Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

The last word hung in the air, stretching out until the room fell silent.

They were married now, after all. If anything happened between them, it was only natural. He was just overthinking it.

He held his breath for a whole minute before blurting out, "I ate. I just wanted to see where you've been going lately."

What he didn't say: he was terrified that one day he'd wake up, and Clara would suddenly tell him she was leaving the city. The idea of being left behind haunted him.

Clara slid into her seat at the table. After another day of chaos, she was actually starving. She looked up at Dylan. "Come eat with me."

He closed his laptop and joined her, but didn't start eating right away. Instead, he set her favorite foods-freshly baked croissants, crispy bacon, and a steaming bowl of soup-right by her hand. He placed the soup in front of her before even touching his own plate.

Clara was used to being taken care of like this. She started eating, slow and steady, savoring each bite.

Ryan, though, couldn't get used to it at all. He wanted to cover his eyes. The Dylan he was seeing right now-there was no way this was the real Dylan.

After they finished, Clara reminded Dylan, "Just stay here and get some work done. I have to go out for a bit. And don't let your guys follow me, got it?"

worry crossed his face. He hesitated, pressed his

As soon as Ryan buckled into

to him? Did you put a spell

bitterness in her voice. Dylan really was obedient. Stubborn, for sure, but also impossibly

started the car, and

go upstairs with

looked a lot better today,

beside his bed. "Aiden, does Dylan have some sort of mental illness? I've seen him taking

feelings, if he doesn't want to talk, I don't ask. He doesn't tell the doctor much, either. But you've been around him long enough to see it. When it's about you, no matter what decision you make, he always assumes the

her to marry him, when he locked her up in Palm Bay—that was

was stuck in the numb silence, pretending nothing affected him. Because somewhere deep down, he was bracing for

had always known: Dylan was

was on the edge of remembering something important. The headaches came more often, sharper each

He won't tell me anything.

the boss never believed there was any real future between you two. He thinks any happiness he has is just an illusion, waiting to be shattered. That makes him anxious-so anxious that eventually, he just gives up on hoping for