Chapter 19%
Third Person’s POV
The nightclub was dimly lit, bodies swaying together under the flickering lights. Couples kissed like no one else existed.
The sight only deepened Norris’s worry for Clarissa.
He scanned every booth in the place, eyes darting over faces, but she was nowhere to be found. Just as frustration started to rise in his chest, a sudden crash of glass shattered the air behind him, followed by loud shouting, loud enough to cut through even the pounding music.
He turned his head for a glance, ready to keep searching, when someone familiar flashed into view.
His body moved before his mind caught up. He rushed toward her.
Clarissa stood in the middle of the commotion, arguing with a foreign man, her tone sharp and unwavering. Beside her, a little girl stood crying, eyes wide with fear.
Norris pushed through the crowd, grabbed Clarissa, and shielded her behind him. He calmly tried to reason with the man in a low but firm voice.
But the man wasn’t having it. His anger had already boiled over.
Norris turned quickly, urging Clarissa, “Take the child and go. I’ll handle this.“}
She didn’t hesitate. She took the girl’s hand and headed toward the exit.}
But just as she reached the door, a gust of wind rushed past her.
Then a heavy thud behind her made her spin around.
Norris stood there, back facing her, shoulders tight. The bottle in the man’s hand had shattered on him.”
Clarissa’s heart clenched. “Norris!“}
His jaw was tight, his expression grim. But when he heard her voice, worried and soft, he smiled.
For him, that alone was enough.
When the man raised another bottle, Norris didn’t flinch. He grabbed the man’s arm, twisted it, and kicked him straight to the ground. The police arrived not long after. And once the tension broke, Norris collapsed.
Later, he woke up in a hospital room, his head heavily bandaged.}
Eyes fluttering open, the first thing he did was look around, searching for someone. But the room was empty, except for the little girl. sitting beside him.
His heart sank. “Where’s Clarissa?” he asked softly.
The girl, Grace Burrows, looked up at him with puffy, red eyes and answered, “Teacher Clarissa went home. But if you need anything, you can tell me.”
Teacher Clarissa?‘ the words echoed in his mind.
Norris sat quietly for a moment, digesting that. She must know Clarissa well, he figured.}
“What does she teach you?” he asked.}
“Art,” Grace replied obediently. “She’s really good.“}
He froze for a second. Right. Clarissa had studied fine arts in college. Somehow, he had forgotten that. At that moment, a fresh wave of guilt rose in his chest.
Then, after a beat, he asked the question that had haunted him most.
“Have you ever met her husband?“}
Grace tilted her head in confusion. “Husband? She doesn’t have one. She’s been single for a long time.”D
He had turned his face toward the window, bracing for the worst, but now he whipped around to look at her, hope flickering in his eyes. “Are you sure?“}
Grace nodded without hesitation.”
That single nod sent his heart soaring. His fingers trembled from the rush of relief.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely.”
She didn’t quite understand what he was thanking her for. But he’d gotten hurt protecting her and Teacher Clarissa, so if this made him happy, that was enough for her.”
Now certain that Clarissa had lied about having someone else, Norris couldn’t hold back the growing warmth in his chest. He felt light and hopeful.%
Even though she didn’t come to visit the next day, he wasn’t discouraged. Instead, he began planning his next move in silence.
On the day Norris was discharged from the hospital, Clarissa finally showed up.
The moment he saw her, it was like all his pain disappeared.
But he leaned toward her, feigning weakness, hoping for a hug. But she instinctively stepped away.”
He chuckled and shook his head. ‘She was still angry, he thought.
But that was okay. He’d show her soon just how much she still meant to him.“>
