After leaving Seth Quinn’s apartment, Clara Grant had originally intended to go straight back to the film set. But her heart ached, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying, so she went to find Sarah Shelby instead.

Sarah was her best and most dependable friend. No matter how much of a mess she was, Sarah would never laugh at her.

"Sarah, did you know? Autumn Shelby is back." For some reason, those were the first words out of Clara’s mouth when she saw Sarah.

She hadn’t wanted to bring up Seth Quinn, or anyone or anything related to him, but she just couldn’t stop herself. The words tumbled out subconsciously.

As Clara said this, she sat with her legs drawn up, clutching a throw pillow. Her chin rested on top of it as she stared blankly into space, her thoughts a mystery.

At the mention of Autumn Shelby’s name, Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. "Who?" she asked reflexively.

"Autumn Shelby. Seth Quinn’s former fiancée!" Clara’s eyes flickered toward Sarah.

’Autumn Shelby is back?’ 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

After a moment of stunned silence, Sarah began to feel a pang of guilt.

She genuinely hadn’t known about Autumn Shelby’s return. But she had known that Autumn Shelby was her half-sister—and that this same half-sister was once Seth Quinn’s fiancée. These were things she had never told Clara.

Because of this, she always felt she owed her best friend. And now, hearing Clara’s words felt like a direct accusation.

Sarah’s gaze shifted nervously. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Clara let out a soft "Huh?" "Autumn Shelby... Sarah Shelby," Clara mused aloud. "Sarah, is this Autumn Shelby related to you? To the Shelby Family?"

No wonder the name Autumn Shelby had sounded so familiar when she first heard it at The Tuberose. She just hadn’t been in the right headspace to dwell on it at the time.

Now, looking at her friend Sarah Shelby, it clicked. Autumn Shelby, Sarah Shelby. The names were so similar, like they belonged to sisters.

’Could this Autumn Shelby be Sarah’s sister?’

The thought had barely formed in her mind when she heard Sarah’s voice. "Yes. She’s my half-sister."

Even though she’d just connected the dots, Clara was still visibly shocked. Sarah had never, ever mentioned a sister to her.

Sarah wasn’t on good terms with anyone in the Shelby Family except for Evan Shelby. So, it wasn’t surprising that she’d never brought up her family before, or Autumn for that matter.

’But from the looks of it, she knew Autumn was Seth Quinn’s fiancée! And even after I got together with Seth, she never said a word!’

’Even the last time I came here to vent after that fight with Seth, she didn’t mention it!’

An unsettling feeling stirred in Clara’s heart.

Sarah saw the look on her face, took a deep breath, and continued. "Clara, I’m so sorry. We’re best friends. I should have told you about this, maybe as soon as I realized something was happening between you and Seth, and definitely when I found out you two got married.

"But she’s a Shelby. She’s my father’s daughter. Even if she’s a complete stranger to me and I don’t care about the Shelby Family, I still have to think about my dad and mom.

"Back then, when Seth Quinn unilaterally called off the engagement, it hit the Shelby Family hard. We became the talk of Novaria. My dad was furious and ordered that no one was to breathe a single word about it to anyone.

"I don’t like Autumn—I actually hate her. But for my dad’s sake, and to make life easier for my mom in the Shelby household, I chose to keep it from you.

"Because I was sure that even if I didn’t tell you, Seth would. He’d tell you everything about him and Autumn, and you two would be happy regardless."

After she finished, Sarah stared intently at Clara. "Clara," she asked, "can you forgive me for this?"

She looked incredibly nervous.