Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 626

Clara almost woke up at the sound of the gunshot, but she didn’t. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even control her own body. All she could do was watch the look in his eyes shift from happiness to something so wounded, it felt endless.

He pressed a hand to his chest, head down, silent.

Outside, the rain was coming down in sheets. The storm was wild, shaking the windows, making it feel like the whole world was about to cave in.

Clara wanted to snap out of it, break through whatever was holding her back. She hated scenes like this—two people on the edge, everything tense and raw.

Crash.

Something hit the floor. Clara jerked awake. The glass that had been on her desk was now shattered on the wood, broken by the wind.

She hadn’t closed the window last night. Living by the sea, she knew how strong the wind could get—sometimes it felt like it could tear the whole place apart.

She’d been through storms before. That island with Dylan, the hurricane—they’d survived together.

So why was she thinking of Dylan now?

Clara rubbed her forehead, still unsettled by the dream. She’d finally had a few quiet days, but after this, sleep was out of the question.

She got up, grabbed a bottle of water, and took a long drink, trying to calm the storm inside her.

She didn’t bother with the window. She just stood there, letting the cold air slap her awake until her skin stopped burning.

She scrolled through her phone, thumb hovering over her contacts. For a second, she didn’t even know who she wanted to call.

Finally, she dialed Z.

She didn’t expect him to answer. Z had always been closed off, almost allergic to other people. As far as she knew, he only had one real friend.

Thinking about that—and about her dream—made her chest ache. It was like the pain from her dream had followed her into the real world, squeezing her heart until she could barely breathe.

The phone kept ringing. She silently begged him to pick up.

Then, he did.

“Hello?”

His voice was soft, almost gentle. Like he knew it was her, but wished it wasn’t.

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