Chapter 30: Tears of a Mother

Chapter 30: Tears of a Mother
Roselyn Scarlet's POV (Elena's Mother)

"Where did you say you left my daughter?!" I screamed at Ayla as she stood trembling.

"Calm down, darling," my husband came from upstairs and held me gently.

"What happened?" he asked, facing Ayla.

“She stopped by the road, put on a face mask, and said she just needed to grab something from a store before coming back. She told us to go home without her.”

"What!?" my husband exclaimed as he opened his phone, immediately trying to call Elena’s number, but it was not reachable.

"Call that driver for me!" I shouted angrily as I paced on the foyer. Ayla quickly disappeared outside and came back a few seconds later with Elena’s personal driver.

“Why did you let her get down? Why didn’t you stop her?” I snapped.

“She gave the instruction herself,” the driver said, nervously.

But I was too consumed with anger to care.

"You both are fired!" I screamed at the top of my voice as frustration and desperation overtook me.

"No, darling, just calm down," my husband responded gently, rubbing my hands. "Just go out," he told Ayla and the driver.

She was the only child I had, and the only family too, I had lost my entire family—my parents and siblings—in a fire accident when I was young. 

After the accident, Elena changed so much that I got more attached to her. 

My husband dialed Elena’s number again. Still nothing. 

I sank onto the couch, hands pressed to my chest, my thoughts spinning into a thousand sharp questions. Her memory hadn’t returned since the accident, and every what if tightened my throat.

Then he dialed the security operatives.

"Hello, please, I am reporting my daughter. She went out for about an hour now and her phone is not reachable. She was last seen at Silvergate Mall"

“Calm down, sir. I believe she’ll be home — but if she isn’t within four hours, please call us again,” the operative said over the phone.

“Alright”

Then he hung up, dropped his phone, and pulled me up from the couch.

"Our daughter is a strong young lady. Nothing will happen to her," he said, pulling me into a warm hug as I stood.

"Just try and pull yourself together," he added, and I felt his heart beating with a great thud against my body.

That was Elena’s father. He was the man I gave my heart and everything to, and even right now, I was not regretting that decision I made seventeen years ago.

Even when he is angry, scared, or in his worst moments, he tries to bring himself together for the family.

I came from a very poor family and had heard how the rich behaved. I’d fallen deeply in love when I agreed to marry him, but I was still scared. His father owned one of the biggest companies back then.

But right now, I keep loving him even more, as he has proven to be different. He was scared and agitated too, but all that mattered to him was helping me calm down.

About an hour and forty minutes later, a strange call came in, and he picked it up immediately.

"Yes?" he said quickly.

"Hello sir, your daughter has been taken to the hospital in Cresthill Medical Center. She was found in Blackstone Quarry alongside a young girl," I heard the person on the phone speak to my husband.

We didn’t waste a second. Grabbing our coats, we rushed out, as my heart pounded with fear.



“Where is my daughter?” I asked, my voice trembling as tears welled up in my eyes as we arrived at the emergency private hall.

"She is stable, ma'am. Please calm down. She was sprayed with a neuro-paralytic mist that induces weakness for up to four hours. We have taken necessary measures, and she should be up on her feet once the effect wears off—likely in an hour or less since the spray was applied about two hours ago," the doctor reassured us.

"Thank you, doctor," my husband responded quickly.

"Can we go in, please?" he asked while I stood still, heart racing.

"Yes, sir," the doctor said, leading us to a private room.

I held Elena’s hand as I sobbed gently, sitting quietly beside her. Different questions spun in my heart. Who was trying to kill her? Why was she at that godforsaken place at night? What was Elena not telling us? Are we too distant? Or are we too strict?

"It’s nice having you in our hospital for the first time, Mr. Scarlet," the doctor said, drawing my attention back. He shook my husband's hand briefly and walked away.

Then Zane walked in, and anger boiled in my chest. I stood up.

"You again?" I snapped, walking toward him and raising my hand to land a befitting slap.

But my husband held my hand gently mid-air.

"Don’t, darling, don’t," he said, pulling me away and settling me back in my seat.

"What happened, young man?" he asked Zane.

"Uhm… she… she…" Zane stammered, still tense.

"Speak up!" my husband shouted. 

Even the man who calmed me moments ago was now on edge. He never played when it came to Elena.

"After Elena recovered from the previous accident, she began receiving threatening messages from an unknown caller," Zane said, swallowing hard. "Since then, she’s been trying to solve the murder case that happened in school."

"Wait," my husband cut in. "The same one that was ruled a suicide?"

"Yes, sir," Zane replied.

Then, a breaking news flash came through the flat TV screen on the wall, showing Elena Scarlet’s picture.

"Oh, please don’t tell me this made it to the news," I muttered angrily.

"Elena Scarlet has solved the death case previously ruled a suicide," the reporter stated.

"She has finally exposed the real killer—Rosa, a close friend of the late Gloria. Elena is currently unconscious but stable at the hospital," the reporter added.

The screen showed a handcuffed girl, then cut to Zane pushing Elena’s stretcher into the ambulance. My anger cooled — seeing him steady at her side made me pause and doubt my first rush to blame him.

“Mum” I heard Elena’s voice softly, as I turned towards her immediately, but something was off.