Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 876

Clara looked pale, her mood as gray as the sky outside. Ever since Dylan left her behind, she hadn’t been able to shake the uneasy feeling in her chest.

“Clara?” Charles’s voice brought her back. He’d noticed her zoning out, but he didn’t push—he could tell she was hurting.

Clara pressed her hand to her sore shoulder and forced a steady breath. “I’m going to the hospital.”

Charles nodded and called a cab, riding with her in silence. At the hospital, the doctor worked quickly. Her wound had gotten infected, so they had to scrape away the damaged tissue. It should have hurt, but Clara just stared out the window, her face white and distant.

The test subject sat on the next bed, looking around the room with wide-eyed curiosity. He poked at the bedsheets, fiddled with the IV pole, but said nothing. He barely spoke at all, and when he did, he tripped over his words—like he wasn’t used to talking to people.

Once Clara’s wound was bandaged, she sank back into the bed to rest. Charles ordered takeout and set one of the meals in front of the test subject.

The guy glanced at him, then started eating without a word, not even a hint of expression on his face.

Charles nearly lost his temper. This test subject didn’t even know how to fake being polite.

Clara didn’t feel like eating. She just called Palm Bay and asked them to replace her SIM card and bring her a new phone.

When the new phone arrived, she caught the housekeeper before they left. “Is Dylan coming back tonight?”

The housekeeper looked caught off guard. After a moment, they said, “Sir left before you did, ma’am. He hasn’t been back or contacted us since.”

Clara nodded. So after coming home, Dylan must have taken off again. She stared at her phone, thinking about that strange child who’d suddenly appeared in her life. For a moment, she didn’t know whether she should call Dylan or not.

She’d always thought maybe she and Dylan just had a misunderstanding—clear that up, and everything would be fine. But this kid… it was so far beyond anything she could have imagined. She couldn’t just pretend it hadn’t happened. Not after he left her behind this time.

She let her gaze fall and set the phone aside, taking a slow, shaky breath.

Charles brought her some food, holding it out. “Come on, eat something. You’ve lost weight these last few days. Whatever’s going on, you can deal with it later. Just don’t make yourself sick, okay?”

Clara took a few bites, then forced a small smile. “Charles, I really can’t eat. I just want to rest for a bit.”

Charles tossed the food in the trash. “Okay. You rest. I’ll stay here with, uh…”

He realized he didn’t know the test subject’s name. Neither did Clara.

They both looked his way. They couldn’t just keep calling him “the test subject” forever.

The guy looked up, noticed their attention, and pointed to himself, a little confused.

Clara tried to be gentle. “Do you have a name?”

“I might not really be a Lewis, either. Looks like the three of us are all lost together.”

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, and his expression changed as he picked up.

“Mitch.”

Norman’s voice was calm. “Louella’s in Country Z. I heard you’re there too. Keep an eye on her. Don’t let anything happen to her.”

Charles frowned and sighed. “Fine. But can you at least call her and tell her not to make a scene? She keeps saying Dylan is her future husband, and now she’s here, isn’t she just trying to steal my sister’s guy? If she goes too far, I’m not protecting her.”

He’d only dare say that to Mitch. Their oldest brother was too serious, always putting business first. At least he’d never skimped when it came to money.

Norman chuckled. “I’ve met your little sister. Mitch, Clara’s sharp—don’t let her trick you into counting her money for her. Just keep Louella in check for now. I’ll be there next week. She won’t stay more than ten days.”

Charles dropped his gaze. He hated the way Norman and Mitch talked about Clara.

No one knew better than him what a great sister Clara really was.