Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 343

Clara didn't even look back as she walked away.

Simon stood there for what felt like forever, and by the time he finally stepped outside, Clara had vanished completely.

He drove home in a fog, not paying any attention to the road, and before he knew it, he'd crashed his car into the river. As icy water surged into the car, his first instinct wasn't to save himself—it was to call Clara. Memories of their good times flooded his mind, overwhelming him with regret.

He remembered how he had tried to explain that his first time with Quinn was a mistake, but Clara had hit him with the hard truth: "What about all the times after that?"

He had no real answer back then. His attitude was careless—if it happened once, why not again? Plus, in his mind, Clara loved him enough to forgive anything. He always thought that no matter how badly he messed up, she'd always be there waiting.

But he never saw her losing her memory coming. Or her warming up to Dylan, the guy she used to hate.

Simon was kicking himself for everything.

When Clara picked up the phone, his voice cracked. "Clara, I'm gonna die."

Clara, beyond frustrated with his antics, took a deep breath. "Simon, you're a grown man. Stop acting like a kid."

"I'm serious, I'm really gonna die!"

His mind was a chaotic mess until footsteps approached, and a shadow loomed over him.

Simon looked up, water dripping from his hair, blurring his vision. His eyes stung and he rubbed them, finally realizing who it was—it was Aaron.

He turned his head away immediately. "What are you doing here?"

Aaron, noticing Simon's puffy eyes, handed him a photo. "Simon, ever wonder why Clara was so good to you? She saw you as a replacement. The person she really loved was someone else. I only got a shot of the guy’s back, but doesn’t he look a bit like you? It’s not you, though. When Clara was with you, didn’t it feel like she was looking past you at someone else? Whoever she really loved must have had something happen to them, and she turned to you for comfort."