Chapter 332
Emily gasped for air, as if she had just been scared of her wits, completely swallowed up by fear.
She didn’t know how much time had passed, but the once-bright sky had turned pitch black. At last, Emily managed to pull herself out of that suffocating terror.
She wasn’t sure if she was imagining things, but she could vaguely hear Austin’s voice. She lifted her head and saw Austin running toward her from the distant darkness, holding a flashlight. He was like a blade slicing through the night, letting the light in.
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When Austin reached her, slightly out of breath, his face full of worry. “Emily, are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?”
Emily always had people assigned to protect her, but no one ever expected she could still get snatched right off the street.
The moment Austin got the news, he didn’t care about the risk of exposing himself and pulled every string he could to find her. But seeing her like this now, it seemed he was still a moment too late.
Meeting Austin’s worried gaze, Emily suddenly felt a surge of vulnerability well up. She wanted to say she was fine, but the moment she opened her mouth, she couldn’t help but tear up.
She quickly looked down and blinked rapidly, shaking her head without saying a word.
Austin could see she wasn’t hurt, but he also noticed something was off about her. Without asking any questions, he scooped her up into his arms.
Emily didn’t resist. She wrapped her arms around Austin’s neck and buried her face deep in his chest. She wasn’t really that strong or perfect. She’d been toughing it out alone for way too long, and she was just so tired.
Emily thought, ‘Just this once, I let myself fall apart. Just for a little while is enough.’
After Austin brought her home, Emily tucked away all her emotions, going right back to that usual, indifferent self of hers. She ran her fingers through her messy hair. “I’m going to wash up.”
She didn’t look at Austin, eyes downcast as she started toward the bathroom. But Austin suddenly caught her wrist.
It was the first time Austin ever brought up something Emily would rather keep to herself. “Was it someone from St. Gabriel Reform Academy who kidnapped you?”
Emily’s head snapped up, all her emotions instantly replaced by shock and disbelief as she stared at Austin. She wondered, ‘How could he possibly know about St. Gabriel Reform Academy?’
Emily stayed silent, but the look in her eyes told Austin everything he needed to know. Austin thought, ‘I knew it.’ Austin’s heart trembled slightly. Instead of letting go of Emily’s hand, he pulled her down onto the couch with him.
Austin explained, “Before I met you, they kidnapped me in Beloris. To keep my team from tracking them down, they transferred me to Cloudridge.
“When they captured me, I learned that they would send me to a place called St. Gabriel Reform Academy, so I’ve been secretly investigating it ever since.
“On the surface, St. Gabriel Reform Academy is just like a juvenile detention center; no one can find anything wrong with it. That is, until they suddenly made a move on you today.”
Austin had finally uncovered a few clues, but when something suddenly happened to Emily, he hadn’t had the chance to keep digging.
He’d already known that Emily’s story about spending two years abroad was a lie. With St. Gabriel Reform Academy suddenly making a move, he’d already put most of the pieces together in his mind.
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Chapter 382
Hearing his explanation, Emily didn’t seem too surprised. She knew Austin was clever. Given what he already knew, it wasn’t much of a stretch for him to figure out the rest.
