Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 850

Her and Richard? They barely counted as friends—more like acquaintances, really.

“We’ve met before,” she said.

Richard arched an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, we kind of grew up together, but we never really hung out. I was a handful as a kid and ended up in military school. Scarlette was always the good girl—the type parents love to brag about. Super well-behaved.”

He wasn’t wrong. In their circle, everyone saw Scarlette as the model child—polite, always striving to be the best. Whether it was tests or anything else, she pushed herself to be number one. That was the only way she felt she belonged in the Greenard family.

And beyond all the hard work, her biggest role was keeping Nicholas happy.

Even when she was little, she’d known what she had to do to survive in that house. She did everything she could to please Nicholas.

Nicholas only grew more attached to her, but for Scarlette, it was just a way to get by.

She lowered her eyes, not wanting to think about the Greenards anymore. It was all just a cage.

She’d always dreamed of getting out, but the choices she made as a kid had come back to haunt her. Who would’ve thought Nicholas would end up having those kinds of feelings for her?

She’d spent years catering to him, always putting her little brother first and never daring to see him any other way.

Everyone knew Nicholas was the family’s golden boy. For Scarlette, her only worth was making sure Nicholas liked her enough to let her stay. She never let herself hope for anything more.

Drawing a deep breath, she pushed thoughts of Nicholas aside.

The medicine she’d given him last night should keep him asleep until the afternoon. As long as she was back before three, everything would be fine.

But Morgan really did treat her well. He was understanding, gave her space, and she liked that about him. She’d always been drawn to men who acted like grown-ups. The only problem was Nicholas, always in the background, making things complicated.

She didn’t want Morgan to end up in Nicholas’s crosshairs too.

Her expression softened. “I know.”

Morgan squeezed her hand again and poured her a glass of water. “Here, drink some.”

Carrie’s sharp eyes caught a faint mark behind Scarlette’s ear, and she broke into a wide, knowing smile. “Looks like you two are still in the honeymoon phase. Alright, I’ll stop meddling. You’re both smart enough to know what you want. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”

Morgan laughed. “Thank you, Aunt Carrie. Just let Scarlette’s company get a little piece of the action this time, okay? She works so hard—you can’t bear to say no again, right?”