Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Clara waited. Four whole days.

The funeral had already come and gone. Someone said they'd buried the old lady at the Westhill Cemetery. Every day, Clara called Aiden, asking if there was any word from Dylan. But Aiden hadn't seen him either. Actually, he'd been warned off by the old man.

On the fourth evening, Aiden finally showed up at Palm Bay.

Clara opened the door herself. Her heart sank the moment she realized it wasn't Dylan standing there.

Aiden looked uncomfortable, hesitating before he spoke. "Mrs. Evans, the boss asked me to tell you... he wants you to move out. He'll probably be back tomorrow morning. He doesn't want to see any unfamiliar faces around."

For a second, Clara thought she must've misheard.

Unfamiliar face?

She just stared at Aiden, searching his face for a sign this was some kind of joke.

Aiden dropped his eyes, repeating quietly, "Please, Mrs. Evans, this is a direct order from the boss."

Clara stood there, silent. After a few moments, she nodded.

She turned to go pack, but honestly, she didn't have much at Palm Bay to begin with. After a few steps, she turned back and said, "Alright. I'll head out. Aiden, I might call you later. Will you pick up?"

She didn't even ask about Dylan-not this time.

Aiden nodded.

Clara didn't say anything else, but Charles couldn't hold it in any longer.

"What does he mean, 'unfamiliar face'? Wasn't he head over heels for my sister? Suddenly she's a stranger? What a jerk! Sis, let's go. Don't waste another second on him. Just come stay at my place. My helicopter's still here we don't need Palm Bay anyway."

He took Clara's hand, ready to whisk her away.

But Clara didn't move. "Charles, can we leave Milo and Buddy here? My apartment in the city's tiny-they'd be cramped."

Charles gave her a look, a little annoyed but relenting. If it were anyone else telling him what to do with his dogs, he'd lose it. But when it came to Clara, it just made sense.

As she was about to leave, Aiden spoke up, "Mrs. Evans, let me drive you home."

Clara shook her head politely. "No, thanks. I want to walk for a bit. Clear my head."

Charles caught up to her, still trying to cheer her up. "There are tons of good guys out there, you know. My friend Mitch is a bit of a flirt, but he's actually a decent guy. My older brother's a total stiff, but he's

loaded. Sis, say the word and I'll

introduce you."

Clara didn't answer. She just kept walking, silent.

They'd barely made it out of the Palm Bay gates when Clara stopped, looking at

the trees blooming on both sides of the street.

Charles frowned. "What's wrong? Don't want to leave? Dylan kicked you out himself. We have our pride, right?"

Clara just said quietly, "Magnolias. I never noticed before, but they're all blooming now."

Charles had no idea what kind of flower that was, but seeing Clara so calm made him feel lighter too.

"Sis, where's your place? Should we grab a cab?"

Clara nodded. It was too far to walk.

When they got to her apartment, Charles looked around. It was about 1,500 square feet—honestly, smaller than the room where Milo and Buddy got their baths back home.

He felt a pang of sympathy. "If you can't afford a bigger place, I'll have my brother buy you a house. All my savings are with him anyway. can just use his card. He'll see the bill, but whatever."

Charles had zero concept of money. As far as he was concerned, buying a mansion was as easy as swiping a card-his brothers did it all the time.

Clara was exhausted. She'd waited for Dylan for four days, barely sleeping, tormented by nightmares every night.

Now she finally had her answer. It wasn't the ending she'd hoped for, but she needed to pull herself together and figure out what came next.

"Charles, the guest room's yours. I'm going to shower and try to sleep. If you get hungry, just order some takeout, okay?"

Charles nodded, suddenly happy just to be under the same roof as his sister. Somehow, the apartment didn't feel so small anymore.

After her shower, Clara towel-dried her hair and stood by the window, looking out at the city lights.

Maybe it was Richard's warning that settled her, but she felt strangely calm now. Calm enough to start wondering how she could do what he suggested-spend more time around Dylan, just like Richard said. noveldrama