Clara scoffed at his words. "Damon doesn't care about me, so why should I prioritize him? He threw me away, so I'm choosing my uncle's side," she said. A look crossed his face, making her narrow her eyes suspiciously.

"Why do you have that look?" she asked. He nervously chuckled.

"About that…" he trailed off. She frowned, grabbing his shirt. "Please tell me you didn't lie about that, too," she pleaded, staring at him. The look in his eyes told her everything.

"If I hadn't said all that, if you hadn't believed Damon threw you away, you wouldn't have come with me," he explained. Disbelief washed over her. "What exactly did Luca tell you, Dimitri? Speak!" she yelled. His eyes widened.

"Damon only asked for you to be escorted to his safe house because he was afraid my father or Delilah would hurt you if my mother was declared dead. He never abandoned you. In fact, despite knowing the truth, he still didn't want to get rid of you; he just wanted you safe." Her heart raced as he explained.

"And the baby? Did you tell him about the baby?" she asked. When he shook his head, she lost it, punching him in the eye.

"Fuck! I know you're mad, but…" Before he could finish, she landed another blow on his cheek. She wasn't mad; she was livid, and she wanted nothing more than to hurt him.

"Clara, please calm down and let's talk," Dimitri pleaded, grabbing her fist to stop her. She pulled back and kicked him hard in the side.

He cursed, doubling over. She smiled, seeing the bruise on his cheek. "You had the chance to talk to me, but you deceived me! You bastard!" she screamed. He sighed.

"I know what I did was wrong, but it was the only way. You never would have come with me otherwise. I'm sorry," he said, sincerity in his eyes, but she didn't believe him. He had lied, making her believe Damon had abandoned her and their child.

"Give me your phone. I need to talk to Damon," she demanded, reaching for it.

"No, I can't risk you telling him where we are and ruining everything," he said. She scoffed.

"I'm not playing games. Give me your phone. I need to talk to my husband," she roared, reaching for his pocket. He moved away, stood up, and took a few steps back.

"I can't let you ruin everything, Clara. I promise, it will be over soon, and I'll return you safely to Damon. If you tell him where you are, and he comes, everything will be in vain, and he'll still be in trouble. Please, just drop it," he pleaded. She frowned.

"How do you feel knowing your brother, whom you're fighting for, didn't even know I'm carrying his child? I shouted at him, told him I hated him! We lost a child once, and it broke us both. He must think he's lost me and our child. I need to talk to him," she reasoned, but his expression was adamant.

"Clara…"

"I won't mention my whereabouts. I don't even know where we are. Please let me talk to him and ease his mind," she interrupted. They stared at each other before Dimitri finally gave in.

"Fine, but not a word about the plan. You have ten minutes. I don't want him tracking my number," he said, sighing at her stubborn look.

"You have to promise me, or I won't get your phone," he insisted. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I promise! Now give me your phone!" He stared at her before reaching into his pocket. He unlocked his phone, dialed Damon's number, and handed it to her.

Damon answered on the third ring.

"You bastard! I'm going to kill you! I'll break all your bones and make sure you never get reincarnated!" Damon screamed. Clara pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Damon, it's me," she murmured softly. He went quiet, then inhaled sharply.

"Clara? My love? Oh goddess, I don't understand. What baby? What were you talking about? Please talk to me." His tone broke her heart. She heard pain, sadness, and fear.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I thought you abandoned me and the baby because Dimitri lied to me," she explained. He sighed.

"I will never abandon you, Clara. I love you too much. I'm sorry I didn't trust you immediately. I'm so sorry, baby." She smiled.

"It's okay, I know the truth now," she assured him. He sighed again.

"Are you really pregnant, my love?" he asked softly. Tears welled up as she hummed in response. She longed to be near him.

"Yes, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want Aurora finding out and hurting me or the baby," she said. He was quiet.

"You didn't think I could protect both of you?" he whispered, already knowing the answer. It wasn't that she doubted his ability to protect them, but he hadn't believed her about Aurora, and she wasn't willing to take chances.

They fell silent, only his breathing audible.

"Where are you? I'll come to you. Do you know where you are?" he asked. She glanced at Dimitri and sighed.

"I can't… I can't return right now. There's something I must do, but I promise I'm safe, okay? Don't worry," she assured him, knowing it was futile.

"What the fuck do you mean? Clara, talk to me. What does Dimitri want with you?" he asked. She pursed her lips.

"We're going to speak to my uncle, the leader of the human hunters…"

"Clara!" Dimitri interrupted warningly. She glared at him.

"I'm not hiding anything from Damon again. I already promised to help you, didn't I?" she asked. He pursed his lips and turned away. "What are you talking about? Clara, please…"

"I'll be okay. Even though I don't remember him, I can feel the bond, and I know he won't hurt me…"

"You just called him a hunter, Clara! He hunts supernatural beings like you! He's probably luring you out to kill you!" Damon argued, making a valid point.

"I don't think that's his plan. He…"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Clara! You're pregnant; you shouldn't be involved in this!" Panic laced his voice, making her frown.

"Is Dimitri there? Hand the phone to him," Damon said calmly, though she knew he wasn't. He was probably pacing.

She handed the phone to Dimitri, who pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?" Dimitri said.

"I don't know how you managed to brainwash Clara, but you can't use her as bait, Dimitri. She's pregnant, for fuck's sake!" Damon's voice grew louder.

"I'm just trying to help you…"

She'd never heard such vulnerability in Damon's voice. She wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.

Dimitri stared at her, clearly affected by Damon's voice.

"I'll bring her back safe and sound, but that's after the goal is achieved. We're doing this for you, Damon," Dimitri replied, earning a growl from Damon.

"Dimitri!" Damon growled.

What if this was a trap, and her uncle was out to get her?