Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Walter still had no idea that Dylan had already gone and gotten married in secret. If he ever found out, who knows how long the Fergusons would keep making a

scene.

Dylan lowered his gaze, staring at the ring he was turning over and over between his fingers.

After a while, he wheeled himself into his master bedroom. He reached into a hidden compartment and took out two red marriage certificates. He snapped a photo and posted it to his social feed.

His account was basically dead-he hadn't posted anything in years.

Now, he uploaded this one photo with a simple caption: Married.

Jackson was the first to see the update.

He was still at the Dawson family's place for dinner. There were other guests tonight, so he'd have to stick around late.

Someone at the table asked, “Jackson, who did Dylan marry?"

Jackson paused mid-sip, surprised. "What?"

"You didn't know? He just posted on his feed. At first I thought it might be a fake, but I checked-it's definitely him. He posted a photo of his marriage certificate and wrote 'Married.' Aren't you two close? He didn't even tell you?"

Jackson quickly pulled out his phone and scrolled through his feed. Sure enough, there it was.

Damn.

He jumped up, ready to leave, but Walter's stern voice stopped him. "Sit down. We still have guests."

Jackson sat back down, his mind racing. What was Dylan thinking? Was he trying to blow up the whole city with this news?

He wanted to drop everything and rush to Palm Bay, pack Clara up, and send her overseas before she could drag Dylan into any more drama.

But Jackson knew better than anyone-Dylan only did what he wanted. No one could force him.

Clara hadn't even said anything yet, and Dylan had already gone public. Jackson figured he must have done it because Tara was back.

He pushed his rice around, barely able to sit still.

Everyone at the table was whispering about who Dylan's mysterious wife could be. No matter how hard they tried, none of them would ever guess it was Clara.

Walter, of course, had no clue either. The Dawsons couldn't stand Clara. Not long ago, Walter had even gone to the Fergusons to warn them that Dylan's relationship with Clara wasn't normal. Dylan had always listened to the family-there was no way he'd be bold enough to keep seeing Clara.

As long as it wasn't Clara, the Dawsons didn't care who the bride was.

Seeing Jackson so restless, Walter slammed his hand on the table.

"Jackson, didn't I tell you to bring Brittany over tonight? You've been back for ages -have you still not set foot in your own marital home?"

When Walter arranged their marriage, he even prepared a fancy villa for Jackson in the city's best neighborhood.

Jackson forced a smile. With guests around, he didn't want to embarrass Walter.

"Grandpa, there'll be plenty of chances."

The guests all knew Jackson didn't care about his so-called wife. They'd

been married for years, but no onez

had ever

seen her. She was so

low-key that, aside from her title asnoveldrama

Jackson's wife, it was like she'd

disappeared from the world.

Sometimes, people even wondered if she actually existed.

Walter clenched his glass so hard it almost shattered.

"Jackson, enough is enough. You're old enough to be thinking about kids. Time to drop those foolish ideas. Brittany is a great girl-get to know her, and you might find

yourself really liking her. She's gentle, smart, and perfectly suited for you."

Jackson almost laughed. He honestly didn't even know if Walter was talking about Brittany or someone else.

To be honest, he didn't even know the woman's real name. He couldn't understand how she'd managed to keep Walter so convinced about this marriage for so many years.

He forced another smile, but he was getting frustrated. Being forced into marriage was bad enough.

"Grandpa, didn't Brittany's family business just get through a tough spot? They only latched onto us for money in the first place. If they're going to sell their daughter, they should at least act like it."

Walter's face turned bright red and he slammed his hand on the table again. "You

Jackson had had enough. He stood up abruptly. "Sorry, everyone. I've got work to handle at the office."