Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Clara sat in the car, stealing glances at Dylan, who was just as silent as she was. The whole situation felt unreal, like she'd been caught in some twisted tug-of-war that only got stronger the longer she sat there.

Everyone else saw Dylan as the kind of man you could only admire from afar— untouchable, almost cold. No one would ever imagine he'd force a woman into marriage.

Clara straightened up, nerves getting the better of her as the car turned onto a street she recognized. Without thinking, she jabbed at the door's unlock button, hoping for some kind of escape.

Nothing happened. The door stayed stubbornly shut. She turned to Dylan, searching his face for some sign of emotion.

He looked paler than usual, his expression blank-maybe even a little haunted. The courthouse was getting closer by the second, and panic started to claw at her.

If Dylan only saw her as a replacement for someone else, surely he could find another woman who looked even more like his lost love. Why her?

"Mr. Dylan..." she tried, clinging to the hope that reason might still reach him.

But he cut her off, his voice flat. "Don't bother."

His meaning was crystal clear: it didn't matter what she said or did. This marriage was happening, whether she liked it or not.

Clara's frustration bubbled over. "I don't love you. Forcing this will only make both of us miserable. I already have someone I care about. Mr. Dylan, you're not unreasonable. If this is about Eden, just let me apologize, okay?"

If she'd known things with Eden would get so out of hand, she would've stepped in long ago.

say anything else, Dylan grabbed her wrist and

two clear marks. Paired with his striking features,

to protest when Dylan pulled out a small, ornate

once given Z, but something much more intricate. The rings were a deep blue and white, like porcelain, with gemstones circling them in patterns that looked almost like tiny

delicate and elegant; the men's was simple but

Dylan took her hand and slid the

to pull away, but his grip was unmovable. She couldn't even

When Dylan set his mind on something, nothing could change it. Not her, not

into place, panic hit her hard. It felt

look at her as he slipped the other ring onto

ring off, but Dylan's voice stopped her cold. "Didn't you say you love your

staring at

so beautiful say something so

up in

like a completely different person. What had happened to him

time? Had losing Eden

at his ring, his voice barely a whisper. "Or maybe your boyfriend isn't enough leverage What

owed pressed down on

alive-if she failed