Justin started the car and handed his phone to Edith.
“Call your mom and let her know you’re safe.”
Edith stared at him, momentarily at a loss. Mom? Whose mom?
Seeing her confusion, Justin cleared his throat and explained, “What’s wrong? Aren’t we getting married? Your mom is my mom too, right?”
It finally clicked for Edith. Without thinking, she grabbed the phone and got ready to call Jayne.
She’d vanished without a word–Jayne was probably beside herself with
worry.
But as soon as Edith picked up the phone, she hesitated.
It was password–locked. She couldn’t unlock it, so she couldn’t make the
call.
Justin glanced over and rattled off a code. “Zero one two five.”
Edith responded instinctively, “Your birthday?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
She didn’t press further. Once the phone was unlocked, she didn’t snoop–just tapped the phone app and dialed Jayne’s number.
The contact read “Mom.”
At first, Edith thought Justin was just being polite when he called Jayne “Mom.” But seeing it saved like that… it clearly went deeper than simple courtesy.
Jayne picked up almost instantly, sounding anxious. She must have thought it was Justin calling. “Justin, did you find Edith?”
Edith cleared her throat. “Mom, it’s me. I’m okay. I’m on my way home
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now.”
Jayne’s relief was palpable, her voice breaking with emotion. “Edith! Are you really alright? What happened? You just disappeared–did you get hurt?”
Edith forced a small smile. “I’m fine, Mom. Really. I just went to see a
friend.”
Justin didn’t correct her–he knew Edith was trying to spare Jayne from worrying any more than necessary.
But he’d seen the truth: the angry red marks on Edith’s wrists where she’d been tied, the bruises on her arms from being grabbed too hard.
Unlike the frantic drive out to find her, Justin drove steadily on the way back, careful and controlled. It took nearly two hours before they finally pulled up in front of the Sumner house.
A few silhouettes lingered outside the building, catching Edith’s eye. She tensed, her mind racing–what if it was the same people from earlier?
At some point, her hand found Justin’s, gripping tight.
Sensing her fear, Justin spoke gently, “I was worried about you. I wanted to bring you straight to my family’s place, but Northcrest tradition says a daughter should spend the night before her wedding at her parents‘ house. It’s supposed to bring good luck. So I called in a few security guards to watch over the place.”
Once he finished, Edith slowly let go of his hand, her nerves easing.
Before letting her out of the car, Justin asked softly, “Did they hurt you?”
There was genuine concern in his eyes, though the darkness hid it from Edith.
She looked down, brows furrowed, the horrors of the night still fresh and chilling.
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Outside Sylvan Abbey, that vaguely familiar man had knocked her out, tossed her belongings aside, and stuffed her into a black van.
She’d come to, groggy, just in time to hear the man making a call–organizing with a group of thugs. His words were crude, the intent unmistakable: they’d planned to take turns with her.
The surge of terror and adrenaline had given her strength–she fought desperately, earning the bruises on her arms as she struggled against
them.
When they dragged her to that filthy shack in the middle of nowhere, Edith was sure she wasn’t going to make it out alive.
Chapter 111
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.