara isn't just a shadow—she's a storm. As her connection to Nolan is revealed, Selena must decide if love is enough to withstand the truth… or if she should walk away.