Chapter 410 Taken Away
Lori banged her head against the wall in frustration, rubbing her forehead as she looked at Aurora. "Aurora, have you been reading too many romance novels or watching too many soap operas?"
Ava jumped in to defend Aurora. "Lori, tonight's been really weird. Think about how John usually treats Aurora. Jack's in trouble, and she's understandably upset. This isn't some trivial thing, but John is acting totally out of character. If I remember right, this is the first time John has ever yelled at her."
Lori looked at Ava, surprised. "Ava, it's rare to hear you say so much at once, but you make a good point. Could it be that John is feeling guilty and trying to cover it up by yelling at Aurora? Did he really harm Jack?"
Ava leaned against the window, glancing at the night outside with a cold expression. "If I were John, I wouldn't let Jack go either. He's the leader of an organization, and having an enemy infiltrate his base is extremely dangerous. If the location of Nightfall's core base were leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable. The best solution would be to silence him."
Lion's people had been silenced. Ironclad Union's people had also been silenced. How could Jack possibly escape the same fate?
The air grew tense and oppressive. After a long silence, Aurora spoke up. "There's another possibility: Jack was silenced by Ironclad Union."
Lori and Ava perked up, turning to look at Aurora. Aurora continued, "Jack took the map and led those people here. Afterward, he lost his value and was silenced. Since Jack had the map, and Ironclad Union's people came to the island, it means they saw the map, too. They came ashore but never returned. It's possible they blamed Jack and killed him."
"If they got the map and even Justina was killed, there might be a mole on the island. The defense mechanisms could have been triggered."
Lori stared at Aurora, amazed at her clear reasoning. "Aurora, there are three possibilities: John silenced him, Ironclad Union silenced him out of anger, or Ironclad Union silenced him because he was no longer useful. It seems like Ironclad Union is the most suspicious. So why did you argue with John earlier?"
Aurora looked at Lori. "Just because I'm calm now doesn't mean I was calm before."
Lori fell silent.
Aurora fumed, "John has never yelled at me before, and now he did..."
"Aurora, we all know John yelled at you."
Aurora grew angrier as she recalled the incident. "He was the one who suggested we might not continue living together. He even thought about how to split custody of the kids, willing to give up everything for a divorce."
Aurora seethed, "Do you know the biggest taboo in a relationship? It's saying 'break up' in the heat of the moment. For married couples, it's saying 'divorce' during a fight."
Lori said, "Aurora, but didn't you also mention divorce?"
"He asked if I wanted to keep living together. How was I supposed to respond? If I clung to the marriage, he'd look down on me. So I had to say I didn't want to." Aurora fumed, "In a fight, you can't lose your momentum."
When two strong-willed people clash, this is the result.
Lori and Ava exchanged glances. "So what do we do now?"
Ava suggested, "Maybe wait for John to apologize?"
Lori scoffed, "I doubt it. John probably won't dare face Aurora right now, let alone apologize. If I were him, I'd use this chance to improve my standing in the family."
Realizing she might have said too much, Lori glanced at Aurora out of the corner of her eye.
Aurora seemed not to hear, but suddenly, tears welled up. She wasn't crying because John yelled at her, but because of Jack.
They had relied on each other for so many years. Just hours ago, everything was fine, and now he was gone, with only a severed arm left behind.
Lori and Ava fell silent. Everything that happened tonight was too sudden.
None of them slept that night, each lying in bed, lost in thought.
Lori's mind was filled with her own family history. She wasn't the product of her parents' love, but rather the result of Richard using her mother as a stand-in for Wendy.
Her memories of her mother were fading. Her mother's death was tied to Richard's abuse. Now, with Richard dead, her mother gone, and her only blood-related brother also lost, the world felt darker and more unfamiliar to Lori.
For the first time, Lori had a heavy heart.
Aurora was weighed down by Jack's fate, struggling to believe he was really gone. She held onto a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, Jack had been saved by someone.
As dawn broke, sunlight streamed in, and the three women wordlessly "woke up" and prepared to return to Silvercrest City.
Ava said, "I'll get the car ready."
Lori said, "I'll go buy breakfast."
Aurora stayed in the room to pack up and check out.
They divided the tasks. Ava and Lori left first, while Aurora splashed cold water on her face to wake up. She had no luggage to pack.
Aurora opened the door, but before she could step out, a knife was pressed to her forehead.
Two men in black stood at the door, wearing masks with "Ironclad Union" embroidered on their sleeves.
Ironclad Union?
"Ms. White, if you want to live, come with us."
Aurora knew better than to resist. She tried to stay calm, glancing at the knife at her forehead and swallowing hard. "Ironclad Union?"
"Ms. White, you know who we are. Let's go."
One of the men moved behind Aurora and knocked her out with a swift chop to the neck.
The other man said, "Why did you knock her out? What if you hurt her? Black Hawk said not to harm Ms. White."
"Black Hawk also warned us that Ms. White is cunning. If I didn't knock her out, she might alert the others, and we wouldn't get away."
"Then let's hurry and take her."
"Let's go."
One man lifted her legs, the other her upper body, and they left through the back door of the inn.
This inn was in a remote area with minimal security, more like a private bed and breakfast. There was no registration or surveillance.
Lori returned with breakfast to find the room empty. She immediately tried calling, but the phone didn't connect.
Ava came back, too. "The car to the airport is ready. Where's Aurora?"
"She's gone."
Lori stormed off to find the innkeeper. "Sir, where's the woman who was with us?"
The innkeeper was busy with the coal stove. "How should I know? I didn't see her. I'm trying to get this coal to burn, but it won't. Strange."
Lori, in her fiery temper, kicked the stove over.
Ava pulled her back. "Finding Aurora is more important."
"My stove!" The innkeeper jumped up, exasperated. "Those two men should have taken you instead of her..."
"What men?" Lori grabbed the innkeeper by the collar. "Who took her?"
"How should I know? I just happened to see two men taking the woman who was with you out the back door."
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