No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)
Chapter 212

Before, her big brother wasn't like this. He'd always put her needs at the top of his list. Could it be that he was still holding a grudge because she played the death card to force lan back to her side?

The thought brought a flicker of displeasure to Heidi's eyes. She couldn't afford to lose her brother, her ace in the hole to keep lan in check. So, she picked up Edwin's favorite midnight snack, a box of greasy, mouth-watering pizza slices, and headed straight over to his place.

When she arrived, she found his house eerily quiet. Edwin wasn't home. Heidi wandered restlessly from room to room, and just when boredom was about to consume her, she noticed a snowy white plush bunny sitting atop the study desk.

With a joyous squeal, she darted in and hugged the bunny, peppering it with kisses. Every ounce of annoyance evaporated like morning mist.

Her brother did care after all. She'd only mentioned in passing that she wanted that bunny, and lo and behold, he'd gotten it for her.

Clutching the bunny, she spun around in the office chair, lost in her own giddy world. That was when she noticed a sheet of drawing paper on the desk, depicting the smooth back of a girl. Even from just a silhouette, one could tell the girl had an enviable figure.

Heidi assumed it was a sketch Edwin had done out of longing for his unrequited love. Perhaps he did this for fun.

However, as she leaned in closer, she saw a pink petal birthmark adorning the girl's elegant shoulder blades. Her eyes widened in surprise. If her memory served her right, Clara had the exact same birthmark on her back.

Could it be that the girl Edwin was smitten with was Clara?

To confirm her suspicion, Heidi rifled through the drawers for anything related to Clara. Under no circumstances would she allow her brother to fall for her, nor would she let Clara snatch Edwin away from her again.

During her search, she stumbled upon an envelope marked "Confidential". Driven by curiosity, she opened it.

What she found inside left her dumbstruck. She slumped back into the chair as the paternity report revealed a shocking truth: she was Paolo's daughter but had no blood relation to May.

In other words, she was the child of her father's affair.

That meant she and Edwin were half-siblings, and she shared no familial ties with her beloved grandparents or her doting uncle.

What was more, the girl lan had once wanted to marry wasn't her at all.

A suffocating tightness gripped Heidi's chest. She finally understood that Edwin's recent aloofness wasn't due to busyness but a deliberate distance after learning the truth.

Was he planning to stop caring for her? Was he going to spill everything to lan? What was she supposed to do? How could she keep him tethered to her?

Her eyes returned to the drawing. Then a cold chill settled in their depths.

A memory surfaced. It was something Victoria had once said to her, "She's not even my own flesh and blood. If she dies, I won't shed a tear."

Clara wasn't Victoria's child. So, whose was she? Why did the birthmark on her skin match the one in the portrait?

Heidi couldn't bear to continue the thought. Her head throbbed with pain. Her heart felt as if it was tearing apart.

Her hands clutched the bunny's ears so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and her body shook uncontrollably. "No way. It just can't be!" she muttered to herself in a mantra of denial.

In the midst of her terror, she heard Edwin's footsteps downstairs. Quickly she put everything back in place, tidied up the desk, and hid inside the closet.

Edwin entered the room and sat down in the chair, picking up the drawing and whispering softly, "My sister, I will replace you."