Taken By My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 67: Chapter 67

Lorraine's heart was pounding erratically. She arrived at the entrance of Silverlake Villa just as dusk was settling in. The doorman, who was on patrol, straightened up and bowed upon seeing her. "Hello, Ms. Shaw."
Lorraine pondered for a moment before asking, "Excuse me, you were on duty yesterday too, right?"
"Yes, ma'am," the doorman replied.
"Then how did Elsie get in?" Lorraine blurted out without thinking.
"I didn't let her in, I swear. She has keys to everything—from the front gate to the inner doors," the doorman quickly swore.
Lorraine nodded. "Thank you."
The doorman seemed flattered. "It's okay, Ms. Shaw."
Lorraine wasn't sure why she had suddenly asked that question, but confirming it only made her feel more uneasy.
Once inside the villa, she realized her palms were sweating. The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, mingled with a hint of perfume, and a pair of conspicuous high heels lay in the foyer.
Lorraine hesitated at the entrance, unsure whether to go in or turn back. After a moment of contemplation, she decided to retreat and slowly walked out of Silverlake Villa under the doorman's watchful eye.
The buses had stopped running, and she found herself aimlessly walking along the villa's fence, without any particular direction or purpose. Before she knew it, she had wandered quite a distance.
This area was a villa district, with few buses and not many private cars. The surroundings were densely wooded and eerily quiet. Suddenly, a beam of light shone from behind her, followed by a black car speeding past.
Lorraine paid it no mind, but the car abruptly made a U-turn and came back. The window rolled down halfway, and a cool voice came through. "What are you doing here?"
Lorraine looked up and saw Eugene's handsome face. Her heart skipped a beat, and she averted her gaze. "N-nothing. I just came out for a walk after dinner."
"Is that so? What did you have for dinner?" Eugene asked. He had long noticed that Lorraine always avoided his eyes when she lied.
Lorraine paused, thinking, 'A lie always needs a thousand more to cover it up.' She couldn't come up with a story on the spot and was caught off guard.
The neighborhood was safe, but it was getting dark, and Eugene wasn't about to let her wander alone. "Get in the car," he commanded.
Lorraine hesitated, shaking her head instinctively. "No, it's okay. I'll just walk a bit more. You can go back." She still couldn't bring herself to look at him, clearly deep in thought.
Eugene narrowed his eyes slightly. "Get in the car. Don't make me say it again."
"Really, it's fine. I'll see you later. Bye," she mustered the courage to say, then turned and ran in the opposite direction. Her steps were quick, catching Eugene off guard.
Her figure soon disappeared around the corner of a building. Eugene was usually calm, but today, her actions had unexpectedly ignited his temper.
Lorraine didn't dare look back as she hurried along. She didn't want to return to the villa and witness the affectionate gestures between Elsie and Eugene, just like that morning.
'I have my limits. I'm not going to be the third wheel,' she thought to herself.
She didn't expect the car to catch up so quickly. Eugene's voice was particularly penetrating, deep yet crisp. "Lorraine, I'm asking you one last time. Are you getting in the car or not?"
"No, I'm not getting in," Lorraine replied, covering her ears and quickening her pace, showing no intention of turning back.
The car suddenly stopped. Eugene got out, walked up to her calmly, and lifted her bodily before tossing her into the backseat with a thud.
Lorraine tried to get up and out of the car, but he had already locked the doors. "Let me out."
"Back to Silverlake Villa," Meanwhile, Eugene instructed. Isaac, in the driver's seat, naturally followed Eugene's command.
Lorraine was furious. "I said I don't want to go back. I want to go out."
"Where do you think you're going?" It was clear to everyone that Eugene was genuinely angry.
At first, he had thought she was just in a whimsical mood last night, trying to avoid him. But today, he distinctly felt her resistance. 'Is she really biting the hand that feeds her? Now that she feels safe, she wants to leave?' Eugene wondered.
"I don't care where. I just don't want to be here," Lorraine blurted out. As soon as the words left her mouth, she was aback herself.
The atmosphere inside the car became eerie and deathly silent. Eugene's gaze gradually turned cold, almost sinister and terrifying. At this moment, he resembled the Eugene she had first met, but even more frightening than he had been back then.
Back then, Eugene had been indifferent to everyone, but now his coldness was directed solely at her.
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Eugene opened the door and yanked Lorraine out.
They made their way into the villa, and upon hearing the commotion, Elsie emerged from the kitchen and spoke softly, "Eugene, dinner—"
Eugene completely ignored Elsie. He dragged Lorraine upstairs, kicked open the door to her room, and threw her inside.
Lorraine stumbled from the force and nearly fell, barely managing to steady herself. Her wrist throbbed from his grip.
"Do you really not want to be here anymore?" Eugene asked, each word hitting her like a lash. He was expressionless; he hadn't fully lost his temper yet, but he was already intimidating.
Lorraine instinctively bit her lip and took a step back. When they had entered, she had clearly heard Elsie's words to Eugene. 'If I stay here, I will be the third wheel. I'm not that tactless,' she thought to herself.
Cold sweat began to bead on Lorraine's palms. She clenched her hands, hesitant to look at him. Even though Eugene was standing far away, out of reach, the chill emanating from him was enough to freeze Lorraine to the core.
"I'm going to live elsewhere. I've already talked it over with Sheila, and I—" Her throat went dry.
'She's already made arrangements with someone else? Did she even consult me?' he thought. Eugene's face turned as cold as frost. "Then what are you waiting for? Pack up your junk and get out of here. Damn it," he said.
Having stood his ground in the business world for years, Eugene knew that everyone was driven by self-interest. He had seen people act ruthlessly before, but he hadn't expected her to be one of them.
Lorraine had barely tasted freedom and was already eager to breathe fresh air outside. Naturally, he wasn't going to stand in her way. Eugene didn't think there was anything worth holding on to with her.
The curse words hit Lorraine like a splash of chili oil, stinging her eyes. She turned around dazedly, holding back the ache in her heart, and pulled out her old suitcase, packing her things one by one.
Lorraine took with her exactly what she had brought when she arrived, not leaving anything behind, nor adding anything new.
Finally, she picked up Coconut's cage and walked slowly toward the door. With each step, she took closer to him and then gradually passed by him.
Her world had been turned upside down in just a few months, to the point where she could barely recognize it anymore.
Now, Lorraine had to force herself to revert to her old self in an instant. Such drastic ups and downs were almost more than she could bear.
The moment they passed by each other, the familiar scent once again filled her nostrils. Lorraine blinked, and tears immediately slid down her cheeks.
Their lives had always been two separate lines, intersecting only by chance. Now that they had returned to their own paths, it seemed only natural that they would no longer cross.
But inside Lorraine, it felt as if a balloon had been punctured by a tiny hole. First, there was a cold, uncomfortable spot, and then, in that instant, the balloon burst, leaving her heart aching.
She dragged her suitcase with some difficulty, while Eugene remained motionless.
Lorraine walked out of the villa unimpeded, unaware that in that brief moment when they had passed by each other, the knuckles of Eugene's hand, hanging by his side, had turned pale from tension.
Fortunately, Sheila usually lived at home, so Lorraine could take her bed. After many sleepless nights, life had finally traced a large parabola and returned to its starting point.
The news on TV came in waves, with Eugene dominating the financial section, all of it good news.
It was early summer. Internships were about to be assigned, and the girls in the dormitory were whispering to each other, each trying to use connections to secure a good placement.
Only Lorraine buried herself in her studies, seemingly indifferent to where she would be assigned for her internship. In her spare time, she continued to daydream alone.
"Why aren't you worried when everyone else is getting good placements?" Sheila found Lorraine by the school's lake and expressed her concern for her. "You daydream all day. Is a job going to just fall from the sky?"
"I'm not daydreaming. I'm thinking," Lorraine said, pulling her gaze back.
"What could you possibly be thinking about? Ever since you left Silverlake Villa, you've been like this. You've been thinking for a month or two now. Is it really that serious? What are you thinking about?" she said.
Sheila stared at her, her gaze so piercing that Lorraine wanted to run away. "Or is there someone you're thinking about?"
"N-no, I'm really not thinking about anything." Lorraine quickly gathered her books. "I have class. I'll see you later, bye."
Lorraine walked quickly. The warm early-summer breeze blew, stirring her hair and leaving her in a daze. She instinctively glanced around.
Lorraine had finally returned to the life she had longed for. She no longer had to live at the Shaw residence, free from any threats or abuse. She quietly returned to campus to study, living like a tree.
'It seems I've finally gotten what I wanted, but why do I feel like I've lost something instead? As if something had been left behind, in that villa,' she thought.
She had been so careful when packing her luggage, making sure she had brought everything she needed. Yet, she still felt like something was missing.