Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Chapter 324

Clara went quiet, feeling overwhelmed by how busy she'd been lately. She thought about ending things with him again, but the memory of him standing on that cliff edge held her back. She just couldn't bring herself to hurt him like that. Plus, she had so much else on her plate, and dealing with his emotions felt impossible right now.

Every time he got upset, it was a whole ordeal that stretched into the next day, leaving her worn out. Her fingers hovered over her phone, hesitating to type that breakup message. Just then, another text from him came through.

"I can't live without you. I know you always think about leaving, but I can't let go. I miss you so much. Every day, I just want to see you. You don't know how much it hurts."

Clara's heart clenched with guilt. He knew exactly how to hit her soft spot, and each word tugged at her conscience. Maybe it's just a woman's instinct to feel compassion when someone shows vulnerability. And really, he hadn't done anything wrong.

She bit her lip and replied, "I miss you too, but I've been swamped. Once things settle down, we can spend all the time you want together, okay?"

time, texting

was always more moved by kindness than by anything else, and she

phone set aside, her mind drifted back to the land deal. Should she really go to Jackson for help? The thought of his cold stare made her shiver. Dylan seemed like a safer bet—at least she'd come back in one

for Dylan's car to appear. As soon as she saw it, she stepped in front to stop him

"Mr. Dylan."

on the documents in

she opened her mouth to speak, but he turned to look at her. His gaze was as icy as ever, freezing her in place. She realized then that her decision to find someone else had really

her. Dylan's first love had been gone for years, yet he'd never moved on, even visiting