Clara stopped short after entering the living room, and Seth halted behind her.

Clara didn’t turn around immediately. Now that they were alone, she suddenly felt hesitant to look at him.

Seth wasn’t in a hurry. He casually tucked his hands into his pockets, his smiling eyes fixed on her somewhat stiff back. He knew she was feeling a little awkward.

He just waited, watching to see how long she would take before turning to face him.

When Clara finally steeled herself and spun around, she saw Seth watching her with a smile in his eyes, his posture relaxed and casual.

She instinctively froze for a moment before snapping back to reality. Her gaze flickered, avoiding his eyes as she said, "About before... thank you."

’Thank you for defending me like that!’

Watching her, Seth couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle. "No need for thanks. Don’t forget, I’m your man. It’s only natural for a man to protect his woman."

’His words made Clara’s face flush red to the tips of her ears. She had only said that off-the-cuff to clap back at Autumn Shelby, okay? But he actually took it seriously!’

Clara fidgeted awkwardly for a moment, then reminded herself that the words had already been said. What was there to be shy about now?

Just as she was thinking this, Seth’s voice sounded from above her. "When did you get here?"

Clara recalled the scene she’d witnessed upon arrival and couldn’t help but pout. "Around the time certain people were wrapped up in a hug."

The words, the tone—anyone could tell she was jealous.

Her jealousy made Seth even happier, but he knew the misunderstanding had to be cleared up.

Seth spread his hands in an innocent gesture. "She hugged me all of a sudden. I didn’t hug her back."

When Autumn Shelby had knocked, he’d thought it was Clara. But when he opened the door, it was Autumn who came in.

Clara couldn’t help but carefully recall the moment. It did seem that Autumn was the one hugging Seth, while his hands were just hanging by his sides. She had just assumed at the time that they were embracing each other, so she hadn’t paid close attention to the details.

Seeing that she seemed to believe him, Seth smiled and raised an eyebrow. "What? You’re jealous?"

"Who—who’s jealous? Of course not!" she denied stubbornly, but her heart felt inexplicably sweet.

"Alright, alright, you’re not jealous." Seth stopped teasing her. It was time to get down to business. His expression turned serious as he asked, "So... my conversation with Autumn Shelby, you heard all of it?"

Clara hesitated for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

’She originally thought Seth had summoned her to discuss their divorce, but instead, she’d overheard that conversation.’

Seeing her nod, Seth continued, "Just as you heard, Autumn and I have known each other since we were children. And growing up, she was always the only woman around me. Everyone just naturally saw us as a couple.

When we came of marriageable age, both our sets of parents naturally considered her my future wife. Back then, I figured all women were more or less the same. Marrying one was like marrying any other, and marrying a stranger would be more complicated than marrying someone I knew like Autumn. It was just simpler that way. So, Autumn and I got engaged and even set a wedding date."

"But not long before the wedding, she suddenly disappeared. The reason the Shelby Family gave was that she had a case of cold feet and had gone abroad to clear her head. I wanted to call off the engagement right then and there, but the Shelbys said she’d be back in a month and asked me to wait."

"I figured finding another wife would be a hassle anyway, so I agreed. But after a month, the Shelbys came and said she still hadn’t completely overcome her cold feet, asking me to extend the wait to three months. I initially refused, but the Shelby Family got my parents to help persuade me, so I agreed again."