Chapter 949: How Can I Let Go
As Clara stepped out of the clinic, it felt like she was finally shaking off some kind of invisible weight. She took a deep breath, but her face still looked troubled.
Turning to Lyra, she forced a smile that was anything but genuine. "Hey, Lyra, can you hang out here for a sec? I gotta grab something from the store next door. I'll be back in a jiffy."
Lyra felt a bit confused, but she nodded. "Sure, but don't take too long. We'll be right here."
Clara nodded back and jogged off toward the nearby store.
Minutes passed, but Clara didn't come back. Lyra stood by the street, anxiously scanning the area, her worry growing with each passing second.
Suddenly, someone dashed out from a nearby alley, heading straight for Lyra. Before she could react, a bucket of liquid was dumped over her, soaking her completely. The sharp smell hit her, and her mind buzzed with realization: gasoline.
Turning in shock, she saw it was Clara who had drenched her. Clara's face was twisted, her eyes wide with a near-madness, no longer vulnerable but filled with jealousy and hatred.
Clara clutched the empty bucket, breathing heavily, her emotions in chaos.
With a twisted smile, her voice rang out, sharp and manic. "Bet you didn't see this coming, did you, Lyra? From the moment you took Jeffery from me, you should've known this day would come! I loved him so much, lowered myself to nothing, and he wouldn't even look at me. Why did everything change the moment you showed up?"
Lyra, shocked and heartbroken, tears welling in her eyes, tried to stay calm despite her trembling voice. "Clara, love isn't supposed to be like this! You can't force feelings. You don't know what Jeffery and I have been through; it's not as simple as you think."
"I never meant to take anything from you. Everyone's path is unique; you just haven't met the right person yet."
Just then, Jeffery arrived, witnessing the scene. He wanted to rush over but hesitated, wary of the lighter in Clara's hand. He gritted his teeth and said, "You're being irrational! If you go through with this, you'll ruin not just Lyra's life, but your own. Put the lighter down!"
Clara, blinded by rage, ignored his words. She raised the lighter high, the flame flickering dangerously in the night breeze, threatening to ignite everything around them.
"I don't care! I have nothing left to lose. If I can't have Jeffery's love, then at least I can make sure you two aren't happy together."
In that critical moment, Lyra's eyes caught sight of a water truck parked nearby. The driver seemed to have just stopped for a break, the window half-open, and the keys still in the ignition.
Desperate, a bold idea flashed through her mind.
Lyra feigned calmness and shouted to Clara, "Clara, don't do anything crazy. Let's talk this out. I can leave Jeffery if you just calm down!"
Clara paused, suspicion in her eyes. "You serious?"
"Yeah, I am!"
Lyra's gaze was sincere, her voice steady even though her heart was pounding. "I don't want anyone to get hurt, especially you. I'll do whatever it takes to fix this."
Clara scrutinized Lyra's face, searching for any sign of deceit.
After a tense moment, Clara bit her lip and spoke slowly, "Alright, how do you propose we talk? But if you try anything, I'll light it up."
She waved the lighter threateningly, the flame flickering.
Jeffery, anxious, was about to step in when Lyra subtly signaled him to stay put.
Lyra took a deep breath, stepping forward cautiously, her movements slow and gentle, not wanting to startle Clara.
"Clara, let's put the lighter down. It's too dangerous. If it accidentally ignites, with all these shops and people around, the consequences would be disastrous. Let's find a safer place to talk, okay?"
Clara hesitated, her eyes darting to the frightened onlookers in the nearby shops and the kids hiding behind adults, a flicker of panic crossing her face.
Lyra seized the moment, pressing on, "Look, everyone's scared. We don't want to drag innocent people into this, right?"
"Let's go to the corner over there, under the streetlight. It's bright and private, and we can talk freely about everything that's been bothering us."
Lyra kept her eyes on the slightly wavering lighter, her heart in her throat, yet she maintained a calm tone. "Clara, we've come this far; let's not make it worse."
"Think about it. If you light that, this place will become a sea of fire. What about the innocent bystanders? The people in those shops have their own lives and families. It would all be destroyed."
"And even if you hurt me, Jeffery won't love you because of it. You'll only face endless regret and prison. Is that really what you want?"
Clara bit her lip hard, drawing blood, as if trying to use the pain to regain some sense of reason.
Jeffery, seeing this, spoke gently, "I know you're full of anger, but it shouldn't be directed at Lyra. I should have realized your feelings sooner and handled this better. If you need to blame someone, blame me."
"But setting fire and hurting people is a dead end. If you put the lighter down, we can move past this and help you start anew, free from this obsession."
Clara's body shook, Jeffery's words touching a soft spot in her heart, loosening her grip on the lighter.
Yet, the next moment, she screamed, "Start over? Easy for you to say! I've given so much, loved so humbly, how can I just let it go?"
Before she finished, driven by her inner turmoil, Clara hurled the lighter at Lyra with all her might, the lighter tracing a dangerous arc through the air, carrying all her resentment and desperation.
Lyra's instincts kicked in, and she dodged just in time, narrowly avoiding the sudden attack.
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