Scarlet Enchantment

Chapter 2

Ryan arrived very quickly, even before the police. He took Emily out of the car, wrapped her in his suit jacket, and carefully carried her to his own car. Emily kept trembling, and Ryan could only hold her tightly, his lips close to her ear to comfort her, "It's okay, Emily, it's okay. I'm here, the police will be here soon, and once they arrive, I'll take you to the hospital."

The police cars arrived quickly, their lights flashing continuously. They pulled the gaunt man's body from Emily's car, placed it in a body bag, and took it away. A female officer came to check on Emily, trying to get more details about the incident. Ryan, restraining his anger, said, "My girlfriend has been severely traumatized; she needs to go to the hospital."

The female officer was very understanding and immediately called for someone to take Emily to the hospital, allowing Ryan to accompany her. Emily's body gradually calmed down, but her voice was terribly hoarse. She nervously kept telling Ryan, "Don't let my parents know, don't let them know."

Ryan's eyes were even redder than Emily's, and he tightly held her hand, soothing her, "Don't worry, they won't find out. Emily, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Emily's soul and energy seemed to have been exhausted in that life-and-death struggle, leaving only a shell that obediently followed their arrangements—getting a medical check-up, documenting her injuries, receiving treatment, even responding to the female officer's inquiries. She only showed a bit of life in her eyes when facing Ryan, mumbling, "Ryan, was it all a nightmare?"

Ryan held her tightly, reassuring her, "It was just a nightmare, it will be over soon."

He never lied to her, and things did get better day by day. Each time he visited her, he brought good news. On the fifteenth day, he came back and told her, "The man who escaped, 'Sebastian,' has been caught. They are all heinous fugitives with blood on their hands. You'll be okay, Emily, you won't have any problems."

She was initially stunned, then burst into tears. The invisible fear that had weighed on her heart finally found an outlet. "I'm scared, Ryan, I'm really scared. I'm afraid that man will come back for revenge. You didn't see the look in his eyes; he will definitely kill me."

Ryan continued to hold her tightly, speaking slowly and firmly, "He won't come out to harm you again. He will be sentenced to death. The lawyer says he won't escape the death penalty. Don't be afraid, Emily, I'll always be with you. Once this is over, we'll get married, move into a bigger house, have two kids, and get a dog and a cat to keep our home lively!"

Emily's gaze drifted off, her mind slowly visualizing the scene he described.

"Don't be afraid, Emily. Time will heal everything. Gradually, you'll forget about the nightmare," Ryan said softly.

Four years later, in Serenity City.

Serenity City, surrounded by mountains and rivers, has been renowned for its beautiful scenery since ancient times. Emily's parents hadn't planned to leave their hometown in their old age, but they loved the environment here. With Emily settling here with her husband, they decided to sell their old house and move to Serenity City with their daughter.

Their house was across the street from Emily's current residence, just a short walk away. Even Ryan couldn't help but tease her, "Your parents are so close now, it's convenient to visit, but aren't you worried about them constantly checking on you?"

Emily shot him a sidelong glance, curling up on the sofa and leisurely flipping through a magazine. She playfully stretched her words, "Honey, I spent all my salary this month again. There's no money left for a beauty card."

Ryan smiled helplessly, "My dear wife, my salary card is in your hands. Do you still need to ask me for money?"

"It's just a formality." She smiled, kicking Ryan playfully with her toes. "Hey? Ryan, when are we going to the hospital for a check-up? They say both partners should get checked to ensure the baby will be healthy!"

They had been married for two years and, after enjoying their honeymoon phase, were ready to have a baby.

"Is there something wrong with my health?" Ryan grabbed her playful foot, gently massaging it while leaning closer. He teased, "Don't you already know?"

Emily giggled, gently pushing him away. "If you don't go to the hospital, neither will I!"

Ryan always listened to her. Within a few days, they both went to the hospital for a check-up. Both were in good health, and the doctor only prescribed some vitamins for Emily to take during pregnancy. After leaving the hospital near noon, they had a quick lunch outside. Ryan drove to his office, while Emily spent some time shopping before leisurely heading back to the university.

The school where she worked was small and had just been upgraded to a university. In an effort to expand, they had created several new departments but lacked enough office space. So, they crammed all the faculty into one building. As usual, Emily parked her car in the shade behind the administrative building. As she got out, a black SUV pulled in next to her car.

The vehicle was unfamiliar, unlike the ones her colleagues drove. Emily slowed her pace, glancing at it curiously.

The car door opened, and a man wearing sunglasses stepped out. Dressed in a shirt and jeans, he was tall and slender. Although he appeared thin, Emily, who often worked out, knew this body type usually hid well-defined muscles beneath the clothes.

However, she wasn't interested. She loved Ryan deeply and was almost blind to other men. To her, they all had indistinct faces, their attractiveness irrelevant.

The man was leaning against the car door, looking at her unhurriedly, and asked, "Miss, is the Foreign Languages Department office in this building?"

His voice was distinctive, deep and pleasant, yet carrying an indescribable chill. In the summer, it should have been refreshing, but to Emily, it sent a shiver down her spine, as if that distant, nearly forgotten nightmare was suddenly reappearing.

Under the moonlight, the man's sharp gaze swept over her face, his expression indifferent and emotionless, saying, "Be clean about it, leave no traces."

That voice was something she could never forget for the rest of her life.

Emily felt as if she had seen a ghost. The words "help me" stuck in her throat, unable to come out. She could only stare at the man in terror, backing away in panic. In her haste, the heel of her shoe got caught in the crack of the pavement, causing her to lose balance and fall heavily to the ground.

The man removed his sunglasses and walked toward her, asking, "Miss, are you okay?"

She kept moving backward, shouting in fear, "Don't come any closer! There are many people here, they will come right away!"

The man stopped, smiled helplessly, and explained, "Miss, I don't know what caused you to react this way, but I mean no harm. If I have frightened you, I apologize. I will leave now."

He took a few steps back, bending slightly, and asked, "Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself? Do you need me to call someone?"

Emily said nothing, only curled up, staring at him with fear and vigilance.

"OK, OK, I'm leaving now." The man spoke softly, glancing at his watch before pointing to his car, adding, "Miss, I'll come back to get my car in about half an hour."

Without saying anything more, he walked away.

Though the sun was shining brightly, Emily felt as if she had just emerged from an icy cave, shivering with cold. She still sat on the ground, her skirt covered in dust, and her scraped palms throbbing with pain, but she ignored all of it. With trembling hands, she fished out her phone from her purse and dialed Ryan's number.

He's here! He's here! She repeated frantically, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Who?" Ryan asked.

She frantically replied, "It's him, I saw him! He's come back for me!"

It felt like she was transported back in time, waking up crying from countless nightmares, telling Ryan they had come for her. Ryan was silent for a moment before soothing her softly again, "Emily, it's over. They are all dead. Those three men are dead. Don't be afraid. Tell me, where are you now?"

Whether it was her husband's calming voice or the intense summer sunlight warming her, Emily slowly regained her composure and answered, "I'm at the university, behind the administrative building."

"Is there anyone around?" Ryan asked.

She looked around. People were passing by the distant intersection, and some students, seeing her, hesitated before walking towards her.

"Some students are coming over," she replied.

Ryan chuckled warmly, teasing her, "Wipe your face, or the students will laugh at you. It's so hot, you might be seeing things because of the heat."

That explanation seemed reasonable. Emily murmured in agreement. Before hanging up, a student who came to check on her asked, "Ms. Carter, are you alright?"

Emily recognized him as a junior in the English department, a student council member who often helped out in the office. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she responded, quickly saying goodbye to Ryan. After hanging up, she explained to the student, "I wasn't careful and twisted my ankle."

She smiled awkwardly, trying to stand up.

The student hurriedly helped her up and asked, "Can you walk? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Emily's heels weren't high, and the twist wasn't severe. She stood, flexing her ankle, and tested her weight on it. Though it hurt a bit, it wasn't serious. She waved off the student's help and slowly walked towards the administrative building. As soon as she entered the office, a colleague called out, "Ms. Carter, you're just in time. A student's parent is here to see you."

She looked up and saw the man standing by the window with his hands in his pockets. He turned his head towards the door, his gaze landing on her. Her first instinct was to flee, but she stood frozen as if prey under a predator's watch.

He nodded slightly, greeting her politely, "Hello, Ms. Carter."

Her colleague, not noticing her reaction, introduced the situation, "This is the brother of one of your students. He's here to handle her withdrawal paperwork."

Emily said nothing, staring blankly at the man.

Two voices argued in her head: one frantically insisted it was him, the same voice, the same face as the thug. The other, more rational voice, reminded her, "Emily, stay calm. That thug was executed. Ryan confirmed it. People don't come back from the dead. This is someone else, just someone who happens to look like him."

The man chuckled, a bit helplessly, and said, "Ms. Carter, I'm not a monster. I'm Emily's cousin. My name is Damian Blackwood. Look, here's my ID." He pulled out his ID from his wallet and walked towards her, intending to hand it to her.

Emily instinctively recoiled. He noticed and stopped, placing the ID on the table between them, indicating she could check it.

Her colleague, confused, asked, "Ms. Carter, what's wrong?"

Emily didn't answer. She picked up the ID, warily eyeing the man while examining it closely: Name: Damian Blackwood, Male, 28 years old, address in Serenity City. The photo showed a young man in his early twenties with neatly cut hair, a handsome face, and a gentle demeanor.

She carefully checked the back, noting the issuance date, which matched when he would have been twenty.

Such a refined young man didn't seem like a hardened criminal.

Emily silently exhaled, calming down. She returned the ID, apologizing, "I'm sorry, Mr. Blackwood. It's my mistake. I apologize for any misunderstanding."

Damian smiled faintly, not probing further, and explained, "Ms. Carter, Julia has been on medical leave due to her health. The family decided it would be best for her to take a year off to recover abroad. Her family is out of town, and her parents couldn't come, so they asked me to handle the withdrawal paperwork for her."

________________________

If you enjoyed this story, please don't forget to like and comment!

Your likes and comments mean the world to me and let me know your thoughts and feelings.

I look forward to hearing from you and appreciate your support along this journey!