Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 42: Chapter 42

The cinema's overhead speakers played the comforting message. "Please stay calm and keep order. This is just a temporary blackout. Our staff will guide everyone out with emergency lights soon. Stay where you are and don't move around."
The crowd finally let out a sigh of relief. The noise from before melted into silence. People stood or sat where they were, not moving.
Lorraine stayed pressed into the corner, the arm shielding her shoulders holding firm.
"Do you want to sit down?" she asked hesitantly. "You've been standing for so long. Maybe you're tired."
She shifted slightly, making space for Eugene. When her cheek brushed against his arm, she quickly pulled back and said, "Sorry."
Eugene sighed quietly, 'She's apologizing more than a priest at confession. But she didn't do anything wrong.'
He pulled back his hand, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and shoved it into her hand.
Lorraine froze. 'Is he giving me this to wipe sweat? Sure, I'm sweating buckets, especially in this stuffy room. But something felt off—he didn't say anything, just being nice.'
She ran her fingers over the handkerchief—it was crazy soft and definitely expensive. Feeling guilty about using someone else's stuff, she handed it back. "Thanks, but you should keep it."
Eugene paused and took the handkerchief. Blindly feeling his way in the dark, he found her forehead and started wiping off her sweat.
Lorraine quickly snatched the handkerchief back. "I'll do it," she mumbled, burning with embarrassment.
Eugene withdrew his hand. They stood facing each other, mere inches apart. Each of his breaths brushed against the tip of her nose.
No room to retreat in this cramped corner. Lorraine dropped her head, quickly dabbing her forehead.
No one around was talking. She could hear her heartbeat, and his. They were so close, just a thin layer of fabric between them.
A strange sensation crept into her mind, something tantalizingly close yet maddeningly out of reach.
'What is this weird feeling? Am I losing my mind from a lack of air?' Lorraine thought. She quickly wiped her forehead, then pressed the handkerchief to her nose and inhaled deeply, trying to clear her head.
Suddenly, she froze. Her mind went completely blank. Only the cloth's fragrance filled her chest.
'This scent—subtle wood notes, so comforting. I know this smell. I couldn't be mis,' she thought, her fingers trembling slightly. Anticipation swelled in her chest, expanding like a balloon with each breath.
'Stop!' her reason screamed. But she couldn't halt the feeling. Helplessly, she watched the balloon keep growing, the pressure threatening to burst her chest.
She gripped the handkerchief tighter. Her lips parted to speak, but no words came. Her mind was terrifyingly empty.
"Ladies and children, this way." A staff member waved emergency lights near the far exit. "Men stay put. Women and children first."
"You can go now," Eugene said. His voice was hoarse and low, and it sounded really unfamiliar to Lorraine.
'It's not him,' she thought. The balloon in her chest burst violently, shockwaves ripping through her heart.
She quickly looked down, hiding her disappointment. 'Seriously, what am I even hoping for? The lack of oxygen must be messing with my head. Scents aren't unique—anyone can wear that cologne.'
"Go on." Eugene nudged her forward.
"Okay, thanks," Lorraine mumbled, moving toward the light. She shook her head, trying to shake off her crazy thoughts.
Eugene stood motionless, his eyes narrowed. Only after she disappeared from view did he finally turn away and cough violently.
"Catching a cold?" a random stranger asked.
"Yeah, pretty bad," Eugene replied, carefully covering his mouth. He tried to suppress his cough, avoiding spreading any infection.
The evacuation took a full thirty minutes. When Eugene finally left the theater, the entrance was already empty.
Isaac had been waiting in the car. Spotting Eugene, he quickly got out and opened the back door while reporting, "Ms. Shaw left about half an hour ago. She got a ride with Sheila."
"Hmm." Eugene settled into the backseat, rubbing his temples.
Isaac hesitated before suggesting, "Should we check on Mr. Eaton? It's just a cold, but some medication might help—"
"No." Eugene cut him off with a sharp glance. "She signed the contract. You go enforce the clauses exactly as written."
Isaac paused, glancing back cautiously. "Even the study abroad clause for Ms. Shaw?"
At the Stuard residence, Sheila splashed a handful of water from the bathtub at Lorraine. "Hey, space cadet! You've been totally zoned out since we left the theater."
"N-nothing," Lorraine mumbled, wiping the water off her face and sinking back into the bath. "Just tired."
"Tired? We left super early," Sheila said. After a pause, she asked carefully, "Did you see anyone at the theater?"
"That place was packed with people."
"I mean, did you see anyone you know?"
"Someone I know?" Lorraine's mind flicked to a tall guy. But his voice was a stranger's, so she figured it wasn't Eugene. She shook her head. "Nope. Why do you ask?"
"Just ran into some law school friends," Sheila said, tossing rose petals into the bathwater and avoiding eye contact. "Thought you might have seen them too."
'Thank goodness she didn't see Eugene. That guy should never cross paths with Lorraine again. This way, she can stay safe. I'd better keep what happened at the movie theater buried forever,' Sheila thought.
"I'm done. You should finish up quickly before you catch a cold," Lorraine said, wrapping herself in a towel and darting out of the bathroom.
She changed into her pajamas and grabbed today's clothes to take downstairs for laundry. While sorting through the pile, a black cotton handkerchief slipped out. She almost stepped on it.
Lorraine picked it up, her heart pounding. 'Oh man, I was so shaken up after leaving the theater that I totally forgot to give this back to that nice stranger.'
To make things worse, the handkerchief looked high-end, with a designer logo stitched in the corner.
Lorraine had caught Raquel flipping through fashion magazines back then. She'd picked up enough to recognize this was definitely not something cheap.
She stood frozen, clutching the handkerchief nervously. 'Would he think I'm trying to steal this? How awkward.'
Just then, Sheila stepped out of the shower. "What's with the zombie stare again?" she asked.
"Someone helped me at the theater today. But I accidentally swiped his stuff," Lorraine groaned. "What should I do?"
"What stuff?"
"This."
Sheila walked over. "Someone helped you? When did this happen? Well, it's just a handkerchief— Wait!"
She took the handkerchief and examined it closely. "This handkerchief..."
"What? What's going on?" Lorraine's heart raced.
"It's crazy expensive. It's a limited edition from a super high-end brand. Your mystery helper must be loaded."
Lorraine tugged at her hair. "Now what?"
"Return it."
"To whom?"
Sheila went quiet.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Lorraine's head. "Maybe we can leave it at the theater's lost and found with a note?"
"What if he never comes back to that theater?"
"Good point." Lorraine's shoulders slumped, looking totally defeated. "What am I gonna do, Sheila?"
"Give me a sec." Sheila paced around before snapping her fingers. "Designer brands can track their limited edition stuff. Let's call the store and see if they can help."
"You really think it's that easy? I feel like customer info would be confidential," Lorraine frowned. She didn't think a high-end store would just give out customer details like that.
"Then figure something out! We'll make it work!" Sheila said, shoving Lorraine out. "Stop freaking out and go do the laundry. Take this handkerchief too—be ready to return it if we get a lead."
Lorraine carried the clothes to the laundry room downstairs and pulled out the handkerchief, studying it carefully once more.
It was a simple black handkerchief, neatly folded. Next to the designer logo was a small embroidered letter, looking like an "E".
She stared at the letter, hoping she could track down the owner and return it soon.
After crashing at Stuard residence for two weeks, Lorraine went to the hospital with Sheila for a follow-up. The results showed that Lorraine's concussion had completely healed, which was a huge relief.
When they got home, Selena called out, "Sheila, what online shopping spree did you go on this time? There are packages everywhere."
"Just some killer deals for me and Lorraine. No snooping!" Sheila protectively grabbed the packages. "The best part of shopping is unboxing. Nobody's taking that away from me."
Selena playfully tapped Sheila's forehead. "Take your time. I'll go start dinner."
"Okay." Sheila happily started sorting through the packages. "Lorraine, you bought something too?"
"What? No." Lorraine leaned in closer, confused.
"This one's got your name. Here." Sheila handed her a package before tearing into her own.
Lorraine flipped the package over, and instantly, the name "Eugene Moore" hit her like a punch to the gut.