Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem



Clad in a black trench coat, his hat casting shadows over his sinister grin, he looked like a villain straight out of a horror movie.

He approached her, and with several swift thrusts of his knife, she collapsed to the ground.

As she lay there, her eyes wide with terror, she watched him, bloodied knife in hand, advancing towards her child. One step, then another... getting closer and closer.

The fear was overwhelming; the thought of her child coming to harm was unbearable.

She tried to stand, to rush at him, but her legs wouldn't hold her.

She attempted to drag her bloodied form forward, fingernails scraping against the ground, but she couldn't move.

All she could do was watch helplessly as the perpetrator neared her child, feeling a despair so intense it choked her...

Now awake, the memory of the dream still shook her to the core, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Tarquin held her tightly, trying to comfort her,

"Elysia, I've actually known about our daughter for a while now, but I wasn't sure if the information was reliable, so I didn't mention it.

I know you get scared easily, and I didn't want you to worry unnecessarily.

Our daughter is indeed out there, and I'm 100% certain she's safe.

Remember those antiques I showed you the other day? Our daughter is with him. You've seen his paintings. He loves her and wouldn't harm her. And the messages you received today were just to scare you, with no mention of harming our daughter. So, for now, you don't need to worry about her safety."novelbin

Elysia looked at him, surprised that he had known about their daughter all along.

But then she slowly calmed down. He was right; the man wouldn't harm someone he loved.

With the reassurance that their daughter was likely not in danger, a significant weight lifted from Elysia's heart.

She sniffled and asked, "You have his artworks, so you must know who he is, right?"

Tarquin's lips moved slightly. It was Keith.

If Keith hadn't gone to the police station last night, Tarquin might not have been so sure.

Now, he wasn't positive if Keith was the mysterious man, but he was certain that their daughter was with him!

But he feared that telling Elysia would drive her to recklessly confront Keith.

Just as Elliot had kept certain information from Evan.

Just as Tarquin was about to speak, Elysia suddenly stood up, "I know now! Elizabeth!"

Tarquin was puzzled.

Elysia seemed to have an epiphany, wiping away her tears and looking at him excitedly,

"I finally understand why your mother's name felt so familiar to me! Tarquin, I remembered something from five years ago! When I woke up in those woods, all I had were Elliot and Evan, wrapped in these clean but worn small blankets.

The corner of the blankets had some faded lettering, but whether it was from being washed too many times or something else, I couldn't make out what it said.

I spent so long trying to decipher it because I wanted to know who had taken us to the woods. Those two blankets were the only clue.

But the writing was too blurred, and ultimately, I couldn't figure it out.

Later, when I saw your mother's name in your study for the first time, it felt familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen it before.

Because I gave up trying to understand after a while and hadn't looked at them for years, my memory had faded.