Chapter 62
Dominick already had sensed something was off from the moment he stepped into the castle.
There were no hidden mechanisms, nor were there any guards in sight.
The main gate was recklessly left open, and they encountered nothing unusual on their way in.
The more ordinary it seemed, the more suspicious it appeared.
Yet, seeing that Lola was currently more important. Dominick observed the tightly shut door and clenched his fists.
He said, “Let’s go in and see for ourselves.”
Ethan nodded in agreement with Dominick. As Dominick grasped the doorknob, Ethan kicked the door in coordination.
Ethan had used all his strength, yet Dominick opened the door effortlessly.
His kick missed, and he nearly stumbled. After steadying himself, Ethan glanced over at Dominick.
The two then locked eyes and exchanged puzzled glances.
Ethan said, “This is where Jenna keeps important documents and the safe, which can’t be opened without her fingerprint. Why were we able to get in so easily?”
He felt utterly bewildered and unsure, thinking this wasn’t like Jenna at all.
A sense of unease began to creep into their hearts, spreading slowly between them.
Ethan entered the dimly lit room and observed his surroundings before his eyes suddenly narrowed.
The secret room’s mechanism was blatantly exposed. There used to be a painting hiding the mechanism, but now even that painting was gone.
Ethan exclaimed, “This is bad!”
He immediately rushed over and pressed the button. The wall behind them then made a sound and slowly moved to the sides. Dominick understood Ethan’s intention and stepped in first,
After descending a few steps, they reached the basement. It was divided into several small cells by iron bars, all of which were empty.
“Could we have made a mistake? Why is there nothing here?” Dominick asked. He would rather believe they had the wrong place than accept Lola was no longer there.
Ethan replied, “There’s no mistake. If the information Heather extracted is true, then there’s no error!
“Willowcroft Tower only has this one basement. When we were choosing rooms back then, I saw this tower had just one secret
16:16 Thu, 20 Jun GB G.
basement, which is this one.”
Dominick’s expression darkened, a sense of unease spreading in his heart.
His intuition told him Lola must have been in the innermost cell at some point.
As Dominick approached slowly, his heart began to feel inexplicably uneasy.
He halted abruptly when he spotted a hairpin on the ground.
Dominick had seen it on Lola before, so he knew it was hers.
“She was here.” He spoke, devoid of any particular emotion.
68%
Dominick’s mind then went blank. He hadn’t anticipated this. On his way here, Dominick had thought countless times about how he would care for and make amends to Lola when he saw her again, Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
But he had never imagined that Lola would no longer be there.
Just when Dominick thought the month’s torment was finally over, he realized it was only the beginning.
“She was here, but now she’s gone. Everything here seems untouched and not deliberately destroyed. Jenna isn’t here either, so the person who took Layla could very well be someone who can move freely in this place!”
Ethan quickly calmed himself down. After facing so many changes, his adaptability had greatly improved from before.
He patted Dominick on the shoulder and said, “I understand how you feel, and I’m also pained by this. But if we drown in sorrow now, what about Layla? She’s still waiting for us.”
Dominick seemed to have shut out the world around him. He couldn’t hear anything and slowly walked over to pick up the hairpin.
He said, “This is her favorite flower.”
Dominick mused, ‘This is a gardenia, Lola’s favorite. I once planted a field of gardenias for her, but at that time, our misunderstandings were too deep, and the resentment too strong, she never got the chance to appreciate it. Lola, where are you?”
He felt as though a heavy stone was pressing down on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
Dominick suddenly coughed up blood and couldn’t stop coughing. His tall figure then collapsed. When Dominick’s consciousness completely faded, he was still tightly clutching the hairpin in his hand.
Meanwhile, a man in a suit with a handsome face was gripping the doctor’s hand in a spacious room, anxiously asking, “How is she? It’s been three days. Why are there no signs of her waking up?!”
The doctor looked troubled as he shook his head. “This can’t go on. Ms. Lewis‘ body is too frail. She can’t bear the things from her past. It is herself that doesn’t want to wake up.”
Scott insisted, “I don’t care what method you use. You must make her wake up! You know who she is and how prestigious her
16:16 Thu, 20 Jun GB
identity is, right?! If you can’t bring her back, your life and your family’s lives would be at risk!”
“Mr. Jensen!” Bob, the doctor, urgently pleaded, “Mr. Jensen, I… I really can’t do anything in Ms. Lewis‘ case!
68%
“She has been through so much during the time she was missing. There’s something, or someone, weighing heavily on her, making it hard for her to breathe. She doesn’t want to face it, or perhaps she can’t bear it, so she has closed herself off.”
Upon hearing that, Scott’s expression darkened, and he wondered, ‘What exactly did Layla go through out there? It’s been so long, and though she shares the same face as Jenna, her face has become so gaunt.‘
He knew at first glance that the person locked in the basement wasn’t Jenna.
So, when Scott saw the girl lying on the ground, who looked exactly like Jenna, he almost cried.
He initially married Jenna, thinking that she was Layla. However, after just a few days into their marriage, he realized she wasn’t his Layla.
Later, Scott secretly investigated for a long time, only to confirm that the woman he married was Jenna. As for Layla’s whereabouts, he never found her.
Jenna had said she was going on a business trip for a few days. Unexpectedly, when he went to Willowcroft Tower looking for clues, he saw Layla.
Layla was weak and frail, and she just lay there quietly on the ground.
Having been childhood sweethearts and grew up playing together, Scott’s first instinct told him that the person was Layla.
The one who had been engaged to him was also Layla.
After so
so long, Scott never thought he would see her again.
His heart was filled with excitement. The feeling of having regained something precious was indescribably wonderful.
But now, with Layla’s life hanging by a thread, Scott dared not reveal this news, so the Lewis family was still unaware of the situation.
He asked, “So what? Did I call you over just to hear you say you can’t do anything about this?!
“You must save her today no matter what! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Scott, who was always gentle and refined, lost his temper for the first time.
Bob responded, “Mr. Jensen, please don’t be angry! I… I will think of a way! I do have one method, but…it’s very extreme. I’m not sure if you can accept it, Mr. Jensen, or if…Ms. Lewis can endure it. It’s risky!”
16:16 Thu, 20 Jun G BG.