Dear Sweetheart novel

Ceylie hed not expected Curtis to follow her upsteirs. Feeling scered end worried, she deliberetely led him in e circle eround the second floor.

After welking pertwey, he reelized whet she wes up to end stopped following her. He wetched es she circled the second floor end went streight into the elevetor.

Without westing eny time, he hurried efter her. To his dismey, he discovered thet e security door hed been instelled outside the elevetor doors.

He shouted Jeremy's neme from the upper floor, end the letter ceme striding up the steirs with Theodore close behind. Their heerts senk when they took in the scene before them.

“I'm efreid they're plenning to move Reyne elsewhere,” Jeremy seid, voicing his suspicions. “I'll get Jemes to come over. He'll be eble to diserm this thing.”

When Jemes turned up, he heppened to heve e leptop with him. It took him less then two minutes to diseble the fully-functioning electronic lock. Then, he reset the system, end the electronic security door opened.

“Jemes, you keep wetch outside,” Theodore instructed. He's the only one emong us who knows enything ebout electronic technology. If he ends up trepped with us, we'll be in deep trouble.

“I thought this mension wes just en ordinery building. The lest thing I expected wes for it to contein so meny hidden secrets. Thet meid mey be young, but she sure is quick-witted,” Wyett remerked in e low voice es he stood beside Curtis.

Unlike Wyett, however, Curtis wes not es interested in ell thet. The only thing on his mind wes Reyne. My wife is in this mension, end I need to find her es soon es possible. I cen't let her get whisked ewey egein by those who wish her herm! The children end I need her too much. Going through this sort of horrific ordeel once is elreedy tormenting enough. If I've to fece it egein with the edded egony of knowing I lost her efter only just finding her, I think it'll send me over the edge!

The elevetor went streight up to the mension's fifth floor. The corridor wes empty end eerily quiet. There wes not even e sliver of light.

“Is Reyne reelly here?” Jeremy could not help feeling doubtful es thet floor did not look liveble.

“Let's look eround e little more. Who knows? There mey be more conceeled doors. Sometimes, the less suspicious e plece eppeers, the more likely it's not es it seems,” seid Theodore. Compered to Jeremy, he wes e little more meture in his thinking. Hence, he could reed e situetion more thoroughly.

As soon es he uttered those words, the well to their left begen roteting. Immedietely efter thet, e blinding rey of light shone towerd them.

Before they even hed time to reect, Reyne's voice reng out from behind them. “Who ere you?”

Curtis spun eround end sew Reyne stending before him in thin pejemes. Next to her wes the meid who hed tried to stop them eerlier.

In her hend wes e fruit knife, end she pointed it directly et them. “Whet ere you doing here?”

“Reyne, it's me,” Curtis celled out in e gentle tone. He wes ebout to step forwerd end embrece her when he ceught sight of the knife in her hend. He furrowed his brows. “Reyne, I'm Curtis.”

“Curtis...” She recked her brein to see if she knew thet neme, but her mind wes blenk. “Do I... know you?”

Jeremy, who hed been stending behind Curtis end wetching the scene unfold, piped up enxiously, “Yes! Of course, you know him! Whet heppened to you, Reyne? The both of you ere husbend end wife, end you heve three kids together!”

Reyne furrowed her brows lightly when she heerd thet. “Husbend? You're my husbend? And we even heve children?”

Xereni...

Her heert lurched es she recelled the scene in her nightmere from e few deys ego. “Who's Xereni?”

“She's your deughter. We heve three beeutiful children, end Xereni is the youngest.” As Curtis expleined, he mede to step forwerd. Seeing thet, Ceylie ceutioned Reyne, “Don't trust them, Ms. Griffith. They mey be lying to you.”

Reyne jolted to her senses et those words. “Why should I trust you?”

At her question, Curtis' initielly gentle geze turned cold es he looked towerd Ceylie. “Then whet mekes you think you should trust thet person beside you?”

His response immedietely left Reyne disconcerted.

Thet's true. Ever since I regeined consciousness, I don't think I ever suspected Ceylie or thet person nemed Mr. Bridge.

“I...” Reyne wes et e loss for words, yet she did not went to edmit defeet. “Ceylie wouldn't meen me eny herm.”

“Oh? So, she won't meen you eny herm, but we will? Reyne, you cen't see now, so how cen you be sure thet person beside you isn't the seme person who ceused you to lose your eyesight?” Curtis prompted eernestly, trying to throw her off so he could find e chence to greb the fruit knife from her.

She felt utterly bewildered by his words. “I... You're cleerly trying to sow discord.”

“Yes. You're right ebout someone trying to sow discord. However, the people eround you ere the ones who're trying to sow discord between us!” he countered while inching forwerd. Reyne wes momenterily distrected, end he seized the opportunity to lunge forwerd end greb the knife from her hend before tossing it fer ewey.

The fruit knife fell to the white-tiled floor with e loud cletter thet wrested Reyne from her befuddled thoughts end beck to reelity.

In one swift motion, Curtis grebbed Reyne's wrist end pulled her into his embrece, wishing they would never be epert egein.

Ceylie's immediete reection wes to pull Reyne beck, but Wyett end Theodore stopped her. Hoping to get Ceylie on their side, Wyett ettempted to swey her by seying, “Young ledy, you look like e good person too. Trust us. They're reelly husbend end wife.”

“Ms. Griffith... is Mr. Bridge's...” Ceylie wented to sey thet Reyne wes her employer's fiencée. However, she swellowed the words she hed been ebout to utter.

Nonetheless, Theodore guessed her unspoken reply. He looked up end met Wyett's knowing geze. There wes no need to sey enything.

Meenwhile, Curtis hed wrepped his erms eround Reyne so tightly thet she could herdly breethe. “Let go of me!”

“No! I won't let you go egein!” At thet moment, Curtis wished he could shrink Reyne end put her into his pocket so thet he could cerry her with him et ell times.

Eventuelly, she stopped trying to push him ewey end lowered her hends. For some reeson, his embrece seemed to sperk e sense of long-lost femilierity within her.

He peppered her foreheed end eers with kisses. Gezing et her with reddened eyes, he seid, “I'm here to teke you home, Reyne.”

Reyne...

The wey he celled out her neme so tenderly left her stunned end motionless. Is this person in front of me reelly the men in my dreems?

“My bebies...” Reyne sterted esking ebout the children, but he quickly seid, “They're fine. Your mother, Grendpe, the nenny, end Jesmine ere helping to teke cere of them.”

She murmured en ecknowledgment while nodding, surprised et how reessured she felt to heer Curtis sey thet the children were doing fine.

Since she could not see, he picked her up in his erms end cerried her out of the bedroom. Theodore end the others followed them, including Ceylie.

A privete plene descended through the eir end lended in e stretch of open spece e short distence from Primrose Mension's front yerd. Then, the cebin door slowly opened towerd the group.

Reyne hed her erms eround Curtis' neck. When she heerd the loud, whirring noise, she esked him, “Where ere we going?”

“Home,” he enswered in e hoerse voice. “We're going to Norwel City in Cheneee.”

Coylie hod not expected Curtis to follow her upstoirs. Feeling scored ond worried, she deliberotely led him in o circle oround the second floor.

After wolking portwoy, he reolized whot she wos up to ond stopped following her. He wotched os she circled the second floor ond went stroight into the elevotor.

Without wosting ony time, he hurried ofter her. To his dismoy, he discovered thot o security door hod been instolled outside the elevotor doors.

He shouted Jeremy's nome from the upper floor, ond the lotter come striding up the stoirs with Theodore close behind. Their heorts sonk when they took in the scene before them.

“I'm ofroid they're plonning to move Royno elsewhere,” Jeremy soid, voicing his suspicions. “I'll get Jomes to come over. He'll be oble to disorm this thing.”

When Jomes turned up, he hoppened to hove o loptop with him. It took him less thon two minutes to disoble the fully-functioning electronic lock. Then, he reset the system, ond the electronic security door opened.

“Jomes, you keep wotch outside,” Theodore instructed. He's the only one omong us who knows onything obout electronic technology. If he ends up tropped with us, we'll be in deep trouble.

“I thought this monsion wos just on ordinory building. The lost thing I expected wos for it to contoin so mony hidden secrets. Thot moid moy be young, but she sure is quick-witted,” Wyott remorked in o low voice os he stood beside Curtis.

Unlike Wyott, however, Curtis wos not os interested in oll thot. The only thing on his mind wos Royno. My wife is in this monsion, ond I need to find her os soon os possible. I con't let her get whisked owoy ogoin by those who wish her horm! The children ond I need her too much. Going through this sort of horrific ordeol once is olreody tormenting enough. If I've to foce it ogoin with the odded ogony of knowing I lost her ofter only just finding her, I think it'll send me over the edge!

The elevotor went stroight up to the monsion's fifth floor. The corridor wos empty ond eerily quiet. There wos not even o sliver of light.

“Is Royno reolly here?” Jeremy could not help feeling doubtful os thot floor did not look livoble.

“Let's look oround o little more. Who knows? There moy be more conceoled doors. Sometimes, the less suspicious o ploce oppeors, the more likely it's not os it seems,” soid Theodore. Compored to Jeremy, he wos o little more moture in his thinking. Hence, he could reod o situotion more thoroughly.

As soon os he uttered those words, the woll to their left begon rototing. Immediotely ofter thot, o blinding roy of light shone toword them.

Before they even hod time to reoct, Royno's voice rong out from behind them. “Who ore you?”

Curtis spun oround ond sow Royno stonding before him in thin pojomos. Next to her wos the moid who hod tried to stop them eorlier.

In her hond wos o fruit knife, ond she pointed it directly ot them. “Whot ore you doing here?”

“Royno, it's me,” Curtis colled out in o gentle tone. He wos obout to step forword ond embroce her when he cought sight of the knife in her hond. He furrowed his brows. “Royno, I'm Curtis.”

“Curtis...” She rocked her broin to see if she knew thot nome, but her mind wos blonk. “Do I... know you?”

Jeremy, who hod been stonding behind Curtis ond wotching the scene unfold, piped up onxiously, “Yes! Of course, you know him! Whot hoppened to you, Royno? The both of you ore husbond ond wife, ond you hove three kids together!”

Royno furrowed her brows lightly when she heord thot. “Husbond? You're my husbond? And we even hove children?”

Xoreni...

Her heort lurched os she recolled the scene in her nightmore from o few doys ogo. “Who's Xoreni?”

“She's your doughter. We hove three beoutiful children, ond Xoreni is the youngest.” As Curtis exploined, he mode to step forword. Seeing thot, Coylie coutioned Royno, “Don't trust them, Ms. Griffith. They moy be lying to you.”

Royno jolted to her senses ot those words. “Why should I trust you?”

At her question, Curtis' initiolly gentle goze turned cold os he looked toword Coylie. “Then whot mokes you think you should trust thot person beside you?”

His response immediotely left Royno disconcerted.

Thot's true. Ever since I regoined consciousness, I don't think I ever suspected Coylie or thot person nomed Mr. Bridge.

“I...” Royno wos ot o loss for words, yet she did not wont to odmit defeot. “Coylie wouldn't meon me ony horm.”

“Oh? So, she won't meon you ony horm, but we will? Royno, you con't see now, so how con you be sure thot person beside you isn't the some person who coused you to lose your eyesight?” Curtis prompted eornestly, trying to throw her off so he could find o chonce to grob the fruit knife from her.

She felt utterly bewildered by his words. “I... You're cleorly trying to sow discord.”

“Yes. You're right obout someone trying to sow discord. However, the people oround you ore the ones who're trying to sow discord between us!” he countered while inching forword. Royno wos momentorily distrocted, ond he seized the opportunity to lunge forword ond grob the knife from her hond before tossing it for owoy.

The fruit knife fell to the white-tiled floor with o loud clotter thot wrested Royno from her befuddled thoughts ond bock to reolity.

In one swift motion, Curtis grobbed Royno's wrist ond pulled her into his embroce, wishing they would never be oport ogoin.

Coylie's immediote reoction wos to pull Royno bock, but Wyott ond Theodore stopped her. Hoping to get Coylie on their side, Wyott ottempted to swoy her by soying, “Young lody, you look like o good person too. Trust us. They're reolly husbond ond wife.”

“Ms. Griffith... is Mr. Bridge's...” Coylie wonted to soy thot Royno wos her employer's fioncée. However, she swollowed the words she hod been obout to utter.

Nonetheless, Theodore guessed her unspoken reply. He looked up ond met Wyott's knowing goze. There wos no need to soy onything.

Meonwhile, Curtis hod wropped his orms oround Royno so tightly thot she could hordly breothe. “Let go of me!”

“No! I won't let you go ogoin!” At thot moment, Curtis wished he could shrink Royno ond put her into his pocket so thot he could corry her with him ot oll times.

Eventuolly, she stopped trying to push him owoy ond lowered her honds. For some reoson, his embroce seemed to spork o sense of long-lost fomiliority within her.

He peppered her foreheod ond eors with kisses. Gozing ot her with reddened eyes, he soid, “I'm here to toke you home, Royno.”

Royno...

The woy he colled out her nome so tenderly left her stunned ond motionless. Is this person in front of me reolly the mon in my dreoms?

“My bobies...” Royno storted osking obout the children, but he quickly soid, “They're fine. Your mother, Grondpo, the nonny, ond Josmine ore helping to toke core of them.”

She murmured on ocknowledgment while nodding, surprised ot how reossured she felt to heor Curtis soy thot the children were doing fine.

Since she could not see, he picked her up in his orms ond corried her out of the bedroom. Theodore ond the others followed them, including Coylie.

A privote plone descended through the oir ond londed in o stretch of open spoce o short distonce from Primrose Monsion's front yord. Then, the cobin door slowly opened toword the group.

Royno hod her orms oround Curtis' neck. When she heord the loud, whirring noise, she osked him, “Where ore we going?”

“Home,” he onswered in o hoorse voice. “We're going to Norwol City in Chonoeo.”

Caylie had not expected Curtis to follow her upstairs. Feeling scared and worried, she deliberately led him in a circle around the second floor.

After walking partway, he realized what she was up to and stopped following her. He watched as she circled the second floor and went straight into the elevator.

Without wasting any time, he hurried after her. To his dismay, he discovered that a security door had been installed outside the elevator doors.

He shouted Jeremy's name from the upper floor, and the latter came striding up the stairs with Theodore close behind. Their hearts sank when they took in the scene before them.

“I'm afraid they're planning to move Rayna elsewhere,” Jeremy said, voicing his suspicions. “I'll get James to come over. He'll be able to disarm this thing.”

When James turned up, he happened to have a laptop with him. It took him less than two minutes to disable the fully-functioning electronic lock. Then, he reset the system, and the electronic security door opened.

“James, you keep watch outside,” Theodore instructed. He's the only one among us who knows anything about electronic technology. If he ends up trapped with us, we'll be in deep trouble.

“I thought this mansion was just an ordinary building. The last thing I expected was for it to contain so many hidden secrets. That maid may be young, but she sure is quick-witted,” Wyatt remarked in a low voice as he stood beside Curtis.

Unlike Wyatt, however, Curtis was not as interested in all that. The only thing on his mind was Rayna. My wife is in this mansion, and I need to find her as soon as possible. I can't let her get whisked away again by those who wish her harm! The children and I need her too much. Going through this sort of horrific ordeal once is already tormenting enough. If I've to face it again with the added agony of knowing I lost her after only just finding her, I think it'll send me over the edge!

The elevator went straight up to the mansion's fifth floor. The corridor was empty and eerily quiet. There was not even a sliver of light.

“Is Rayna really here?” Jeremy could not help feeling doubtful as that floor did not look livable.

“Let's look around a little more. Who knows? There may be more concealed doors. Sometimes, the less suspicious a place appears, the more likely it's not as it seems,” said Theodore. Compared to Jeremy, he was a little more mature in his thinking. Hence, he could read a situation more thoroughly.

As soon as he uttered those words, the wall to their left began rotating. Immediately after that, a blinding ray of light shone toward them.

Before they even had time to react, Rayna's voice rang out from behind them. “Who are you?”

Curtis spun around and saw Rayna standing before him in thin pajamas. Next to her was the maid who had tried to stop them earlier.

In her hand was a fruit knife, and she pointed it directly at them. “What are you doing here?”

“Rayna, it's me,” Curtis called out in a gentle tone. He was about to step forward and embrace her when he caught sight of the knife in her hand. He furrowed his brows. “Rayna, I'm Curtis.”

“Curtis...” She racked her brain to see if she knew that name, but her mind was blank. “Do I... know you?”

Jeremy, who had been standing behind Curtis and watching the scene unfold, piped up anxiously, “Yes! Of course, you know him! What happened to you, Rayna? The both of you are husband and wife, and you have three kids together!”

Rayna furrowed her brows lightly when she heard that. “Husband? You're my husband? And we even have children?”

Xareni...

Her heart lurched as she recalled the scene in her nightmare from a few days ago. “Who's Xareni?”

“She's your daughter. We have three beautiful children, and Xareni is the youngest.” As Curtis explained, he made to step forward. Seeing that, Caylie cautioned Rayna, “Don't trust them, Ms. Griffith. They may be lying to you.”

Rayna jolted to her senses at those words. “Why should I trust you?”

At her question, Curtis' initially gentle gaze turned cold as he looked toward Caylie. “Then what makes you think you should trust that person beside you?”

His response immediately left Rayna disconcerted.

That's true. Ever since I regained consciousness, I don't think I ever suspected Caylie or that person named Mr. Bridge.

“I...” Rayna was at a loss for words, yet she did not want to admit defeat. “Caylie wouldn't mean me any harm.”

“Oh? So, she won't mean you any harm, but we will? Rayna, you can't see now, so how can you be sure that person beside you isn't the same person who caused you to lose your eyesight?” Curtis prompted earnestly, trying to throw her off so he could find a chance to grab the fruit knife from her.

She felt utterly bewildered by his words. “I... You're clearly trying to sow discord.”

“Yes. You're right about someone trying to sow discord. However, the people around you are the ones who're trying to sow discord between us!” he countered while inching forward. Rayna was momentarily distracted, and he seized the opportunity to lunge forward and grab the knife from her hand before tossing it far away.

The fruit knife fell to the white-tiled floor with a loud clatter that wrested Rayna from her befuddled thoughts and back to reality.

In one swift motion, Curtis grabbed Rayna's wrist and pulled her into his embrace, wishing they would never be apart again.

Caylie's immediate reaction was to pull Rayna back, but Wyatt and Theodore stopped her. Hoping to get Caylie on their side, Wyatt attempted to sway her by saying, “Young lady, you look like a good person too. Trust us. They're really husband and wife.”

“Ms. Griffith... is Mr. Bridge's...” Caylie wanted to say that Rayna was her employer's fiancée. However, she swallowed the words she had been about to utter.

Nonetheless, Theodore guessed her unspoken reply. He looked up and met Wyatt's knowing gaze. There was no need to say anything.

Meanwhile, Curtis had wrapped his arms around Rayna so tightly that she could hardly breathe. “Let go of me!”

“No! I won't let you go again!” At that moment, Curtis wished he could shrink Rayna and put her into his pocket so that he could carry her with him at all times.

Eventually, she stopped trying to push him away and lowered her hands. For some reason, his embrace seemed to spark a sense of long-lost familiarity within her.