Chapter 125
My Mute Bride
Rachel moved straight back to Nancyâs place without bringing much with her. When Nancy saw her coming back with all her luggage, she immediately realized that something was wrong. âWhy are you moving back suddenly, Rachel? Did something happen?â
However, Rachel gave her no response. She washed her hands as she stood in the bathroom, rubbing soap on her palms again and again as if to wash something away.
âAre you trying to worry me to death, Rachel? If you keep doing this, Iâll give Dr. Peters a call.â
Suddenly, the woman came to her senses and stopped Nancy. Letâs move away from Riverdale, Grandma.
Nancy looked dumbfounded and stunned upon hearing this.
The next day, Victor put the suitcases into the trunk before clapping the dust off his hands. âRemember to give me a call when you and Madam Tiller arrive at the new place, Rachel. Tell me your address, and Iâll go to visit you two when Iâm free.â
Rachel forced a smile while pointing at his unkempt blond hair. A student should behave like a student.
Dyeing your hair back to black would suit you better, you know.
Victor scratched his head. âIâll keep that in mind.â As the car slowly drove away from the neighborhood, he ran after the car, waved his hand, and shouted, âYou have to call me, Rachel! Iâll definitely dye my hair black when I see you next time!â
The car soon disappeared at the neighborhoodâs entrance, and Victor walked back in dejection. There were still some belongings in Nancyâs apartment, all of which Rachel had given to him.
As soon as Victor reached the entrance to the apartment building, he bumped into someone in a moment of inattention. âHey!â The ladyâs shrill voice was somewhat harsh to the ear. He frowned in displeasure and looked back, only to see a young lady hopping backward on crutches. Turns out that sheâs a cripple, he thought to himself.
The lady glared at Victor. âAre you blind? Why donât you watch where youâre going?â
Victor was miffed in the first place, so the ladyâs words enraged him even more. He snapped, âWho are you accusing of being blind? Donât you know how to speak properly?â
âWhatâs wrong with you? You look like an undesirable person. Are you really a resident of this neighborhood? Are you here to steal things?â Gloria asked. Suddenly, she realized something and immediately reached into her pocket. âWhereâs my cell phone?â
âMe? Steal things?â Victorâs face was livid with rage. âAre you here to fake an accident to blackmail me?â
âJust you wait! If I canât find my cell phone, it means youâre the one who stole it! It was still here just now! Stay where you are!â Gloria fumbled about for a while before suddenly finding her cell phone in her trouser pocket.
Upon seeing the change in her expression, Victor let out a sneer. âWell? Arenât you going to call the police? Do you want me to lend you my cell phone if you donât have one?â
Gloria looked embarrassed.
Victor shot her a disdainful look before turning around and going upstairs. It just isnât my day today! he thought to himself. After going upstairs, he took out his keys and unlocked the door. Just as he was about to close the door, an arm suddenly stopped him. âHey! Wait a minute!â
Victor flew into a rage when he saw that it was the lady from just now. âAre you done yet? Why are you following me to my house?â
âYour house? Is this your house?â
âSurely this isnât your house even if it isnât mine, right?â
Gloria was startled for a moment. She then muttered, âI must have remembered it wrongly. Didnât Frankie say that Rachel and her grandmother live in Unit 201?â
Victor was about to close the door at first, but he paused upon hearing Gloriaâs words. âAre you looking for Rachel?â
âDo you know her?â Gloriaâs eyes lit up.
Victor sized her up warily and asked, âWhatâs your relationship with her?â
âMe?â Gloria thought it over for a moment. âYou may consider me her sister-in-law.â
âAre you Justinâs sister?â Victor blurted.
âDo you know me?â
Victorâs face hardened at once. âGet lost at once! Stay as far away from here as possible!â Then, he slammed the door shut right away with a loud bang. When he helped Rachel pack up her belongings, he saw her blood stained divorce agreement, and various news reports of domestic violence flashed before his eyes. Moreover, Justin had such a bad reputation, so it wasnât difficult to imagine what Rachel had suffered.
The sound of someone banging the door could be heard outside. âAre you done yet?â Victor pulled the door open with an impatient expression.
Gloria nearly punched him in the face. âWhy did you become so hostile all of a sudden? Iâm here to look for Miss Rachel, not you! Where is she?â
âShe isnât here.â
âThatâs impossible. She just moved here yesterday!â This time, Gloria was smart enough to prop the door open with her crutches, making Victor unable to close the door. Then, she hopped into his house and yelled as she entered, âMiss Rachel! I know youâre home, Miss Rachel!â
âStop yelling! Were you a duck in your previous life?â Victor bellowed to stop Gloria as his head was throbbing because of the noise she made. âCanât you see that yourself? Rachel has moved away.â
âMoved away?â Gloria hopped into the room inside to see the belongings packed neatly on the floor.
There didnât seem to be anyone living here. âWhere has she moved to?â
âHow would I know that? Rachel left in a hurry without telling me anything. She drove away by herself;
anyway, sheâs going to leave Riverdale.â
âWhat?â Gloriaâs expression changed. âHow could she drive by herself? Sheâs pregnant!â
âPregnant?â Victorâs expression changed as well.
âWhen did she leave, and in which direction did she head off to?â
Victor was stupefied. âShe left just a moment ago.â
Gloria immediately took out her cell phone and dialed a number. Victor wanted to make a dig at her about her cell phone at first, but he shut up upon seeing her expression.
âJustin, Miss Rachel has moved away!â
On the other end of the line, the person was at the Burton Groupâs quarterly summary meeting. As he held his cell phone, Justin slowly clenched his large hand with veins pulsing on the back of it. He thought to himself, She actually ran away just like that. Who gave her the nerve to do so?
The expressway was brightly lit with street lamps as night drew in. Rachel pulled up at a rest stop. Iâm going to buy some stuff, Grandma. Wait for me inside the car.
Nancy nodded with a yawn. âOkay. How much longer will it take for us to get there, Rachel? You havenât told me where weâre going yet.â
Soon. Weâll be there very soon.
It was easy for an old person to be fatigued by a long journey, and Rachel was worried that Nancy might not be able to bear it. Therefore, she hurried along the way and didnât dare to waste too much time. She wanted to get off the expressway and find somewhere to take a rest as soon as possible.
She didnât know where she was going, nor did she dare to tell anyone about it. She feared that Justin would come after her for the babyâs sake, but she was even more afraid that someone with evil intentions might want to kill her to root her out. Without the protection offered by the title of Mrs. Burton, she couldnât establish herself in Riverdale at all. Not only that, many wanted to kill the baby in her womb. Rachel shuddered at the thought of what Amber had said the other day.
âWelcome. Your total is 103 bucks.â
Rachel walked out of the convenience store with the shopping bags in her hands. Just then, the convenience store worker suddenly called out to her from behind, âYou forgot your sour plums, miss!â
Rachel was startled for a moment. As soon as she turned around, her head was suddenly covered from behind with a piece of black cloth. The next second, everything went pitch-black before her eyes.
âMmm-â
The large shopping bags containing all the stuff she had just bought dropped to the ground, scattering biscuits, milk, and some chocolates everywhere. Rachel struggled desperately while attempting to call for help, but she could only let out faint, hoarse cries. Then, as she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, she saw stars and passed out.