Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Chapter 617

Clara's brow furrowed, that familiar knot of worry tightening in her chest. She liked to think she understood him-sometimes his silence felt less like calm, more like the warning before a storm.

But would her leaving really make him that angry?

His eyes flashed through her mind on a loop, making her uneasy. She didn't dare gamble on what he'd do. If she set foot back in Dylan's territory, she'd be walking right into a showdown she couldn't win.

So, she stuck to her plan: disappear to another city, lay low until news broke that Dylan had married Tara, and then maybe just maybe she'd come back to the Capital.

She took a deep breath. "Don't tell anyone where I'm going. I'll head to the next city. Once I'm settled, I'll let you know."

Ryan's voice wavered. "So you're not coming back to the Capital for a while?"

Clara was beyond exhausted but still managed to lean down and gently coax Emily to eat some chocolate.

Emily barely had the strength to chew, but she forced herself. She wasn't ready to give up.

Clara finally answered Ryan. "I won't be back for at least a year. When Dylan gets married, let me know."

Ryan's eyes instantly reddened. "So that's it? I'm just never going to see you again? Clara, I shouldn't have accused you of wanting the Bradford family money.

I was wrong. You can have it-everything. Can't we just go back to how things were?"

He finally said what had been weighing on him.

time apart, he'd been stewing over why he cared so much about the inheritance. If she really wanted it, he could just give it to her. It wasn't

leaned back, her voice

his own, anyway. She'd been away

Clara's eyes closed in the rearview

the gas pedal and

later, they finally pulled into the next

a fancy hotel-too easy

run-down motel that didn't care much about

peeling paint and grimy windows, panic written all over his face. "Let me book you somewhere

head. She'd worked too hard to get away-she wasn't about to

was out in seconds. Their clothes had dried during the

Ryan to pick up

bought the nicest options he could find. When

out, "Clara, I've got

reached out from behind the bathroom door,

out, Clara looked and felt

she had

to the Capital, go find him. Tell him where I'm staying and have him come here. I'll help him buy a place nearby,

chest tightened. Why did that guy get such special treatment?

him so deserving?

clenched his jaw and said

knew exactly how he