That shouldn’t be a huge problem for two people who love each other, right? As long as they talk things through, they’ll get back together.

’So, the next time she and Seth Quinn meet, it’ll probably be to get remarried, right?’

After Sarah Shelby finished her thought, she asked Clara Grant in surprise, "Seth Quinn would know more about this. Don’t tell me he hasn’t said anything to you? You asked him, and he still didn’t tell you?"

Clara Grant shook her head. "I didn’t ask him!"

"Why didn’t you ask?" Sarah Shelby frowned. She thought she had gotten through to Clara last time, but she never expected her to not follow through.

"Why should I be the one to ask him?"

Sarah Shelby was at a loss for words. At a time like this, Clara’s stubborn streak was on full display.

Clara Grant lowered her gaze and muttered, "It’s not like I care!"

Sarah Shelby was both helpless and speechless. ’She doesn’t care? She so obviously cares a great deal!’

"Oh, really? Then why did you come looking for me? Why have you cried your eyes swollen? Why did you bring up Autumn Shelby? And why are you asking me about what happened between her and Seth Quinn?"

Her barrage of questions left Clara speechless. After a long moment, she stammered, "W-who cried? I was just asking about that stuff out of curiosity, that’s all." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’Still won’t admit it. Looks like she’ll deny it to her dying day!’

Sarah Shelby rolled her eyes. "Go on, keep pretending! That Autumn Shelby woman is leagues ahead of you when it comes to scheming. What if she manages to steal Seth Quinn away again? It’ll be too late for tears by then."

’Although she didn’t think it was very likely that Autumn Shelby could actually steal Seth Quinn away, who knew? When it comes to matters of the heart, a proactive woman is a dangerous thing.’

’They say no cat will turn down fish. They also say a man will never turn down a woman who offers herself on a silver platter. When a man lets his hormones do the thinking, he’s just an animal ruled by his lower half.’

’Seth Quinn might have great self-control, but he’s still a man, isn’t he?’

’In this world, it’s not the near-certainties you have to fear, but the slim possibilities. What if that’s what happens?’

’The second reason she was saying all this was to give Clara a little push. Right now, she’s too close to the situation to see it clearly—she can’t recognize her own feelings, let alone how Seth Quinn feels about her.’

’Maybe, with a little push like this, she’d realize her own feelings, run to confess her love to Seth Quinn, and the two of them would live happily ever after.’

But a single sentence from Clara Grant made her realize that the happy ending she was daydreaming about was, after all, something that only existed in fairytales about princes and princesses.

"So what if she is? I wasn’t planning on competing with her anyway." Though she sounded dismissive, her heart was in turmoil.

’Even if I wanted to compete, I’d have to be able to win. I’m a fake, a stand-in, a tool to be used. What right do I have to compete with his *real* girlfriend?’

The indifferent words had barely left her lips when Clara Grant paused. Unable to help herself, she turned her head to look at Sarah and asked, "Are you saying that Seth Quinn and Autumn Shelby’s relationship was really that good?"

"I thought you didn’t care?" Sarah Shelby retorted instead of answering.

"...Can’t a girl be a little curious?"

"Oh, you!" Sarah Shelby sighed with a helpless smile, reaching out to poke Clara’s forehead. "You’re just being stubborn. It’s obvious you’ve fallen for him, but you’d rather die than admit it! I don’t know the details. If you want to know, go ask Seth Quinn."

This time, she wasn’t holding back out of consideration for Evan Shelby or the Shelby Family; she wanted to leave the answer for Clara to get from Seth Quinn herself.

Even so, the two of them might still need some time to work through their issues. But the course of true love never did run smooth, and a love that is hard-won is one that is cherished all the more.