Chapter 384 Things Forgotten
"Is that so?" Pearl hesitated, her memory fuzzy and triggered by stress.
She wasn't sure what she'd actually been through.
Evans sighed deeply, his voice heavy. "I'm sorry for keeping things from you. When you went missing, we reported it to the police. They searched everywhere but couldn't find you. We looked for months, and then you came back on your own. We had no idea what happened. You were curled up on the doorstep, bruised, muttering, and barely conscious. You fainted shortly after. You were in a coma for a long time, and when you woke up, you seemed normal but had no memory of it. You even started believing memories that weren't yours."
That time was dark for them too.
"You didn't want to remember, and we didn't want others to know, fearing you'd get hurt again." They felt heartache and guilt. The only way for Pearl to live normally was to forget. Kittie and Evans wanted her to be happy.
They prepared for the worst but also wanted to protect Pearl's reputation.
To keep Pearl from falling into fear again, they went along with her.
They also hid even more terrifying nightmares from her.
In Pearl's daily life, whether it was the memories she lost or retained, they went along with her thoughts.
So, Kittie and Evans created the illusion Pearl wanted.
Pearl looked at them, still in disbelief. She remembered the details of being rescued so clearly, yet Kittie and Evans told her none of it was true.
'So what was real? Was my middle school life really so uneventful?'
She knew Kittie and Evans had her best interests at heart.
She had been missing for so long and managed to escape from such a dangerous place. For a girl, being covered in bruises was already a light consequence. She didn't die or become a puppet like others, which was already very unrealistic.
She heard from her classmates that she might have been tricked by Haley.
Why would Haley do that?
At that time, she and Haley weren't rivals in love.
If she had been dating Oscar and Haley held a grudge, it would make sense for Haley to trick her and put her in danger.
However, they had no interaction at that time, so there was no reason for Haley to approach her specifically, which was very strange.
She felt the world was really small, and things always revolved around the same few people, hiding an unknown conspiracy.
She had to test Haley to find out the truth.
"Got it, Mom and Dad. Now I understand everything. You didn't need to hide it from me. I just didn't expect to have gone through all that!" Pearl felt her memory might have been tampered with.
They'd rather mess with her memory than kill her, which was the key point.
Kittie was still worried, not knowing if such a thing would happen again. With lingering fear, she held Pearl's hand. "Don't think about the past. I don't want you to go through it again. You need to be well, while you and the baby need to be safe and healthy, okay?"
Pearl placed her hand over Kittie's. "I know what I'm doing."
Kittie clutched her heart. "I don't know why, but whenever you bring this up, I get anxious. I'm afraid you'll go missing again and show up covered in bruises. How would I live through that?"
"Mom, nothing will happen to me again. Don't overthink it," Pearl comforted her.
Kittie was still uneasy, repeatedly urging her not to dwell on the past.
Evans was also heavy-hearted, his eyes filled with worry as he stared at Pearl.
He said nothing, but he also speculated,
'Pearl didn't remember, but bringing it up out of nowhere meant there were clues leading her. It was also possible that the person who hurt her had returned.'
Kittie's worry wasn't baseless; Pearl was indeed going through something.
As her dad, Evans couldn't help but be concerned.
Even though he didn't mention it in front of Kittie, he kept it in mind, fearing Pearl would repeat the past.
Kittie was deeply distressed, her heart racing.
Pearl comforted her and coaxed her to rest. It took a while, but eventually, Kittie calmed down.
Evans had been sitting in the living room, waiting for Pearl.
After Kittie went to the bedroom, Evans looked calm, sipping tea, and asked, "What's been going on with you lately?"
Hearing her father's question, Pearl walked over, "What's wrong, Dad?"
"You haven't been home for a long time," Evans said. "Your mom mentioned you came back with a big belly. Have you thought about how long it's been since you spent time with us? Have you been too busy, or has something happened? Is your relationship with Oscar really stable?"
His concerns were about her happiness and safety.
"Dad, you really don't need to worry. I'll handle it."
Evans continued, "Have they come after you again?"
Upon hearing this, Pearl paused.
"If they hadn't, you wouldn't be asking these questions." Evans's face grew more serious. "I'm going to call the police. The most important thing is to keep you safe."
"Why are you acting like Mom?" Pearl wanted to ease their worries. "I'm perfectly fine. If something were to happen, it would have already happened. Even if something does come up, I can handle it. The fact that I got out safely and am still alive means I must have something they care about, which makes me valuable."
Through her interactions with members of The Crimson Eclipse Society, it became evident that she possessed unique qualities that set her apart from others, which even caused Kevin to be wary of her.
She thought that besides Haley's jealousy over Oscar's love for her, others might want something from her.
She even suspected Haley tricked her because of this.
"That makes it even worse. I can't let you take risks." Evans insisted on calling the police.
"Dad." Pearl stopped him again. "I'm your daughter, but there are many other girls who are also someone's daughters. They are just as important. I know you love me and fear for my safety, but for the sake of thousands of daughters, I need to be brave, for myself too. Don't worry, I'll protect myself and won't let you and Mom worry anymore."
Calling the police wouldn't help since The Crimson Eclipse Society had gone underground.
She couldn't be protected by the police forever, which would only trouble others without solving the problem.
Moreover, The Crimson Eclipse Society was powerful and evil, doing unjust things and harming countless families.
Operating abroad beyond legal jurisdiction, The Crimson Eclipse Society was one that she wanted to see disappear, so that every family could be happy."
Evans gazed at Pearl, and finally, he didn't make the call. He just sighed and said, "My daughter has grown up. She's no longer the little girl who needed to ride on my shoulders."
"Now I have a family, a career, and soon a child. Just wait to be a grandpa." Pearl smiled at him.
She gave Evans hope, and finally, a smile appeared on his face.
Evans looked forward to their first grandchild, which was an expectation.
She chatted with Evans, reminiscing about childhood memories that were vivid to Evans.
Time flew by. In Evans's eyes, Pearl had grown up in the blink of an eye, which also meant they were no longer young and were gradually aging.
And he had always wanted to protect his daughter.
In the future, he might not be able to do that anymore.
He just hoped for a man as strong as steel to protect his beloved daughter.
A few days later, Pearl decided to find Haley.
"What? Haley hasn't been to the office for a few days?"
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