The rain was still pounding relentlessly against the windows of Sean’s penthouse.

The large room was dark. Only the city lights glimmered faintly on the black marble floor.

Sean stood alone by the window, clutching his phone tightly. His jaw was tense. His eyes were red from lack of sleep.

But the worst part...

His mind was starting to fill with paranoia.

Moana really is a jerk.

But that woman rarely lies when her goal is to break someone’s spirit.

And now one thought keeps creeping into Sean’s head like poison.

> "What if Clara really is keeping all her secrets?"

Sean gave a hollow little laugh to himself.

How funny.

Back then, he hadn’t even considered Clara important enough to suspect.

Now?

That woman had become the one person most capable of destroying him.

The man grabbed the whiskey and took a swig straight from the bottle.

Crash.

He slammed the bottle down on the table too hard.

Sean’s breathing grew rough.

He hated this feeling.

Fear.

Lack of control.

And what drove him most insane was the fact that the center of all that fear was still Clara.

Not the investors.

Not the company.

Clara.

He finally picked up his phone again.

Sean dialed a number.

Quickly.

As soon as the call connected, his voice sounded cold and brutal.

"I want a report on all of Clara’s activities every hour."

"S-Sir..." the man on the other end of the line sounded hesitant. "Didn’t you say before that keeping an eye on her from a distance was enough?"

"I’ve changed my mind."

Sean paced back and forth, roughly rubbing his face.

"I want to know where she goes. Who she meets. Even what she eats, if necessary."

"Sir, this might put Miss Clara—"

"I don’t care!" Sean snapped suddenly.

The penthouse fell silent again after his own emotional outburst.

Sean closed his eyes tightly.

His chest heaved heavily.

Then his voice dropped again... but it was even more terrifying.

"If Clara is really working with Freddy’s family..." his jaw tightened, "I’ll destroy everything before they get a chance to touch my family."

A few seconds of silence.

"But Sir..." the man on the phone spoke cautiously again, "Miss Clara hasn’t shown any suspicious behavior so far."

Sean let out a small laugh.

A low laugh that sounded weary.

"That’s the problem."

The man bowed his head, holding his own head.

"Clara is too calm now."

And Sean hated that.

Because back then, Clara always cried.

Begged.

Got angry.

Hurt because of him.

But now?

The woman looked at peace without Sean Weasley.

And that felt like the greatest insult to his ego.

Sean spoke coldly again,

"I want her apartment monitored twenty-four hours a day."

"Sir—"

"If Leo stays there again, report it."

The voice on the other end of the line fell silent immediately.

Because Sean’s tone was now truly obsessive.

Dangerous.

And Sean was aware of that.

But he had gone too far to stop now.

"I also want a copy of the CCTV footage from Clara’s apartment basement."

"Sir, that’s illegal."

Sean gave a small, cold smile.

"Then since when have I cared?"

Click.

The call was abruptly hung up.

Silence.

Sean stood motionless for quite some time after that.

Then slowly...

The man sank onto the sofa, his head bowed in exhaustion.

His hand roughly ran through his own hair.

And for the first time that night...

His cold facade crumbled slightly.

"Why have you drifted so far from me, Clara..." he whispered hoarsely.

His gaze was vacant.

Tired.

Almost like a sick person.

"You used to not even be able to sleep if I hadn’t come home yet..."

Sean let out a hollow chuckle.

But his eyes began to redden.

Because now it was he who couldn’t sleep, thinking of Clara.

Meanwhile, Clara?

She was probably laughing comfortably with another man.

That thought instantly made something in Sean’s chest feel like it was being brutally twisted.

Crash.

Sean swept the whiskey glass off the table, shattering it into pieces on the floor.

His breath was ragged.

"I hate this..." he whispered hoarsely.

He hated missing Clara.

Hated thinking about Clara.

Hated the fact that she still had the power to destroy him without lifting a finger.

And what he hated most...

Was the reality that after all the betrayals he’d committed—

He still wanted Clara back.

****

Shards of glass were still scattered across the penthouse floor.

But Sean didn’t even care.

He sat slumped on the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees. His breathing was heavy. His thoughts were in disarray.

And amid all that chaos...

Clara’s name was still the loudest thing in his head.

Sean closed his eyes for a moment.

But that only made it worse.

Because the image of Clara immediately popped back into his mind.

Clara, who used to fall asleep on the sofa while waiting for him to come home.

Clara, who gave him a small smile when she brought him his morning coffee.

Clara, who cried that night while asking why Sean chose Moana.

And unfortunately...

Back then, Sean felt like all of that was just normal.

Now those little memories feel like a punishment.

His phone vibrated again.

One message came in.

"Clara just ordered food with a man named Leo. They’re still at the apartment."

Sean read the message for a long time.

Then slowly...

His jaw tightened.

His hand gripped the phone so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible.

Something was starting to change inside him now.

It wasn’t just jealousy.

It was obsession.

Sean immediately stood up and grabbed his black coat.

His head was too hot to think rationally.

One thought kept pounding at him brutally:

> "Why can Clara laugh with another man after everything that happened?"

Back then, Clara had lived only for him.

She only saw him.

She only loved him.

And now?

That woman was starting to build a life without Sean Weasley.

And Sean couldn’t stand to watch it.

---

Thirty minutes later...

Sean’s black car pulled up across from Clara’s apartment.

The rain had started to let up. The wet streets reflected the city lights.

Sean sat silently in the backseat of the car, staring at the window of Clara’s apartment from a distance.

The living room light was still on.

And from that vantage point...

He could see the faint outlines of two people moving behind the sheer curtains.

Clara.

And Leo.

Sean’s chest immediately felt unbearably hot.

The driver up front started to feel uneasy.

"Sir... who are we waiting for?"

"Shut up."

Sean’s voice was low.

It made the atmosphere in the car freeze instantly.

His gaze didn’t leave Clara’s apartment for a single moment.

Then a few seconds later...

Clara’s silhouette could be seen chuckling softly as she walked through the living room.

And Leo followed behind her.

Simple.

Normal.

But that sight felt like a knife to Sean.

Because back then...

That was his place.

Back then, Clara laughed like that for him.

Back then, Clara waited for him like that.

Sean abruptly flung open the car door and got out.

"Sir!" the driver panicked. "Where are you going?"

Sean didn’t answer.

The man walked quickly toward the apartment lobby with a tight jaw.

His mind was no longer clear now.

He just wanted to see Clara.

To make sure she hadn’t gone too far away from him yet.

But just as Sean entered the lobby...

His steps suddenly stopped.

Because from the elevator...

Clara stepped out with Leo.

They looked relaxed.

Leo was holding a small trash bag in his hand while saying something that made Clara laugh softly.

And that sight...

Completely shattered something inside Sean.

His gaze immediately darkened.

Clara was the first to notice him.

The woman’s smile vanished instantly.

"Sean?"

Leo turned around immediately as well. His expression turned cold in an instant.

And Sean?

The man just stared at Clara without blinking.

For a very long time.

Until Clara started to feel uncomfortable.

Because Sean’s gaze tonight was completely different.

Too intense.

Too emotional.

Too... crazy.

"What are you doing here?" Clara asked softly.

Sean didn’t answer right away.

His gaze dropped to Leo for a moment.

Then back to Clara.

"You were laughing."

Clara frowned in confusion.

"What?"

Sean gave a hollow little laugh.

"You can laugh now." His voice was hoarse. "With him."

Leo immediately stepped forward slightly, reflexively shielding Clara.

"I think you should go home."

But Sean paid Leo no mind at all.

His gaze remained fixed on Clara.

"I’ve even ruined my own life..." he whispered softly, "but you just seem happier without me."

Clara tensed up immediately. Because the tone in Sean’s voice wasn’t just ordinary anger.

It was someone who was starting to lose control of himself.

"Sean..." Clara’s voice softened slightly, "you have to stop coming here like this."

Sean gave a small smile.

But his eyes looked almost desperate.

"I’m trying."

Silence.

"I’m trying to stop thinking about you." His laugh was faint, filled with weary madness. "But my mind always comes back to you."

Leo immediately glared at him.

"This isn’t healthy."

Sean finally turned to Leo slowly. And that night... The man’s gaze was truly terrifying.

"Do you think I don’t know?"