Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Chapter 479

Clara stayed at the hospital until nightfall, exhausted and running on empty. Unable to fight it any longer, she rested her head on the bedside and fell asleep.

A few hours later, a gentle nudge from a doctor brought her back to reality. "Ms. Clara, you should go home and get some rest. You don't want to be the one who collapses before your brother wakes up."

Rubbing her tired eyes, Clara noticed the dark circles under them. "Is his fever still not breaking?"

The doctor sighed. "It seems like he's dealing with something deep inside, something only he can work through. Being here for him might make a difference."

But Clara was clueless about what was weighing on Ryan's mind.

She got up and headed home, barely making it to her bed before sleep claimed her.

In the middle of the night, a noise outside her window jolted her awake. She switched on the lamp to find a stranger holding a tool, ready to break the glass.

It was terrifying. If Clara didn't have such strong nerves, she might have screamed.

The man hadn't expected the sudden light and quickly tried to shatter the window, but Clara was quicker. She grabbed a chair and hurled it at the window.

The intruder, lacking any safety gear, had climbed up with nothing but his bare hands.

The chair hit him hard, leaving him no choice but to fall.

ground alerted a nearby patrol, and soon, sirens were wailing in the

at her window, watching as police filled

at her door, a

times before and calmly explained

troubled. "You'll need to come with us. We'll

coat and went with them to

quickly, identifying the man as a drifter

background, it was clear

you

hired him. If

Clara, you have to understand, that area is full of crime. They've learned not to leave digital traces, using cash instead. Have

recent attempts on her life:

a snowy

aiming to end

sensed they weren't from the same

seemed too crude, not the work of a clever

and Jake, two guys she'd almost

the Warren family. But