Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 497

Ryan suddenly slumped forward, resting his head on the steering wheel, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Clara, do you really believe Sarah's just a selfish nobody, not worth any of my efforts?"

Clara stayed silent. Sure, Sarah might have her good sides, but it didn’t change the fact that she was pretty self-centered.

Ryan looked worn out, managing a faint, weary smile. "Never mind, you should just get out."

Clara felt a wave of sadness hit her. She was too drained to continue the conversation, so she opened the car door and stepped out.

Ryan had mentioned someone would be waiting for her, but as she wandered a few hundred meters in the dark, she found no one. Instead, she heard footsteps trailing behind her.

Turning around, she saw Ryan. He was quietly following, keeping his distance.

The scene reminded her of that snowy day when he had gone missing, and she had gone looking for him—both too stubborn to talk.

Clara kept walking for another two hundred meters until she finally spotted some lights. She was taken aback, realizing the area wasn’t deserted; the houses were just low and hidden by large trees, making them easy to miss.

Ryan caught up, his voice calm. "This is where Sarah's parents live, near the slums of the Capital. It's even more desolate than the slums."

After saying this, he took a few steps ahead, stopping with an indifferent tone. "Clara, in the car, you said I might kidnap you for Sarah. Deep down, you don't really trust me, do you?"

Clara felt awkward, suddenly realizing Ryan had changed. He wasn't naive anymore.

The gap between them was still there, maybe even wider now because he knew she didn’t fully trust him.

Silence stretched between them, and Clara didn’t know what to say, so she just followed him.

Ryan stopped outside a small house, dim lights flickering inside. He knocked on the door, and it was quickly answered by a skinny, middle-aged man who looked like he drank too much.

"What do you want?" he asked rudely, not very welcoming.

Ryan pushed her away and walked inside.

During his captivity, he often chatted with Sarah, believing at the time that Clara had abandoned him, leaving only Sarah.

Sarah, despite her manipulations, had moments of genuine vulnerability during their talks. She confessed she felt no attachment to her family, yet felt pressured to give them something to avoid being labeled ungrateful.

That label could crush a daughter.

Ryan had comforted her then, learning much about her situation. Sarah grew up alone in the countryside while her parents worked in the Capital, taking only their son and leaving her to fend for herself.

During holidays, there wasn’t even a phone call. A lone girl in the village inevitably faced bullying. Her pet dog was killed, and she kept only a single tooth from it.

That tooth, the only thing she cherished, was in this house. Ryan's purpose tonight was to retrieve it.