Chapter 291 You're Here
Now, Emma had disappeared with Matthew. Isabella recalled that Emma had been making arrangements in Monsterwania. Could it be that they took advantage of the chaos to escape there?
But that night, Emma clearly wanted to persuade Matthew to turn himself in.
The crimes Charles committed actually had nothing to do with them. Matthew would only face a few months in jail at most. Even if he escaped this time, it would only add a year at most. Emma had been able to wait for Matthew to get out so they could settle in Monsterwania. But Emma taking Matthew and fleeing now meant they could never return to the country, which was the most unwise choice.
"Ms. Miller, I've said all I can. Take care of yourself." With that, Ophelia put on her sunglasses and drove away.
Isabella went to the Landon family estate.
The once-grand Landon family estate was now sealed off. There were seals on the doors, and the yard still had remnants of balloons and streamers from that night, with a pervasive sense of desolation and decay. The former glory was gone, and the people and events of the past seemed to have faded away with the wind.
In the evening, Isabella was packing her things, preparing for her trip to Emerald Isle City the next day.
he lawyer warned that the trip might not be easy. Besides the complicated procedures, there might be significant resistance from the adoptive parents, so it could take a long time. Isabella and Seb needed to be prepared. If it really was Sweetie, she would do whatever it took to bring Sweetie back.
Besides their own clothes, Isabella also bought two little dresses, shoes, socks, and hats for Sweetie.
Now, everything was just waiting for the meeting.
The phone rang, interrupting her drifting thoughts.
Isabella picked up the phone and saw the name "Emma" on the screen, feeling a bit dazed.
It was clearly just yesterday's people and events, but today, it felt like a lifetime ago.
Ophelia's words echoed in her mind as Isabella answered the phone, "Hello."
Emma said calmly, "Isabella, we plan to leave Lakina. Before we go, I want to meet you."
"Meet me?" Isabella was surprised and also a bit wary. "Where are you planning to go, Monsterwania? Emma, Matthew is still a fugitive. If you leave now, you can never come back. Have you thought this through?"
Out of goodwill, Isabella still wanted to persuade Matthew to turn himself in.
But Emma said, "Once we leave, it's forever. We don't plan to come back."
Knowing Emma had made up her mind, Isabella didn't bother trying to persuade her. She glanced around, wondering if she could call the police and have them track the number to catch them.
"Bella, don't think about catching us. There are some things I want to tell you in person," Emma said, "If you still want to know your daughter's whereabouts, you'd better come. Remember, don't tell anyone, or I am certain you'll never see your daughter again."
Emma hung up after saying that.
Isabella didn't hesitate and called Seb. She couldn't hide something like this from Seb and take the risk alone!
Just as the call connected, a text message came in.
Isabella opened the text message, and it was a picture. In the picture was a pink baby, not fully showing the face, but when Isabella saw the child, her heart clenched tightly.
Isabella was excited. "Sweetie!"
It was her! Her Sweetie, her long-lost daughter.
Then, another video came through.
Isabella quickly opened it. In the video, the child was no longer still. Her little hand was clenched into a fist, waving in the air, then she put it in her mouth and started sucking on it.
The video was only three seconds long, but Isabella watched it several times, reluctant to close it.
At this moment, the call connected, and Seb's voice came through the receiver. "Bella, what's wrong?"
Isabella looked at the video of Sweetie, biting her lip hard.
Two minutes later, Isabella was speeding towards the remote dock on the outskirts of the city.
The harbor was shrouded in darkness, the salty sea breeze whipping at Isabella's face. She ran among the yachts but couldn't find any trace of Emma and Matthew.
Isabella was agitated, not knowing if it was from running or from worry. When she stopped, her legs went so weak that she couldn't move another step. The yachts docked on both sides were densely packed, like giant monsters that could come to life at any moment and devour her whole.
At this moment, the sound of a dinghy approached, and a beam of light shone directly on Isabella.
She raised her hand to block the light, watching as the dinghy slowed down near the shore. When it docked, a man stepped off. "Are you Ms. Miller?"
Isabella nodded, a certain suspicion already forming in her mind.
The man said, "Emma asked me to pick you up. Get on the dinghy."
Isabella asked, "Aren't they here?"
"Oh, they're on the yacht," the man answered nonchalantly.
"The yacht isn't docked?" Isabella asked again.
The man seemed puzzled. "Didn't Emma tell you? Emma said she forgot her daughter while sailing and asked me to pick you up. Aren't you her daughter?"
From his innocent and confused expression, Isabella guessed he was probably just an uninformed person.
"Are you getting on or not?" Isabella's hesitation made the man uneasy.
"Yes, I am!" Isabella got on the dinghy.
As the dinghy turned around and sped away from the shore, Isabella looked back at a certain spot on the shore.
The dinghy moved quickly, and the farther it got from the shore, the dimmer the surrounding light became. The sea breeze made it hard to keep her eyes open. Isabella tightly gripped the handles on both sides, her whole body tense.
After about twenty minutes, she finally saw a lit-up presence.
The dinghy slowed down, and as it got closer, Isabella saw it was a three-story yacht.
The man carefully maneuvered the dinghy closer to the yacht and secured it with a rope. The surrounding sea breeze slowed down, and only the sound of the waves could be heard.
Isabella looked back and saw that the shore was no longer visible, surrounded by the dark sea. Looking down, she felt a sense of dread.
With the man's help, Isabella successfully boarded the yacht.
Emma stood on the deck, wrapped in a black striped shawl, her makeup and hair immaculate. She watched Isabella step by step up to the deck, her face almost expressionless. "Isabella, you're here."
