When she turned around, she saw Rowan Linden standing in the doorway, his hands tucked into his pockets. Seeing them separate, Rowan stepped inside. He glanced at Seth Quinn and said languidly, "Seth, you’d better exercise some restraint. Now isn’t the time for any... strenuous activity."

His words instantly made Clara Grant’s face turn as red as a boiled lobster.

Seth Quinn, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered at all. Far from being fazed, he was in high spirits and gave Rowan Linden a smirk. "What brings you here again?"

Rowan Linden stood by the bed, looking down on him. He raised an eyebrow. "I was worried, so I came back to check on you. But..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Clara Grant, who was sitting beside them with her head lowered, before continuing, "...it looks like there’s nothing to worry about after all."

Clara Grant, of course, caught the teasing in his tone. She immediately shot to her feet and said, her eyes downcast, "You two can chat. I’ll... I’ll just go take out the trash."

With that, she grabbed the takeout bag and hurried out, not daring to lift her head.

Seth Quinn’s unhurried voice followed her out. "See? You scared my girl. Now she’s even running off to throw out the trash herself."

Clara Grant’s feet faltered, and she nearly stumbled.

Once she was gone, Rowan Linden and Seth Quinn both looked at each other.

"You two seem to be getting along well now," Rowan Linden remarked, looking at Seth Quinn with a small smile.

"Mm," Seth Quinn nodded, making no effort to hide his smugness and good mood. "Not bad at all."

"Did you tell her the truth about that whole situation yourself?" Rowan Linden asked.

Seth Quinn frowned slightly. Rowan Linden’s question was a reminder. He’d been so focused on how to explain himself and earn her forgiveness that he’d completely forgotten to ask how she found out in the first place.

He remembered being in the car when Clara seemed to receive a message from someone. After reading it, she had asked him that one question: "Does Cherie really have a congenital heart defect?"

’Thinking back, it must have been that message that told her.’

’But who could have sent it?’

But one thing was certain: whoever sent it was trying to drive a wedge between him and Clara. Their goal was probably to make her leave him.

’Actually, it wasn’t hard to guess who it might be. There were only a handful of people who wanted him and Clara to break up.’

’And the most likely suspects were just two people: Chloe Grant and Autumn Shelby.’

’To keep them apart, Chloe Grant had even gone behind Cedric Grant’s back to reveal the truth of Clara’s birth. Was there anything she wasn’t capable of?’

’As for Autumn Shelby... he knew she wouldn’t give up that easily. After knowing her for over twenty years, he understood her to a certain extent.’

’She might seem gentle and frail on the surface, but at her core, she was stubborn. Sometimes, she could even be overly obsessive about certain things—like wanting to get back together with him.’

No matter who it was, their intentions were malicious. Yet, at this moment, Seth Quinn felt no resentment at all. In fact, he was grateful to the person who had forced the truth out into the open.

It had given him the perfect opportunity to finally tell Clara the truth, and unburdening himself of that secret made him feel immensely lighter.

Seeing him frown in silence, Rowan Linden sounded a note of confusion. "Seth?"

Seth Quinn looked up at him and said flatly, "Someone was a little *too* concerned about us and said it for me."