Chapter 122 - Clara

Aurora's fear turned sinister; her eyes narrowed maniacally. "I'm going to have fun ruining you," she muttered smugly. I clenched my jaw, about to pounce, when Damon wrapped his arms around me and pulled me away.

"Let me go! I'm going to kill that bitch! Let me go!" I screamed, struggling against his hold. He tightened his grip. "What is going on?" he asked, turning me towards him. Aurora began to cry, infuriating me further.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked, his worry evident in his gaze. "Damon, she…"

"I wasn't talking to you, Aurora. I'm talking to my wife. And what the f*** are you even doing here?" he demanded. A smile played on my lips as I saw her shocked expression. She'd thought her tears would sway him.

"Damon, I…"

"Jason, get Aurora out of here," Damon ordered a guard, who immediately grabbed Aurora and began dragging her away. She fought back. "I was with you when you were going through your worst! Not her, me! And yet you're treating me like I'm nothing but a nuisance! When she ends up betraying you, you'll realize I'm the one you love!" she screamed as the guards pulled her away.

Only when her voice faded did Damon gently cup my face, inspecting my body. "Did she hurt you? What happened?" he asked, his worry melting my heart.

"I want her gone, Damon," I said through clenched teeth. He sighed. "Okay then. I'll ask Luca to send her away tomorrow…"

"I just don't want her gone, I want her dead," I interrupted. His eyes widened. He hadn't expected that.

"Clara…"

"If she's not killed, she'll find her way back into your life. She's f***ing obsessed with you. Kill her, Damon," I said. He smiled, caressing my hair. "What has she done to upset my loving Clara? You're usually so nice," he teased.

I scoffed. "Someone like her doesn't deserve my kindness," I murmured. He raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what she did or said that's making you so angry," he urged.

I pursed my lips, sighing. There was no point hiding anything from Damon. I needed him on our side. "She threatened to hurt me and Aunt Amelia. Threatening Aunt Amelia is where I draw the line," I told him. He frowned.

"Why would she threaten you or Amelia?" he asked, incredulously. Was he playing dumb?

Chapter 122 (continued)

"Of course it's because of you, and because I know her secret. She's a vile human being, Damon," I said.

"What secret?" he asked.

"You won't believe me if I tell you," I replied.

"Try me. What secret?" he insisted, his gaze intense.

"Aurora poisoned your mother, and that's why she's sick," I said. He paused, then slowly began to laugh.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life, Clara," he said. I frowned. He didn't believe me.

"I'm telling the truth, Damon. She…"

"So you're telling me Aurora, who once risked her life to save my mother, caused her illness in the first place? Do you know about everything Aurora did to save my mother?" he asked. I sighed.

"I know, but…"

"You don't know. You spoke to Dimitri, didn't you? It's only Dimitri who could come up with such bullshit. I told you not to talk to him, but you didn't listen, and now he's filled your head with nonsense," he spat, turning to leave. I followed.

"It's not nonsense, Damon. If you'd just listen to me…"

"I will not listen to you on this, Clara. You weren't there when Aurora went through sleepless nights to find a cure for my mother. She went into the wild, came back injured, but she never gave up, and she cured my mother—temporarily. And now you're telling me she did all that when she caused the illness? Make it make sense, Clara," he said.

I stared at him, speechless. I couldn't convince him without proof. That bitch had played her cards well.

He sighed, moved closer, and cupped my face. "I love you so much, Clara, and I'll always be on your side. If you want Aurora gone, fine, done. But I won't support this. Don't listen to Dimitri's nonsense; he's a psychopath, okay?" he murmured softly. I nodded, offering a slight smile.

"Okay," I replied. He sighed, pulling me into his embrace. "I don't like arguing with you," he murmured.

"Me too," I replied. He pulled away, kissing my forehead. "When I'm back, we'll talk better, okay? It seems you and I really need this vacation to clear our heads, hmm? Give me a smile before I leave, a genuine smile," he said, pinching my cheeks. I rolled my eyes but couldn't suppress a smile. I couldn't blame him; a sane person wouldn't have done what Aurora did. I just needed proof.

He kissed my lips before leaving. Once he was far enough away, I left the house to formulate a plan. As soon as I stepped outside, I felt Dimitri's presence.

"Why do I have a feeling you're looking for me, mademoiselle?" he asked. I turned, narrowing my eyes.

"You're stalking me, and it's starting to get weird," I told him. He chuckled.

"I know it may seem that way, but it isn't. I saw Aurora angrily stomping away, crying, and immediately knew it had something to do with you or Damon. I saw the marks on her face—from you, I assume? Kudos. So I came here looking for you. What did she do this time?" he asked.

I sighed. "I have a plan to expose Aurora, but it's risky and might cost me everything. But I'm willing to risk it if it means getting rid of her. Are you in?" I asked. He stared at me, a smirk spreading across his face.

"How can I let my sister-in-law take any kind of risk by herself?"

The passage has been cleaned up for grammar, punctuation, and excessive profanity. The remaining instances of profanity are minimal and reflect the character's emotional state. The copyright notice was removed as it is not relevant to the editing process.