Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Chapter 726

The old lady stood up slowly.

"All these years, I've carried something dark inside me. Ten years ago, I went to a temple, hoping the quiet would finally set me free. But even now, I can't let it go. I can't accept that I was the only one blamed back then. I can't accept that after all my years in the Ferguson family, your father still only cared about his next move. But when I saw you, I wondered-maybe I'd been wrong all along."

She seemed to age right before his eyes. Her fingers still twisted the prayer beads, but the fierce energy she'd had before was gone.

"Do you really think I can't see what's going on? Clara doesn't love you. Your father says I'm too soft, but Tara-she really does love you. She's spent all these years humbling herself just to stay by my side for you. If you choose someone who loves you like that, you won't have to crash headfirst into heartbreak, won't end up like me, bitter to the bone."

She didn't want that for her son. She wanted him to shine, to rise above all the mess of love and longing.

Power makes people proud. Love just eats away at you. It took her decades to see that.

She thought, after all these years of telling him, he'd get it.

But all he said was, "Mother, she loves me."

She didn't bother saying anything else. She just waved him off and left.

Dylan watched her go, pressed his lips together, and headed quietly upstairs.

He eased open the bedroom door and saw her sleeping on the bed. Just seeing her there made everything inside him settle.

*

Somewhere else, Richard scrolled through the files someone had sent him and let out a soft, almost amused huff.

on the other end asked, "How much do you remember about what happened

in

ran deep-so deep, you needed a whole army just to

on the desk, smiled to himself, and closed the laptop.

out onto the balcony.

No answer.

looked out over the city's endless lights. After a deep

are you heading

the message, glanced at Clara sleeping on the bed, and

talk about

let me know before

storm was coming, but nobody seemed

*

up in the middle of

something tight

turned and saw Dylan's face right

sleep with the lights

side lamp was still

bright she

his eyelashes. Content of

away, but her body felt weirdly heavy,

the strength.

her with something and getting buried alive. Instinctively, she reached for her