Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

After the police busted a massive criminal ring, a horrifying truth came out: women were being drugged and locked away. And these weren't just anyone they were all once powerful businesswomen, successful and respected in the big cities.

Every single one of them had run a company with their husband. Then, out of nowhere, they'd have some sort of mental breakdown and completely disappear.

Some of them came from wealthy families, marrying men with no money or connections. The wives' families would help the husbands build their careers, only for the wives to suddenly crack and vanish.

Even worse, after breaking down, a few of these women ended up hurting their own parents in a psychotic episode. Their parents fell apart too, some even dying by suicide. In the end, all the family fortune landed right in the husbands' laps.

People had always suspected something was off-that maybe the husbands planned it all. After all, they gained so much. But every time the police investigated, they found nothing. The men went on TV swearing they'd never leave their sick wives, promising to take care of their in-laws forever, forever devoted.

The public ate it up. Everyone thought these guys were the gold standard-the kind of men you could trust your life with.

Their businesses kept growing. None of them ever remarried. Sometimes they'd post sweet old photos of their wives to show the world just how loyal they were.

But now, the truth was everywhere-top of the trending list, huge national scandal.

It turned out these women didn't just "lose it"-their husbands had been drugging them all along. The men had other women on the side, and once their wives were out of the way, they sent them off somewhere remote, where they were ignored and mistreated.

"Animals. How are these guys not dead or in prison? Some of them are even famous for being 'charitable'-I want to throw up. How can this kind of thing happen in the twenty-first century?"

"I can't even imagine how hopeless those women must've felt. And their parents died too. One marriage destroyed a whole family. It's terrifying-don't ever underestimate what people are capable of."

"Girls, please—never marry down, and don't try to 'save' someone. These women used to be amazing, and look what happened to them.”

The news blew up-over fifty families were involved. Every victim was now locked away in a psychiatric hospital. The husbands were all high-flying businessmen, some with perfect public images. The police worked across cities, arresting them live on camera for the whole country to see.

Everyone wanted to know who was really behind the so-called "wellness center" where the women were kept. That place had been running for years, the whole village wiped off the map. Clearly, someone powerful was protecting it.

Flynn was stuck at the airport, glued to the news as it all exploded. His phone wouldn't stop ringing.

Every call was a different man, sobbing and desperate.

"Mr. Schwaderer, you promised no one would ever find out! The police already called me. If you don't help me, I'll drag you down too!"

"Mr. Schwaderer, you have to pull some strings-get us out of this. I've been paying you for years. Seventy percent of my company's profits went straight to you!"

Flynn's face tightened with anger. He shut off his phone without a second thought.

These guys had all been the new rich, untouchable in their cities. Now, with the truth out, they were falling apart.

Flynn took a slow breath. The news had broken so fast, the earliest flight out wasn't for another two and a half hours. His expression turned cold as he headed for the airport exit.

"We need to find a place to lay low," he said.

Two men followed quietly behind him, nodding.

Flynn called Tara. She'd already seen the news, but she hadn't linked any of it to him.

He filled her in, fast. "How close are you to Richard?" he asked.noveldrama

Tara turned pale. "Uncle, was this you?"

Now everything made sense-the way the rich and powerful always showed her uncle so much respect, no matter where he went. He'd been holding their secrets all along.

Her chest was tight with panic. The story was everywhere, seven hashtags

trending at once. The public outrage was boiling over.