Hiding Behind Her Superficiality by Kyla Olson

Callum waited for a while, but there wasn’t another text message from Emma other than this one.

Noticing the instant change in his expression, Elspeth asked, “What happened?”

Not intending to hide it from her, Callum placed his phone before her right away. “Something’s up with Emma.”

Elspeth merely darted a glance at the text message before turning to look out the window expressionlessly. “I know.”

“You know?”

Callum turned to look into her eyes. Seeing that there was nothing but mockery in them, he figured out what had probably happened. Emma probably did something that got under her skin again, he thought. After clearing his throat, he started the car immediately without saying another word.

Thinking that he was going to save Emma, Elspeth immediately turned to look at him in astonishment. “Wait a minute! Don’t tell me you’re really going to save her?” she said with an involuntary note of sarcasm in her voice.

“Why would I save her? No, I’m taking you to watch the spectacle.”

He drove the car at breakneck speed. Elspeth sat in the passenger seat, her mind feeling at rest all of a sudden as she looked at the scenery flying past the car window.

…

Callum soon found Emma’s location according to the IP address from which the text message was sent. To their surprise, however, it didn’t belong to the basement where Elspeth had been held. Instead, it was an abandoned gas station.

He subsequently found the location with Elspeth. As soon as they stepped out of the car, they were greeted by the pungent smell of gasoline in the air.

Elspeth clapped her hand over her nose with a frown. She muttered, “Why do I feel like something’s wrong with this place?”

“I feel the same.”

nervousness as he clasped her

a mocking guffaw

sharply. As she had expected,

have suffered a lot of torture. Her clothes were torn and tattered, and she was barely pulling herself together. “Never did I think you guys would actually come here

her with no intention of feeling sorry for

eyes, Emma felt her heart throbbing in pain. “You’ve remembered

this from her anymore, so he nodded straightforwardly. “That’s right.

break into a heartrending laugh. Her eyes were bulging out of their sockets as she said, “I just knew it! If you hadn’t remembered everything all

topic with her, Callum asked with a frown of

love you so much, but why do you have to be so hung up on Elspeth?!” Emma had an incredibly determined smile on her smudged-makeup face. “I can do whatever she’s capable of!

quite gut-wrenching. However, true love wasn’t

how you had never captured his heart despite getting him to be with you when he

changed at every word she said, and hatred flickered across her eyes. Suddenly, she lunged at

of this happened so fast that even Elspeth didn’t have time to realize what was happening, let alone Callum, whose already sullen face darkened even more. “What

knife deeper into Elspeth’s skin while asking the man before her with reddened eyes, “What would you do if I were the one who had a knife held to my throat? Would you be so anxious,

those of others in the first place, so Emma’s movement instantly made

you know it’s against the law for you to

of death, so why would I be afraid of breaking the law?!” She freed one hand and pulled at

swear as her face hurt from

back of her neck. “Yeah, I’m crazy. You know what? Rayan Adler got a bunch of people to rape me, and they all had STDs! You should’ve been the one who suffered these things. Why did they end up happening