From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 375: Chapter 375

Lenore lay on her side, facing away from them, and didn't answer. Soon, steady breathing came from her side of the bed.
"Asleep?" Elara blinked, barely able to see in the dark. "She fell asleep fast."
Elara settled back down, grabbing Serena's hand under the covers. "Rena, I keep feeling like something's off with Lenore's family. Once the wedding's done tomorrow, if there's a car at night, let's leave then."
She didn't want to stay another night here.
"Okay," Serena agreed.
In the dark, no one spoke anymore. The room was quiet except for their breathing and the ticking of an old clock.
After who-knows-how-long, Lenore, who'd been lying still, shifted slightly and sat up, moving as light as a feather. Her eyes gleamed in the dim night, fixed on Serena and Elara lying on the far side.
"Rena, Elara, you asleep?" she whispered. No one answered—just the sound of their even breathing.
Lenore didn't move right away. She waited a few more minutes, making sure they were really out, then slipped out of bed as quietly as she could. She eased the door open and stepped outside.
What she didn't see was that the moment she got up, Serena's eyes opened on the far side.
If the Barnes family's behavior before was just plain weird, Lenore's actions now screamed trouble. Deep down, she didn't want to believe it, but if she still wasn't on high alert by now, that'd be downright foolish.
Serena slid out of bed in the dark, feeling around for her phone charging on the table. She turned it on and, sure enough, no signal. She remembered having a signal before falling asleep—not strong, but definitely there.
Serena grabbed her phone and went back, whispering to wake Elara, who'd dozed off in a daze. "Elara, get up—don't sleep."
Elara stirred as Serena shook her, about to speak, but Serena clapped a hand over her mouth. She showed Elara her signal-less phone. Elara dug hers out from under her pillow—same deal, no bars.
"How's there no signal?" Elara whispered. Then she glanced at the other side of the bed and saw Lenore was gone. "Where's Lenore?"
Serena took a deep breath. "Elara, listen—this place isn't safe. Lenore's definitely hiding something from us."
"Huh? Hiding what?" Elara's brain was still foggy—she couldn't wrap her head around it. It was supposed to be a wedding.
Serena shook her head. "I don't know yet, but if we don't save ourselves, we're in real danger."
"No way!" Elara couldn't believe it. Lenore had been so good to them at school.
"I don't want to think it either, but never underestimate how evil someone can be," Serena said grimly.
That was something her mom had taught her. There were plenty of two-faced people out there—nice on the surface, rotten behind your back. But that was small-time stuff. Real evil lurked, bided its time, hated for no reason, and poisoned without logic.
Elara didn't know much, but she knew one thing—she trusted Serena completely. "So what do we do? Should we sneak out tonight?"
Serena shook her head. "We can't escape."
They were in the mountains. They'd followed Lenore in, too busy taking in the scenery to memorize the path. Now, before dawn—running blind into the mountains would just make things worse.
"Then what? Ask another house for help?" Elara suggested, then shot it down herself. "No way—the people here stick together. Who'd we even ask?"
She scrunched her face, gripping Serena's hand tighter. "Rena, you don't think we've been trafficked, do you?"
She couldn't believe this. Lenore was such a good person. Top student, always helping out. Treated them like gold. There was no way she would do this to them.
Serena bit her lip hard. She didn't want to believe it either, but everything today forced her to. Plus, when she saw Olivia earlier, there'd been a split-second flicker of recognition. She felt like she'd seen her somewhere, but she was dead sure they'd never met.
"What do we do, Rena?" Elara was freaking out, on the verge of tears.
"Don't panic yet," Serena said softly, trying to calm her. "My phone's got the latest security tracking. If it loses connection, it alerts the security company. As long as we stall, help will come."
Elara nodded fast. "You're Rena—if you say it, I believe it." It was not like she had any other option left.
"Let's just wait it out. Maybe by morning, we'll get a signal." Serena kept soothing her.
"Yeah, yeah." Elara nodded again. "Maybe we're misunderstanding Lenore."
"Mm," Serena murmured.
She knew Elara hated the idea of Lenore turning on them. If she could, she'd rather believe she'd overthought it too. But the truth proved she hadn't.
When Lenore came back, it was already light out. She figured Serena and Elara were still asleep, but when she pushed the door open, she saw them dressed and sitting there. Even their bags were packed, ready to bolt any second.
"You two—what, you're leaving?" Lenore asked.
"Yeah." Elara nodded. "Lenore, when's your wedding starting? Where's it at? You haven't told us anything. Rena and I were planning to leave right after it's done."
Lenore's gaze locked onto Serena, heavy and dark. "You know, don't you?"