Chapter 267 I Was Once Naive and Kind
Henry kept trying to call Grace, but her line was always busy. His gut was telling him something was up.
He rushed back, grabbed his car keys, and jumped into another car to chase after her. But by the time he got out of the neighborhood, Grace's black Bentley was long gone.
In the car, Henry was practically shaking with anxiety. He quickly called the kindergarten and asked the teacher to check on Taylor.
Five minutes later, the teacher was freaking out, almost in tears. "Mr. Montague, Taylor is missing! She was just napping a moment ago!"
Henry almost dropped his phone. He was pretty sure Riley had taken Taylor.
Last time he suspected Riley, she messed with the timeline, making him think she was in Frostgate. And she was, sort of. There was more than one "Riley" in the world. They had this plum blossom symbol, which was also a common flower in Frostgate. The one in Frostgate looked just like her, fooling him completely. The real Riley, his aunt, had always been in Evergreen City.
Riley was the one who killed Terrence and messed with Neil's meds. For over 20 years, she had been lurking around Neil like a snake. Now she had Taylor and Grace. What was she planning?
Ten minutes later, at the nearest Department of Transportation, the officers pulled up all the traffic cams in Evergreen City to track Grace. It was tough because the other side was smart, making Grace take a complicated route. After about 40 minutes, they finally got a lead.
"Mrs. Montague is heading towards Icewind!"
Henry clenched his fist and walked out. "Keep me posted with any new info."
Henry was the richest guy in Evergreen City. With his wife and daughter in trouble, the authorities were all over it, sending over ten police cars to follow him to Icewind.
Icewind, by the ocean, had a tricky terrain. Grace followed the directions on her phone, driving into the mountains, taking countless turns, and finally stopping by the roadside. A woman's voice came through the phone, "Don't hang up. Walk into the cave beside you."
Grace turned off the engine, got out, and bent down to enter the cave. The entrance was narrow, but after a short walk, it opened up, becoming spacious and bright.
"Mommy!" Taylor was tied up, and Riley had a knife close to her neck. She kicked the similarly bound Aurora beside her and gave Grace a creepy smile. "Welcome to my world!"
Grace's heart was breaking. She clenched her fists and asked Riley, "Riley, what do you want?"
Riley didn't answer. She laughed like a maniac, her voice soft. "You should have listened to Henry and gone to Dawnstar. With Oliver there, I wouldn't have had a chance. But no matter how smart Henry is, I still fooled him. I bet he's regretting it now, but it's too late!"
At this moment, Aurora fully understood. It was Riley, her own sister, who had been hurting Neil all these years.
Aurora couldn't help but curse, "Riley, you're insane! Neil is your brother-in-law. Even if I divorced him, he could never be with you. That would be incestuous!"
A slap landed hard on Aurora's face. Aurora, who had always lived a pampered life, had her face swell up immediately, with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Riley sneered, "You really think I liked him? I just couldn't stand your lovey-dovey act. I wanted to mess things up for you two, and I did! With all my meddling, Neil left. I tried to get close to him, but he was like a brick wall. No matter how hard I tried, he didn't budge! All these years, I've been like his servant, and he wouldn't even give me a second glance, let alone start something romantic with me."
She added, "But it doesn't matter. No one can stand your bad temper! As for Henry and Grace, they're doing great, so great that it makes me jealous. So, I won't let them be happy!"
"Aurora, do you know? The men I've killed were all deeply in love with their wives. But once they touched my body, they all became unfaithful. They juggled their wives at home and had wild affairs with me. They deserved to die!" Riley remarked nonchalantly, as if discussing a trivial matter.
Aurora cursed angrily, "You're a lunatic!"
"Yes! I am." Riley didn't care.
She threw a rope to Grace and demanded, "Tie your legs together and raise your hands. As long as you do as I say, I won't hurt Taylor or Aurora."
Grace stared at Riley, unmoving.
Riley suddenly got angry, pressing the knife deeper into Taylor's neck. Blood started to seep from Taylor's skin. Taylor didn't dare move; she even forgot to cry.
Grace's eyelashes trembled, her voice tense. "OK, I'll tie myself."
Riley watched her tie a dead knot, ensuring Grace couldn't untie it with her hands. Only then did she release Taylor.
Then, she opened a box containing eight vials of liquid and a syringe. Riley's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Riley drew the liquid into the syringe, speaking softly, "Do you know what this is? It's a high-dose neurotoxin. Just one injection, and Grace will forget Henry forever. They will never be happy again! Aurora, there shouldn't be happiness in this world."
Aurora murmured, "Riley, you really are insane!"
Riley thought Aurora was about to curse again. She knew Aurora's temper well; whenever things didn't go her way, she would flare up and assert her status as the older sister. But now, in front of Riley, she was nothing.
But Riley was wrong. Aurora didn't curse. She knelt in front of Riley, crying as she begged. "Riley, I'm begging you, please. Inject me with the drug; don't hurt Grace and Taylor. They are Henry's life!"
Riley kicked Aurora away, saying coldly, "Your life is worthless."
Riley walked towards Grace, but Aurora threw herself in front of her, blocking her path. Once so proud, Aurora was now humbly bowing before Riley, her mouth full of blood. She kept begging, but Aurora didn't care.
Taylor screamed in fear.
Riley couldn't move forward. She looked down at Aurora and sneered, "I can't stand seeing people in love! You want to sacrifice yourself for them? What makes you so great? How come your life is so perfect while I have nothing?"
Riley trembled all over as she began to recount her experiences, "I was once innocent and kind. After getting married, Bryan and I adopted a little girl. She was beautiful and pure, and I gave her all my love. But I never expected that a few years later, when she grew up, she would end up in bed with my husband!"
"Aurora, do you know? That year, the girl was only 18, and Bryan was already 40. I saw with my own eyes how they tangled up together and how he kissed her passionately. They made love on the bed I picked out, whispering sweet nothings to each other. Bryan told her that she was his true love!" Riley recalled.